TX Logistik AB, Swedish subsidiary of Germany’s TX Logistik AG, has successfully completed an 838-meter train test in Sweden.
The test train carried 48 semitrailers and traveled at speeds of up to 120 km/h. This was faster than trains in comparable test runs in other countries. It was driven by a four-axle locomotive, which is normally used in rail freight transport.
The rail logistics company, which is part of the Mercitalia Group, operated the fully loaded train on the approximately 500-km route between Malmö and Frövi, in Örebro province, in central Sweden. Foodstuffs from the Swedish retail chain Coop were transported. The Swedish transport infrastructure authority Trafikverket was the third partner involved in the test run.
By now, only trains with a maximum length of 630 meters are permitted on most routes in Sweden and “an expansion to 838 metres would significantly increase transport capacities and thus make rail freight transport even more efficient and attractive for shippers,” Lars Winther Sørensen, Managing Director of TX Logistik AB in Sweden said. It is possible that the goods transported almost exclusively by road to be transferred on the rail transport bringing benefits to the society and environment.
The 838-meter train is an essential prerequisite for shifting more goods from road to rail which will contribute to the reduction of emissions. The use of longer trains will boost the development of sustainable and smart transport. In particular, the combination of high load capacity per train and high speed ensures a highly productive transport system.
Coop transports food and other goods by rail in Sweden from 2009. Since 2012, TX Logistik has been running for the retail chain between Bro, 30 km northwest of Stockholm, and Malmö. Two years ago, the number of round trips was doubled from ten to 20.
According to Peter Rosendahl, transport manager at Coop Logistik, “30 percent of our transports are handled by rail”, and the company intends to “increase the share further. That’s why we participated in this forward-looking project and hope to be able to extend our trains in the near future.
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