Norway Post expands rail service

Norway Post and Bring are expanding their rail services and starting an innovative train route between Oslo and Rotterdam for the environmentally friendly transport of fresh food to and from the Continent. Logistics operator Bring is now establishing a direct rail route between Oslo and Rotterdam. The first train left for the Continent on 8 November, fully loaded with fresh Norwegian salmon and returned packaging, which is going to be recycled in Germany.

For the first time, it is now possible to transfer the transport of fresh, quality goods between Norway and Europe from lorries over to trains.

The train is important for Norway Post’s environmental strategy

“We are proud of having found a new, environmentally friendly solution for transporting fresh, quality goods to the Continent. This means of transport is quick and certain, which is crucial for this type of product in that even one hour’s delay can destroy the end product,” says Dag Mejdell, the CEO of Norway Post.

Transferring goods from road to rail transport is a key part of Norway Post’s environmental strategy. Last year, Norway Post entered into Norway’s biggest ever railway contract. Norway Post buys rail transport worth NOK 1 billion each year. More than 80% of all the mail in Norway, over distances covered by railway lines, is transported by rail.

Through its Bring companies, Norway Post has transferred goods that would fill approximately 2,000 semitrailers each month over to rail transport. With this, we have reduced the distance driven by 1.5m kilometres and lowered our CO2 emissions by 1.3m kilograms a month.

The Bring train that now leaves from Alnabru in Oslo each Saturday and returns from Rotterdam each Wednesday means 32 fewer trailers on the road each way. In the space of one year, this will mean 4m fewer kilometres driven and a reduction in CO2 emissions of 4,000 tonnes.

Will increase to three trains

The goal is for Bring to increase the capacity to Europe to three weekly trains by the end of 2010. Among the customers on the first train are several major salmon exporters. The return train on Wednesday will, among other things, carry 150 tonnes of fruit and vegetables for Bama.

“Our customers are extremely concerned about quality. Previously, it has been impossible to transport fresh fish by train to Europe. We’re very pleased that Bring is now making this possible.  For us, this provides both a financial gain and a good environmental gain,” says Andreas Kvame, Marine Harvest’s sales and logistics director.

Turning point for environmentally friendly transport

Fruit and vegetable specialist Bama has been trying to achieve a solution like this for many years, and will be one of the major customers transporting fresh food from the Continent to Norway.

“This is a turning point for the environmentally friendly import of fruit and vegetables.  We require our carriers to be as aware of climate and environmental issues as possible. It’s positive that Bring is now taking the lead in this work. There should be a great potential for the further development of such solutions,” says Øyvind Briså, a director of the Bama Group.

Synergies between temperature-controlled and normal goods

The train will also transport ordinary railway goods, including returned packaging that Grønt Punkt Norge (Green Dot Norway plc) sends to Germany for recycling. The fact that Bring can transport both temperature-controlled fresh goods and ordinary goods on the same train is one of the main reasons why the line can be operated at a profit.