Sandahlsbolagen to operate intermodal terminal at the Port of Gothenburg
The family-owned company Sandahlsbolagen Sweden AB has signed a five-year agreement with Gothenburg Port Authority to operate the new intermodal terminal at the port. Operations will commence in December 2017.
At the end of next year, the intermodal terminal beside the central station in Gothenburg will move to the outer port area on the island of Hisingen. The reason behind the move is the planned development of the city centre and the construction of the West Link rail tunnel. The move will reduce road traffic in the centre of Gothenburg significantly. Locating the terminal close to the port will facilitate the introduction of new transport systems that will link up shipping and rail traffic.
The running of the new intermodal terminal will be handled by the family-owned transport company Sandahlsbolagen Sweden AB. The company already operates terminals in Luleå, Umeå, Sundsvall and Jönköping.
The Port of Gothenburg is renowned for its rail shuttles. Today, more than 50 per cent of containers arrive at the port by rail instead of by road, with considerable environmental benefits as a result. However, increasing the number of road trailers carried on rail trucks has proved slightly more challenging, despite extensive ro-ro traffic from the port. But Thord Sandahl feels that this is all about to change.
Construction of the intermodal terminal will take place in two phases. The first phase will be completed in December, when operations are due to commence. The terminal will be fully operational by 2019-2020. By that time, loading will take place using cranes instead of trucks and the entire terminal be electrified and controlled by signals. Around 10 people will be employed in the first phase.
The family-owned company Sandahlsbolagen established haulage operations more than 100 years ago in the province of Småland. It was back then that Enock Sandahl, Thord Sandahl’s grandfather, began delivering goods using a horse-drawn wagon. Today the group comprises a parent company and six subsidiaries, working with terminal operations, transport and contracting. The Sandahl Group head office is in Värnamo and the company has around 700 employees.
