The port of Umeå has doubled the amount of railway transports in a year

The opening of a new railway terminal has fueled growth in the Port of Umeå. The amount of rail traffic has doubled in less than a year, and the interest towards this new transport mode is still growing.

Port operator Kvarken Ports opened a new railway terminal in the Port of Umeå in 2022. The new terminal enables intermodal transports to pass through Umeå. In intermodal freight transport the goods stay in the same container or trailer unit while the transportation mode changes (e.g. from ship to train). The amount of railway traffic from the port doubled during the first year of operations.

– We are proud to see how quickly the new terminal has established and attracted daily traffic. There is a significant interest towards transportation of trailers by rail, which will in turn benefit the ferry traffic between Umeå and Vaasa, says Christer Nederstedt, Sales and Marketing Manager of Kvarken Ports.

First Row Shipping was the first train operator to start scheduled departures from the Port of Umeå.

– We have invested heavily in this route and increased train departures from two to four times a week. We are offering door-to-door delivery solutions in Sweden, Europe and the whole world in co-operation with our partner network. Our fast and sustainable rail transports connect to the global logistics chain at the port of Gothenburg, says Patrik Åström, Commercial Director at First Row Shipping.

The railway terminal is located in the immediate vicinity of Wasaline ferry terminal. Wasaline is very pleased to introduce intermodal transports to its cargo customers.

– The terminal and frequent train departures have shortened the lead time between ports of Vaasa and Gothenburg to less than 24 hours. When the voyage starts aboard the world’s most environmentally friendly ferry Aurora Botnia and continues on an electric train, emissions per transported tonne stay very low, says Tony Ehrs, Freight Director at Wasaline.