Container traffic from Sweden is increasingly being channelled through the Port of Gothenburg by rail. In total, 456,000 TEUs of cargo was transported through the port by rail, the largest rail volume in the port’s 400-year history.

This was announced by the Port of Gothenburg on Monday 27 January, when it presented its throughput report of 2019. This is a confirmation that our investment in the port’s transshipment potential and rail infrastructure is the right path to follow”, said Elvir Dzanic, Gothenburg Port Authority chief executive.

From record to record

In 2019, 456,000 TEUs passed through the port by rail, up 14 per cent compared to the previous year. The volume of containerised freight moving into or out of the port by rail rose from an already record-breaking level. The share of quay turnover transported to or from the port by rail is unequalled by any other major international port in the world, the port authority states.

“In 2019, the Port Authority adopted a new environmental goal where the company was set the target of reducing the port’s CO2 emissions throughout the Gothenburg region by 70 per cent up till 2030. To achieve this goal, the ongoing transition from road to rail is vital”, said Dzanic.

Cargo type

A great deal of long-distance freight for export comprises basic materials used in industry, such as steel, paper, and timber. These are generally transported by rail from inland locations to the Port of Gothenburg for onward transport by container ship to markets on the Continent.

General container volumes rose during 2019 by three per cent to 772,000 units. The past two years have seen a marked increase in container traffic at the Port of Gothenburg. In 2018 growth stemmed mainly from the local catchment area – in 2019 it had the whole of Sweden as its base.