SWEDEN’s Transport Administration and infrastructure manager Trafikverket has signed an agreement with Stena Line that ensures continued operation of train ferry services between Sweden and Germany.
Trafikverket says the deal is the first of its kind and guarantees services between Trelleborg, Sweden and Rostock, Germany until December 31 2031. It is worth SKr 51.5m ($US 5.33m) and includes an indexation clause to account for fluctuations in fuel prices. The ceiling for the contract is SKr 55m.
The agreement was signed at the Port of Trelleborg by Trafikverket’s director general, Roberto Maiorana, and representatives from Stena Line. “This has been a priority project on our part and we are now working on securing train ferry traffic between Sweden and Germany in the coming years,” Maiorana says.
Trafikverket says that the train ferry service provides crucial military transport for both domestic armed forces and Nato, and ensures that Sweden can provide and receive host country support. "With the train ferry service, we can maintain Nato's basic requirement for a robust transport system for national resilience,” Maiorana says.
According to Trafikverket, Germany is Sweden's largest trading partner and the train ferries enable loads that cannot cross the Øresund Sound due to weight and width restrictions on Danish and German lines. Since the Øresund Bridge is the only fixed rail link to the south of Sweden, the train ferries also serve as a strategic backup solution in the event of long-term outages.
