Saving the climate - freight of wood chips from road to rail

10/06/2020

For many years, transportation of wood chips from saw mills in the Lillehammer area to the wood processing industry in Halden has been done by trucks on road. Now the trucks are being replaced by trains.

The transition from road to rail has come about as a result of good cooperation between customers and suppliers. The rails were in place, but adjustments have been necessary in order to facilitate loading and discharging of the cargo. The first wood chip load was successfully transported this week.

- We have acquired new train wagons and we use electrical train engines. We are planning weekly deliveries thereby saving 1650 truck loads per year. These trucks now being replaced by train would otherwise have travelled on the E6 through Oslo centre, giving huge environmental benefits, says Kjell Arve Kure, managing director of Norske Skog Saugbrugs.

- We have worked with this project for a long time and we are very happy that we now have managed a smooth transition from road to rail for this kind of transport. Freight by rail is a much more environmentally viable solution with the additional benefit of being more cost efficient, says Jørn Nøstelien, managing director of Gausdal Brucoll.

The wood industry company Gausdal Bruvoll in Oppland produces building materials. Wood chips is a by-product which is transported to Norske Skog Saugbrugs in Halden where the chips are processed into different types of magazine paper.