Norwegian state-owned railway company Bane NOR, Norway’s Armed Forces and the Swedish Armed Forces have entered into a rail wagon purchasing agreement. Through the deal, they will be purchasing wagons of the same type to meet military needs.

The deal is necessary to ensure mutual compatibility of rolling stock for military needs. As part of the agreement, Sweden and Norway can purchase up to 120 rail wagons of the same type. Since the entry of Finland and Sweden into NATO, Nordic military transport cooperation has become an increasingly important issue.

For example, much military equipment enters Scandinavia through Norway’s Narvik port, where the only rail connection leads to Sweden’s Malmbanan. From there, equipment can continue its trip to the south and east. This is exactly what happened during NATO’s Immediate Response exercise earlier in 2024.

“Good Nordic cooperation”

“The agreement is a direct result of Bane NOR’s role in total defense and the good Nordic cooperation on social security and transport preparedness. The agreement involves a significant improvement in capacity for military transport on the railway both in Norway and Sweden, between the countries, and to other countries in Europe”, Bane NOR’s CEO states.

As part of the military logistics streamlining effort, Sweden also intends to upgrade infrastructure along the Malmbanan. While reference is often made to the route’s importance for northern Sweden’s mines, its connection to Narvik makes it a crucial military logistics route as well. Swedish authorities have specifically pointed to the country’s NATO membership as a reason to upgrade the line.

Also for civilian use

When not in military use, the specification requirements in the deal make sure that the wagons can be employed for civilian use as well. Bane NOR can use purchased Norwegian wagons internally or rent them out for civilian freight transport that includes heavy loads. “This is important to keep the wagons in good condition and ready for use, and also increases capacity in civilian freight transport”, according to the Norwegian company.