Northern Access

Northern Access stems from several initiatives. On the one hand, Umeå Municipality’s goal is to reach 200,000 inhabitants by 2050. On the other hand, Umeå Municipality’s ambition, though strict climate and environmental goals, is to be climate-neutral by 2040.

The transport sector is responsible for significant emissions, and the government’s freight transport strategy promotes the transfer of goods from road to sea and rail. To reduce emissions, Umeå Municipality has invested proactively in infrastructure that enables this.

Our mission includes developing the municipality’s facilities into a modern and competitive hub. This means that we have a central role in the future of Umeå and all of northern Europe – in both the short and long term.

We bring together the network and market the members’ logistics offering to strengthen the entire region and increase growth by facilitating transport and establishment.

One example is the company First Row Shipping, which has started to run train transport operations directly between Gothenburg and the Port of Umeå, where the goods arrive at the port’s intermodal railway terminal for transhipment to other means of transport. Transporting the goods by rail instead of lorry over the same distance reduces CO2 emissions by about 85%.

Collaboration facilitates the customer journey. And since the partners in Northern Access offer a wide range of services, the customer only needs to go to one place to get a complete solution.

“Here at Northern Access, we believe in expanded cooperation and geographical growth. Northern Sweden is moving forward, and our work allows the entire region to develop sustainably regarding freight transport and logistics solutions. This is a strong ambition with our coordination responsibility.

Our cooperation connects the Norwegian Atlantic ports with Finland, the Baltic States, Eastern Europe, northern and southern Sweden and continental Europe – with Umeå as the logistics hub. Here, goods can be smoothly reloaded into the desired mode of transport and then transported in all directions.

In addition to INAB, the Northern Access cooperation currently includes Umeå Hamn AB, Kvarken Ports, Umeå Municipality, Storuman Municipality, Västerbotten Chamber of Commerce, Region Västerbotten, Wasaline and Dåva Terminal AB.