# Maersk launches new rail freight link between Haparanda and Gothenburg

- **Source:** https://pelavox.com/maersk-launches-new-rail-freight-link-between-haparanda-and-gothenburg/
- **Publisher:** pelavox. (The voice of shipping)
- **Author:** Helena Pierce
- **Published:** 2026-11-04T02:00:00+00:00
- **Updated:** 2026-11-03T08:51:21+00:00
- **Section:** Transport / Rail
- **Type:** News
- **Topics:** APM Terminals, Block Train, Container Logistics, Finland, Freight Corridors, Gemini Cooperation, Haparanda, Intermodal Transport, Maersk, Nordic Logistics, Oulu, Port of Gothenburg, Rail Freight, Sweden

Maersk is introducing a new rail freight service connecting Haparanda, on the Swedish-Finnish border, with APM Terminals Gothenburg, providing businesses in northern Sweden and Finland with an additional route to international shipping markets.

The first train is scheduled to operate on 5 November 2026, with the service initially offering two weekly round trips. Maersk intends to increase the frequency to four and subsequently six weekly round trips as the connection develops.

The new block train service will enable industrial customers to consolidate cargo in Haparanda before transporting it by rail to the Port of Gothenburg, where it can connect with international container shipping services.

According to Maersk and APM Terminals, the arrangement is expected to reduce total transit times for certain shipments. Cargo travelling from Oulu in Finland to destinations in Asia could arrive approximately eight days earlier than through traditional transport routes.

### New export corridor for Nordic industries

Haparanda’s location on the border between Finland and Sweden makes it a potential consolidation point for industrial cargo originating in both countries.

The service is expected to support industries including steel production, forestry, pulp and paper manufacturing, which generate substantial freight volumes in northern Scandinavia.

At Gothenburg, cargo will connect with Maersk’s Gemini East-West Ocean Network through three mainline shipping services, including direct connections to Asia.

The combination of rail transport and ocean shipping is intended to provide an alternative to conventional routes involving feeder vessels in the Baltic Sea.

For northern Finnish and Swedish exporters, this could also reduce exposure to winter shipping disruptions caused by ice conditions in the Gulf of Bothnia.

Mathias Weismann Poulsen, Head of Commercial at APM Terminals Gothenburg, said the project could support Haparanda’s development as a cross-border logistics hub while improving access to global markets for Nordic industries.

### Electric rail transport and future expansion

The long-distance section of the route will use electric rail transport, while onward connections between customer facilities and the rail network can be handled by truck or rail.

The service is intended to make greater use of existing Swedish railway infrastructure rather than requiring the construction of an entirely new rail corridor.

Roger Danell, Municipal Director of the City of Haparanda, described the initiative as an initial step towards establishing a sustainable export corridor between the Gulf of Bothnia and Sweden’s west coast.

The planned increase in weekly frequencies remains a future objective, with the initial operating schedule consisting of two round trips per week.

The new connection adds another inland transport option to the Port of Gothenburg’s international shipping network, supporting the movement of Nordic industrial exports to markets in Asia and elsewhere.

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Cite as: "Maersk launches new rail freight link between Haparanda and Gothenburg", pelavox., 4 November 2026, https://pelavox.com/maersk-launches-new-rail-freight-link-between-haparanda-and-gothenburg/