The Järpen flow

One aggravating factor was to try to create a smooth and cost-effective logistics chain where the railway becomes a competitive alternative to the lorry over a relatively short distance. The contaminated soil also needed to change modes of transport from rail to truck on the last leg from the Umeå freight yard to the landfill centre – while maintaining a train schedule.

Thanks to an extensive local and regional contact network, INAB could easily establish a close dialogue between the contractor RGS Nordic, Green Cargo, Innofreight, Frakttjänst in Umeå and Dåva DAC. This enabled a smooth process where we could get relevant competencies and actors involved at an early stage and build good cooperation. Our extensive expertise in these areas was a prerequisite for developing such a complex logistics flow.

The project was successful, and we broke new ground! With skilled and driven project managers, courage and sharpness, the transport operation was carried out according to plan. An important detail that contributed to the success was the functionality and flexibility of our facilities. Umeå freight yard at Västerslätt in Umeå became the transhipment point for the contaminated soil. This, too, had not been done before.

The project was important and instructive internally for us at INAB and, in future, a new facility, Dåva Terminal, will specialise in this type of freight and pulp handling.

The project shows that it is quite possible to transport complex goods by train, even over shorter distances, and thereby reduce the climate footprint. This is an area we look forward to working with in order to meet the sustainability requirements of the future.