The freight traffic today

The southbound freight traffic is twice the amount of the

northbound traffic, mainly because the natural resources

and nature of the industry in the northern parts of Sweden

and Finland contributes heavily to the national export

values. is applies to both rail and sea transports. The

amount of road freight is smaller, and northbound goods

are slightly larger than the southbound.

About 60 percent of the Swedish transport work on railway

is carried out in the north of Sweden, especially on

the Ore Line between Narvik and Luleå, and the Swedish

Main Lines. e industrial north-south transports, which

carry relatively high value added goods, uses the Swedish

Main Lines today. The lines has steep inclines, slow speed

regulation and tight corners. It is only a single track line

and is therefore very vulnerable for disruptions, which in

turn cause the industry great economic harm.

Transports are important for the companies

Transports and logistics are both important actions for

competitive advantages over competitors for the industry

in the region. Transports account for a large proportion

of the total production costs and logistics handle the total

flow of goods, from input, value adding and shipping to

customers.

High standards for lead times

Both the industry and commerce strive for shorter lead

times and production cycles. Long lead times tie up large

sums of invested money and directly reduce profits. In

order to handle the industry’s transport needs and to reduce

capital accumulation, a robust and efficient transport

system in general and railway in particular is needed in the

northern counties.

Railway transports

The railway based freight tra-c has become an integrated

part of the industry’s production process and transport

logistics. It functions either as a transport between

different parts within a company, or between two different

companies. This accounts especially for the primary

industry that originates in the northern counties.