Minister of Transportation to Attend Railroad Timber Terminal Opening at Hauerseter in Norway

Jan. 12, 2022 - Norske Skog at Saugbrugs, in collaboration with Nortømmer and Viken Skog have established the company Tømmerterminal Hauerseter AS, a privately owned railroad terminal for loading timber by rail. On Wednesday 19 January, the official opening will be attended by Norwegian Minister of Transport Jon-Ivar Nygård.

“The green transition requires that our inbound and outbound transport from the mills takes place with emission-free transport solutions. While we achieve lower carbon emissions and costs, there will now also be fewer heavy trucks transporting timber on our roads. A further development of the railway network and the terminal structure until 2050 will be a prerequisite for the implementation of the green transition in the industry and the fulfillment of Norway's emission obligations in the Glasgow agreement,” says Sven Ombudstvedt, CEO of Norske Skog.

Between 100,000 and 150,000 cubic meters of timber will be transported annually via the timber terminal, mainly spruce pulpwood to Norske Skog Saugbrugs in Halden. This amounts to somewhere between 2,500 and 3,750 timber truckloads a year.

Geographically Well Located

The terminal at Hauerseter is located just north of Gardermoen. It is thus geographically well located compared to other timber terminals. Hauerseter will relieve the other terminals, contribute to a sharp reduction in the number of timber trucks on the roads and reduce the transport distance from the forest in the area around the terminal.

The background for the establishment of the terminal is, among other things, a challenging capacity situation at Norsenga timber terminal in Kongsvinger. In addition, there are bottlenecks with driving a large number of timber trucks via Oslo.

First Timber Delivered

“The terminal, which is located at Hauerseter in Ullensaker municipality, has been established by a private initiative. Recently, we have put in place the necessary approvals from both Jernbanetilsynet and BaneNor to be able to load and transport timber by railway,” said general manager Tor Henrik Kristiansen in Viken Skog.

The first timber transporters delivered timber to Hauerseter on 23 December, and the first timber train left the terminal early January.

Norske Skog is a leading producer of publication paper with market positions in Europe and Australasia. The Norske Skog group operates four mills in Europe, of which two will produce recycled containerboard following planned conversion projects. In addition, the group operates one publication paper mill, a converting grade mill and one wood pellets facility in Australasia. To learn more, visit: www.norskeskog.com

SOURCE: Norske Skog