The rail freight sector in Sweden is currently facing significant challenges. The latest development is the interruption of freight traffic along the Mariestad-Värö railway, in the Swedish southwest. The line was served by Green Cargo trains carrying pulp that was then sent to Germany and Eastern Europe. However, these volumes have now fully shifted to road transport as Green Cargo halted its services.
The decline of rail freight on the Mariestad-Värö line has been in decline for years, as Swedish media Järnvägar mentioned. Already in 2022, Green Cargo chose to reduce the number of weekly trains along this section from five to three in November 2022, as the Swedish Railways mentioned.
Shortage of locomotive drivers and lack of demand were identified as the main causes of the traffic reduction. However, these issues, added to competition from much cheaper road freight operators had led Green Cargo to make the drastic decision to stop its services along this line. In the past, white goods manufacturer Electrolux, Finnish paper manufacturer Metsä Group and Swedish hygiene and health company Essiny were the main users of the Mariestad-Värö line. However, Electrolux hopped off the trains years ago and Metsä only moved small volumes. Essity, on the other hand, relied more on rail freight for its transport services.
Problems in the south, problems in the north
These developments in the Swedish southwest are not the only problems affecting the Swedish rail freight industry. Another problematic railway in southern Sweden is the so-called Öresund axis, which connects the country to Denmark. A key rail nodes of the TEN-T Scandinavian-Mediterranean Corridor, this section lacks redundancy and viable alternatives in case of disruptions. In the north, the Iron Ore Line is also causing significant headaches. Stretching from the Swedish port of Luleå to the Norwegian port of Narvik, the line is a vital artery for LKAB, the largest ore producer in Europe. However, lack of proper capacity is making the mining giant is considering closing one of its facilities, with hundreds of jobs at risk.
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