Double-track railway between Oslo and Gothenburg - An analysis using the Norwegian Freight Transport model

In this report we model the effects in the freight sector of implementing double-track railway for the entire distance between Gothenburg and Oslo, reducing transport times from 7.5 hours to 4 hours. The time savings lead to cost savings, benefitting transport chains that are already using rail on this freight relation. The possibility of improved rail freight will also attract freight volumes from some other transport chains using competing routes and modes, i.e. sea and road transport, as it opens up for reducing costs. “Pulling” freight volumes away from road transport will lead to lower CO2-emsissions and external costs. We also model scenarios with higher fuel taxation for road transport. Here, some transport chains will shift to competing modes such as rail, i.e. “pushing” away volumes from road transport in order to reduce cost. These scenarios also result in lower CO2 emissions and external costs.