Rail freight traffic between northern Sweden and the Port of Gothenburg continues to rise. The two railway terminals located in the Norrbotten region, in the northernmost part of the country, have become key pieces in the growth of the volume that has made 2025 the best year in history for container transport between the Swedish port and the interior terminals in the north of the country.
According to data provided by the Port of Gothenburg, the terminals in Haparanda and Piteå jointly handled 13,412 TEUs in 2025, representing a 16% increase over the previous year. Across all rail connections with northern Sweden, the volume exceeded 72,000 TEUs throughout the year. Johan Ehn, senior market development director at the Port of Gothenburg, noted that over the last five years there has been a doubling of the number of containers coming from northern Sweden, a growth that, according to Ehn, serves as proof of the increasing importance of the region as a driver of the Swedish export industry.
The railway terminal in Piteå, owned by the lumber company Stenvalls Trä, was originally created to meet the transportation needs of the company itself. Most of the southbound cargo consists of sawn and planed wood products from the four sawmills that Stenvalls Trä operates in the region. However, over time, an increasing number of companies from various industrial sectors have begun to use the terminal, which has diversified the composition of the cargo and contributed to the increase in volumes.
Roger Bergman, market manager at Stenvalls Trä, explained that both the company and its customers need to transport their products to export markets around the world quickly, efficiently, and with a low climate footprint. Bergman emphasized that Gothenburg, as the largest port in the Nordic region, offers an extensive network of shipping lines and efficient transfer from rail to ship, and that establishing high-frequency rail connections with the port for global transport has proven relevant not only for Stenvalls Trä but for a large part of the region.
Reliability and continuity have proven to be decisive factors in the success of this rail solution. According to Bergman, companies are increasingly turning to rail, especially during the winter months when icy conditions can limit ships' access to ports in the northern Baltic Sea. This circumstance has led to additional cargo transfers to shuttle rail services operated by TFK Logistics, which maintain a regular frequency regardless of the season.
Once the trains arrive in Gothenburg, the containers are transferred directly to the port's container terminal, operated by APM Terminals, from where they are loaded onto ocean-going vessels for global distribution. The trains then return to northern Sweden loaded with import cargo, optimizing the use of rolling stock and reducing empty movements.
In total, 19 container trains operate weekly between northern Sweden and the Port of Gothenburg, connecting multiple inland terminals with the port facility. These services are part of Railport Scandinavia, the rail network of the Port of Gothenburg that links around 30 inland terminals distributed across Sweden. The model serves as an example of intermodal integration between rail and maritime transport, allowing production areas far from the coast to access international markets competitively.
Northern Sweden, known as Norrland, covers more than half of the country's area, although it has a relatively small population. The region is rich in natural resources and plays a significant role in the Swedish export economy, particularly in the forestry, mining, and energy sectors. The Norrbotten region, the northernmost in the country, concentrates significant industrial investments and a growing logistical flow. The long distances and harsh winter conditions make rail transport an essential and reliable link between inland production centers and global markets through ports such as Gothenburg.