Rail volumes on track for record year at Nordic container terminal

Supported by 8% Swedish container market growth in the the first quarter of 2024, interest in rail is reaching new heights in the Nordics, and APM Terminals Gothenburg predicts a record year for railway volumes. To meet demand, the rail network is expanding with new destinations, both within and outside Sweden’s borders.

“The remarkable growth of the Swedish container market during the first quarter of the year was driven by strong exports of mainly forestry products, combined with an upturn in import volumes,” says Per Wahlström, market analyst at APM Terminals Gothenburg. “Sustainability is becoming a top priority in procurement and rail solutions are not only environmentally friendly, but also economically beneficial.”

Growing Nordic rail network

“The unique geographical position of APM Terminals Gothenburg and the widespread rail network is attracting customers from all over Scandinavia,” he explains. “Now both Norwegian and Finnish goods are being handled in Gothenburg, and the railway network has been expanded with destinations that we could only dream of previously.”

During the first half of this year, APM Terminals in Gothenburg welcomed a total of four new destinations to its rail network, namely Oslo, Umeå, Bastuträsk and Haparanda.

The new twice weekly shuttle between Oslo in Norway and Gothenburg in Sweden is operated by Norway’s leading train operator, CargoNet. It connects two important Nordic hubs and thereby contributes to the entire Nordic region’s competitiveness. As awareness increases, the service is expected to increase to five departures a week by the end of the year. 

Same day connection Oslo-Gothenburg

A container loaded at the Alnabru terminal in Oslo arrives at APM Terminals in Gothenburg later that same day. “Being able to transport goods quickly, sustainably and reliably from Norway to Scandinavia’s largest port, with direct loading onto ships, is a major advantage for our customers,” explains Torstein Wollseth Rohde, Key Account Manager at CargoNet AS.

Confidence in the railway network has never been greater and the Terminal expects to add at least five new shuttle services in the second half of 2024. With 40% rail capacity still available at the terminal, there’s a clear opportunity, which is reinforced by Svante Altås, salesperson and railway expert at APM Terminals Gothenburg: “I feel confident to say that we're heading for a new record year.”

“The fact that our Nordic neighbours have now found their way to APM Terminals Gothenburg by rail is, to say the least, an exciting development, which I think we've only seen the beginning of,” he concludes.