Wasaline joins a freight corridor from Vaasa to Trondheim

NLC Ferry Ab Oy said in a press release dated 11 November 2026 that an electrified railway connecting the ports of Trondheim and Umeå makes rail freight between Finland, Sweden and Norway a more realistic and sustainable alternative. The freight corridor consists of the ferry route between Vaasa and Umeå, the railway connection between the Port of Umeå and Trondheim, and maritime transport to and from the Port of Trondheim.

The Meråker Line has now been electrified, so freight trains can run with zero direct emissions between central Sweden and Trondheim. A new rail freight service between Umeå and Trondheim is being planned. The train, powered by electric locomotives, will accommodate containers, semi-trailers and industrial goods, with direct connections at both ports. A joint project has been launched by OnRail, Wasaline, Kvarken Ports Umeå and the Port of Trondheim. Exports to destinations such as the United Kingdom and Iceland will benefit from significantly shorter transport distances. The release says the transport sector accounts for roughly one-third of the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions. Discussions with customers will decide the future frequency and capacity of the rail service.

OnRail launches a new freight train between Trondheim and Oslo on 1 February 2027. The release says industries in northern Scandinavia are concerned that the Baltic Sea could be blocked in a future crisis, and that the corridor from the Trondheim Fjord via Meråker and Storlien has been portrayed in the media as a military corridor. Wasaline operates the daily ferry service between Vaasa and Umeå and describes the crossing as the northernmost year-round international ferry route in the world. Aurora Botnia is powered by biogas and batteries. OnRail says its trains replace tens of thousands of trucks a year. Trondheim Havn IKS is owned by 14 municipalities in Trøndelag.