Volvo Cars benefits from rail investment in Ghent

Infrabel has extended six tracks to 750 metres (from 620 metres) at the port of Ghent, part of North Sea Port, meaning greater overall efficiency for the trains operated by Lineas and more volumes of finished vehicles and containerised parts moved. Volvo uses rail to move vehicles from its plant in Ghent and to move parts to and from the plant.

Currently, around 7–8% of cars produced at the Ghent plant are exported by rail, according to Volvo. “While we do not yet have a confirmed figure for how much this share might grow following the renovation, the extended tracks provide greater capacity for rail transport,” said a spokesperson for Volvo. “The actual increase will also depend on external factors, such as whether receiving destinations are able to accommodate longer trains.” 

Destinations from Ghent include Italy and Austria, with further connections to the Baltic states and Eastern Europe.

Volvo said that the tracks offer it the opportunity to bring logistics operations closer to the Ghent factory and will improve the efficiency and accessibility of the factory, which is located in the port complex. As well as being of benefit to vehicle shipments out of the Volvo plant in Ghent, the upgraded tracks will also benefit vehicles from other plants being transported to rail links at Ghent, such as Volvo Car Torslanda, said Volvo. 

The Mercator railway yard (Sporenbundel Mercator) consists of six train tracks at a key junction in the North Sea Port, close to the Volvo Car plant located there. Originally built in 1996, it has now been renovated and upgraded, including an extension of the tracks. The total investment of approximately €10.4m was jointly financed by Infrabel and the North Sea Port. 

Volvo said that the Mercator railyard plays a vital role in rail transport for companies in the area, including Volvo Car Gent, DFDS, Stukwerkers and Lineas. “The project supports the sustainable modal shift strategy, helping reduce transport costs and cutting the number of trucks on the road,” said a spokesperson for Volvo Cars. By moving freight transport from road to rail, Volvo is able to take 50 trucks off the road per trip, which is better for Ghent's mobility and the climate.

“Rail transport is highly sustainable: a single train can carry around 200 cars, compared with just five to eight cars per lorry,” said volvo’s spokesperson. “By moving some vehicles by rail rather than by truck or ship, we reduce environmental impact and ensure the cars reach their final destinations more quickly.” 

Volvo has been on a mission in the last five years to move more finished vehicles to rail as part of its aim to reduce its vehicle lifecycle carbon footprint by 40% per car between 2018 and 2025. That requires a 25% reduction in operational emissions, including from logistics and the carmaker has been moving more volumes to rail from truck, cutting CO₂. It has already cut CO₂ on routes between the Ghent plant to depots in Italy and Austria. 

In September the carmaker began production of the 800-volt Volvo ES90 luxury electric vehicle in Chengdu, China for export to European markets, beginning with Germany. Previously Volvo has used rail to transport its S90 from China by rail in containers to the Belgian port of Zeebrugge.