Coop Sweden has tested a longer and heavier freight train between Malmö to Frövi as it aims to transport more goods by rail.
The retailer teamed up with train operator TX Logistik and Trafikverket (the Swedish Transport Administration) to test the freight train.
At 838 metres, it was 200 metres longer than regular train and comprised 24 carriages with 48 truck trailers.
A regular Coop freight train comprises 18 carriages with 36 trailers.
The train will increase the retailer's good transport capacity by 33%, the retailer noted.
Peter Rosendahl, transport manager at Coop Logistik, said, "At Coop, we have been transporting food and other goods by train since 2009. Today, more than 30% of our transport is by train in Sweden, but we want to transport even more by rail.
"An effective way to increase transport would be to get permission to run longer trains, so it was important for us to participate in this test."
Railway Transport
For the past 13 years, Coop Sweden has been moving goods daily via rail between Malmö in Skåne and Bro in the north of Stockholm.
Train transport has helped the retailer avoid almost 17,000 trips on roads, corresponding to carbon dioxide emissions of 9,600 tonnes, or 20% of the climate impact the retailer measures and reports each year.
Rosendahl added, "We have a good dialogue with the Trafikverket about how we could increase the amount of transport by rail. For us, it would be an effective way to extend our trains and thus run more goods on the departures we already have. We have good hopes that in the near future we will have the opportunity to extend our trains."
The trial run, conducted from 8 - 9 May, measured the braking performance of the approximately 835-metre train to consider the possibility of allowing this train length in regular service.
The cruising speed was 100 km/h, and braking tests from several different speeds were carried out at selected locations, the retailer added.
Read More: Coop Sweden Raises Climate Impact Targets
© 2022 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest supply chain news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
