The shuttle, owned by APM Terminals and operated by Dania Connect, transports containers between Helsingborg, in southern Sweden, and Gothenburg in approximately five hours.

“By launching our own shuttle, we aim to create business value for importers and exporters in the Helsingborg region. We are already seeing strong interest from both shipping lines and cargo owners in the local area”, said Mathias Weismann Poulsen, Chief Commercial Officer at APM Terminals Nordic.

In total, nearly 30 locations across Sweden are connected to the Port of Gothenburg by rail. In 2025, 529,000 TEU were transported to or from the port by rail, the highest figure in the port’s history. The new shuttle is expected to support further growth within the network.

Global markets

“An integrated rail connection to the container terminal at the Port of Gothenburg represents a boost for the Helsingborg region’s business community in reaching global markets. This is a very positive initiative by APM Terminals that also strengthens the port’s overall offering”, commented Claes Sundmark, Vice President Sales & Marketing at the Port of Gothenburg.

The service began in February with one departure per week, with plans to increase to three weekly departures in the near term. The rail distance between Helsingborg and the Port of Gothenburg is approximately 230 kilometres.

This article was originally published by our sister publication WorldCargoNews.

Regarding total TEUs, the port handled 934,000 compared to the 902,000 of 2024, a year-on-year increase of 4% and also the highest value in the history of the port. Ro-Ro operations remained stable, with 525,000 units moved in 2025 and 524,000 in 2024. The only decreases recorded at the port of Gothenburg concerned the number of new cars moved (251,000 vs 257,000) and the production of energy (20.7 million tonnes in 2025 vs 21.8 in 2024).

Yet, its rail share is nothing to be ashamed of. The only other port that comes close is Hamburg, with a 50,2% container rail share throughout 2024. Gdańsk managed a still relatively high 35%. Rotterdam got stuck at 8.9%.

Gothenburg’s more than 60% rail share constitutes an improvement of 4% over the first half of the year prior. “Growth is being driven by inland terminals across Sweden – in the north, south, as well as the east. In the wider Stockholm region alone, rail container volumes rose by 4% to more than 30,000 TEU in the first half of the year”, the port writes.

“The region hosts numerous central warehouses, particularly for consumer goods, and the rail link to the Port of Gothenburg is vital. Rail is efficient, nearly emission-free, and helps ease road congestion”, commented Claes Sundmark, Vice President Sales and Marketing at the port.

Beyond rail freight

The Port of Gothenburg noted varied performance across its freight segments in H1 2025. Container handling increased to 470,000 TEU, driven by a higher proportion of loaded units and fewer empty repositionings. “Repositioning empty containers between ports is necessary for the logistics system to function, but ideally it should be kept to a minimum. The fact that we are handling more loaded containers while managing fewer empties reflects greater efficiency across the entire logistics chain”, Sundmark added.

July was the busiest month on record for container terminal operator APM Terminals. In part, that can be attributed to newly launched services to the Baltic region and Asia. Ro-Ro traffic saw a 1% increase to 272,000 units. At the same time, however, car handling declined by 7% to 124,000 vehicles, and energy flows decreased by 13% to 9,4 million tonnes. Dry bulk experienced a collapse of 43% to 155,000 tonnes.

For APM Terminals, the rail growth trend is apparent from January’s data alone, indicating a 30% increase in containers handled by rail and a 52% increase in rail import volumes compared with January 2024.

Key success elements

A key element of Gothenburg’s success is cooperation among stakeholders. Altas emphasised the importance of integrating clients, rail operators, and inland terminals into a cohesive, sustainable solution. This collaborative approach fosters a sustainable ecosystem where “Reliability, Flexibility, Quality, and Trust” are central to every interaction.

Streamlining operations has also been a critical factor. By cutting train turnaround times in half, APM Terminals Gothenburg has significantly boosted efficiency, making rail a more attractive option for shippers. Altas also noted the importance of ongoing investment in IT solutions to support seamless operations; however, he stressed that trust remains a key element in operations.

Market deregulation keeps rail moving

The deregulation of Sweden’s railway system was definitely a milestone in terms of the general conditions allowing the Swedish port to champion its railway operations. According to Altas, market liberalisation has significantly facilitated growth in rail freight and its share in port operations.

For some context, the first policy stemming from the Swedish government signalling deregulation was in place in 1988. By 1996, Swedish rail freight was fully deregulated, while the EU followed eleven years later, in 2007.

Invest, invest, invest

Continuous infrastructure investments are vital for supporting and expanding port-rail capabilities. This is a widely accepted view that Altas shares. In this regard, Altas is convinced that the EU provides enough support programmes and tools to help establish new rail terminals.

Nevertheless, by investment, the Gothenburg-based specialist does not necessarily always mean publicly funded infrastructure works. On the contrary, he thinks companies should also lead the investment race. When it comes to that, APM Terminals’ investment focus lies mainly within the port’s vicinity while cooperating and consulting with relevant stakeholders regarding inland investment projects. “However, we see a growing interest for larger inland investments from our side in the future,” said Altas, underlining that this is a way to streamline the port’s supply chains with the hinterland even more.

While Altas acknowledged that there is still work to be done to create the perfect port-rail ecosystem in Europe, he believes Sweden is on the right track. He suggested that other regions consider railway deregulation and increased infrastructure investments more seriously and use Sweden as a blueprint for port-rail development.

Lövholmen Intermodal Terminal is not the first rail served facility in Piteå. It may have been conceived as a timber terminal, but the owners, Stenvalls Trä, are energetically promoting it for mixed use. That said, the predominant industrial landscape in Piteå is felled lumber. The owners need not have any concerns if they have to fall back on their core product line. However, diversity is their ambition.

Shipping to worldwide markets

Rail is the game changer for Lövholmen Intermodal Terminal. The terminal, owned by forest product company Stenvalls Trä, was originally established to handle its own operations. Those outputs consist of sawn and planed timber from Stenvalls’ four sawmills in the region. The prepared goods are transported by truck to the Lövholmen terminal for containerisation.

From there, onward transport is by rail to the Port of Gothenburg for shipping to markets in Asia, the USA, and Southern Europe. Now, more industries in the Piteå region are expressing interest in the terminal’s facilities. The terminal’s owners are actively pursuing that potential.

Gothenburg in less than a day

Roger Bergman, Marketing Manager at Stenvalls Trä, is open to approaches. “We want to be an open terminal for the entire region’s industry, which we are very committed to,” he said. ‘We are in no way exclusive to Stenvalls Trä. We have the capacity, expertise, and willingness to handle larger and more diversified volumes. And we have already seen the beginning of that.”

When operations started, there was one departure per week in each direction to and from Gothenburg Port. The frequency quickly increased to two cycles, and the terminal wants to increase the frequency even further. The rail transport to the Port of Gothenburg takes 23 hours.

Potential and well networked

Stenvalls Trä say that Lövholmen Intermodal Terminal
has 30,000 m² of open and covered space, with an additional 20,000 m² under construction. There are two rail tracks with a total of 1,800 meters available. That’s comfortable for a 750m freight train, the maximum European standard. There is plenty of traffic in Sweden, with several contracts changing hands, and new markets opening up.

Experienced operators APM Terminals handle containers. TFK Logistics and Hector Rail operate train services. “It’s a collaboration that has worked incredibly well from the start,” says Kim Johansson, CEO of TFK Logistics “Together, we have a total concept that is hard to beat.” Lövholmen Intermodal Terminal is part of Railport Scandinavia, which means it’s part of a network of nearly 30 inland terminals. All told, it’s doing quite a grown-up job for a one-year-old.

A year of reforms

It was February 2022 when Lineas announced a sudden change of executive faces. Former CEO Geert Pauwels resigned due to the company’s poor financial performance, and Bernard Gustin was appointed as the company’s new head to help it get back on track.

Despite Lineas proceeding to acquisitions of operators and launching new routes, things didn’t appear so smooth in the background. Blame it on the pandemic, the floods of summer 2021 that impaired the company’s supply chains, or the increased operational costs due to the spiking energy prices; Lineas needed a change.

After Gustin took over, the Belgian private operator kept a low profile, mainly dealing with its financial reformation. A year later, Lineas might be signalling a fresh start with this new Ghent-Lyon rail service. Could this be a new beginning? Time will show. Nevertheless, the company seems to be implementing a more sober and step-by-step approach to its growth.

The port of Gothenburg is increasing its rail modal share

The port of Gothenburg is increasingly receiving freight trains. In 2022, for example, TEUs moved by trains in the port grew by 12 per cent. Already in 2022, the port of Gothenburg was planning to add new destinations to its network. This new partnership between APM Terminals and Samskip may be a step in this direction.

“This year’s growth resulted from long-distance services and increased short-distance rail operations. However, the biggest growth is evident in traffic to and from Northern Sweden,” explained the port. The port’s growth concerning rail freight can also be attributed to more industries flourishing in the Swedish North which require more and better transportation services.

Samskip’s plans to boost sea-rail transport in Europe

Samskip’s initiative to join APM Terminals in the port of Gothenburg is not the first company’s initiative to boost sea-rail transport. In December 2022, for example, Samskip collaborated with Rotterdam Shortsea Terminals (RST) and Rail Service Center Rotterdam (RSC) to make the two terminals more efficient. “RST needs high-performance rail links and RSC needs short-sea traffic. Together, we have focused on the shunt to make sure units reach the ship or train they are booked for”, said Samskip back then.

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“Transporting container freight by rail to and from the port’s inland terminals all over the country is very common. This year’s growth resulted from long-distance services and increased short-distance rail operations. However, the biggest growth is evident in traffic to and from Northern Sweden,” explained the port.

Swedish North, an industrial powerhouse

Rail traffic between the Swedish North and the port of Gothenburg did not contribute to the port’s increased rail freight throughput by luck. According to the port, the Swedish north is an industrial powerhouse, making it one of the country’s most used rail freight destinations. Industrial products find their way to the south by rail, while raw materials destined for the factories do the same in the opposite direction.

To highlight the Swedish North’s transport significance, one can look at some figures: “the North of Sweden (Norrland) is the backbone of the Swedish export industry and energy supply, and it is set to grow fast. Over the next 20 years, more than SEK 1,000 billion (95 million euros) will be invested in new industries. Northvolt’s battery factory in Skellefteå and fossil-free steel production in Boden are known to most Swedes. Still, these investments are just the tip of the iceberg in the industrial boom underway in the north, which will mean an increased need for transport in the near future,” said the port of Gothenburg.

Goals met, but what is next?

Last year the port of Gothenburg set the goal to reach and exceed 500,000 TEUs transported by rail in 2022. The target was met, but the port keeps a lower profile this year. “The shopping frenzy is gone. Consumer goods such as clothing and home electronics are areas where we’re seeing falling import volumes. We saw clear indications towards the end of 2022, and the initial trend in 2023 suggests a further decline, as product owners, in many cases, have full warehouses and are seeing lower demand, resulting in reduced transport requirements,” commented Dzanic.

With Gothenburg being the logistics hub for Scandinavia, able to transport cargo to all countries effectively by using rail as a central player, less import demand could mean reduced rail freight volumes in the future. However, there is some positive news. The port expects the Swedish manufacturing and forestry industries to remain healthy, meaning that strong Swedish exports will probably continue.

Since a big part of the port’s rail volumes concerns the manufacturing industry and forestry products, this trend will allow the hub to keep the rail growth trend going for the year to come despite the challenges.

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Specifically, between January and June 2022, the TEUs rail contributed to the Swedish port account for 253,000. In 2021, this number reached 230,000 TEUs. Last year, the port of Gothenburg handled 458,000 TEUs from rail freight, the highest number in its history. With a 9 per cent increase compared to 2020, the port’s authority foresaw more growth for 2022, which seems realistic with the latest numbers.

Railport Scandinavia system

“The Railport Scandinavia railway system links the Port of Gothenburg with over 30 inland terminals at locations all over Sweden. It is one strong contributor to the increase in container volumes in the port. New locations were added to the system during the first half of 2022 while existing traffic has seen additional growth,” said the port.

“More and more goods owners choose the port of Gothenburg for their container transports no matter where they are in the country. The port’s growing railway system, Railport Scandinavia, has played a crucial role in that. The system has been expanded gradually with more departures, new inland terminals and destinations. It is a result of a strong will among railway partners around the country to respond to market demand and invest”, said Elvir Dzanic, the port’s CEO.

A Scandinavian hub

Ole A. Hagen, a specialist in Scandinavian transport and business and policy director at the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise (NHO), has highlighted how the port of Gothenburg can become the central hub of a synchronised Scandinavian railway network and a gateway to other markets.

“The Nordic countries have a great potential in synchronising their networks, utilising their hubs and improving infrastructure with a cross-border perspective,” said Hagen. “Gothenburg is the logistics hub for Scandinavia. From Gothenburg, we can distribute cargo to all countries effectively. It is a platform serving all modes of transport with enough capacity to handle volumes from all the Nordic countries”, he explained.

• Rail has largest share in port of Gothenburg’s container handling
• Port of Gothenburg reaches rail growth ‘others can only dream of’

In fact, the Swedish port is a significant rail freight player since its volumes rely heavily on containers transported by rail. For instance, in 2021, the port of Gothenburg handled 458,000 TEUs coming from rail freight, the highest number in its history and half of the total handled volumes. Apart from Sweden, though, the port of Gothenburg has this hub function for the whole Scandinavian region.

However, it is not the port of Gothenburg attracting most of the attention currently since, in the Swedish north, things are moving and shifting. The results of this shift will be directly visible in the rail freight market and with an international effect.

The Swedish north

“The North of Sweden (Norrland) is the backbone of the Swedish export industry and energy supply, and it is set to grow fast. Over the next 20 years, more than SEK 1,000 billion (95 million euros) will be invested in new industries. Northvolt’s battery factory in Skellefteå and fossil-free steel production in Boden are known to most Swedes. Still, these investments are just the tip of the iceberg in the industrial boom that is underway in the north”, explained the port of Gothenburg.

Suppose all planned industrial investments in Norrland become a reality. In that case, it will be a historical series of investments in new technology and new industries that will largely contribute to green transformation. This will mean an increased need for transport”, added Hjalmarsson.

Green industries require green access to the world

The Swedish north is already an industrial powerhouse, making it one of the country’s most used rail freight destinations. Industrial products find their way to the south by rail, while raw materials destined for the factories do the same in the opposite direction. “In the existing industry in Norrland, the need for transport is already great today, and the export markets are often found on other continents. Therefore, regular and reliable connections to the Port of Gothenburg’s direct line network are important to get the products out to customers quickly”, said the Swedish port.

However, the investment boom occurring in Norrland currently focuses on green and sustainable industries aiming to build a better future. As a result, it makes perfect sense to use a green mode to transport their products. Increased focus on climate-smart transport is important, and customers realise that the railway is reliable and efficient over time. The longer the transport distance, the more the railway comes into its own. From the port’s perspective, we can state that increased Norrland traffic also strengthens the port as a guarantor of business access to the world”, emphasised the port of Gothenburg. Indeed, cargo coming from Umeå to Gothenburg will depart directly for Asia and the USA, among other places.

Together with industries, though, rail freight logistics companies also find their way to Norrland. Anders Hjalmarsson underlined that many players in the transport sector are positioning themselves in Norrland in the face of the expected growing transport needs. An example of this is First Row Shipping & Logistics, which is also the operator of the Umeå-Gothenburg shuttle. The future looks very bright, and we expect to increase the frequency of the Umeå shuttle already after the summer. We are building the base here and now so that it is available in the future. We are in Norrland to stay”, said Nikolas Rowland, the CEO of the logistics company.

Also read:

• Rail has largest share in port of Gothenburg’s container handling

• Port of Gothenburg reaches rail growth ‘others can only dream of’

• A synchronised Nordic network can do miracles