Cargolink

Cargolink AS was a Norwegian railway freight company established by Autolink, a major Norwegian automobile distribution company. Its principal role was to move newly imported and distributed vehicles by rail from ports and distribution points to destinations across Norway, while also carrying containers and selected return-load freight. The company emerged from a breakdown in the relationship between Autolink and Ofotbanen, a private railway operator in which Autolink had acquired a minority stake and with which it had contracted to haul automotive traffic. Autolink had historically arranged automobile trains through the national railway system and later through CargoNet. On 31 January 2007, it bought 40 percent of Ofotbanen and signed a haulage agreement with that company. Ofotbanen continued to experience financial problems, however, and disagreements developed between Autolink and Ofotbanen's majority owner over financing, ownership, and the future of the business relationship. Autolink began preparations for its own railway company in March 2008. Cargolink was formally established on 27 March 2008, and the haulage contract with Ofotbanen was terminated in July of the same year. Cargolink received an operating licence from the Norwegian Railway Inspectorate on 18 September 2008 and began service in November. Its launch restored Autolink's direct control over the rail operation used for its automotive distribution business after a short interruption in which automotive trains stopped operating. The initial operating base was Drammen, where the company maintained shunting equipment and supported train preparation for traffic from the ports of Drammen and Oslo. The operating model combined automobile transport with container traffic. Cargolink used autorack wagons for finished vehicles and container wagons for intermodal freight. Its network covered major Norwegian railway corridors, including the Sørland Line to Stavanger, the Bergen Line to Bergen, the Rauma Line to Åndalsnes, the Røros and Dovre corridors toward Trondheim, and the Nordland Line toward Mosjøen, Mo i Rana, and Bodø. Internationally connected services ran through Sweden to Narvik and Malmö. Trains could combine automobile and container wagons, with individual routes scheduled as frequently as five times per week in each direction according to the reference material. The company operated a mixed locomotive arrangement. It owned shunters used at its Drammen port facility, while main-line traction included diesel locomotives leased from Vossloh's Dispolok operation and electric locomotives leased from Hector Rail. The fleet also included more than 100 enclosed autoracks and approximately 60 container wagons, with additional autoracks ordered from Sweden. Because much of the fleet and early operating plan depended on diesel traction, Cargolink examined routing some services through the non-electrified Røros Line rather than the electrified Dovre Line, balancing traction costs against route geography and operating requirements. Cargolink's business was closely tied to Autolink's vehicle-distribution volume rather than to a broad consumer-facing logistics brand. The company also used empty autorack capacity on return journeys from northern Norway to carry aluminium from Elkem's Mosjøen operations, illustrating its effort to improve wagon utilisation through backhaul traffic. The available reference material documents the establishment and early operations of the railway company, but does not establish its later ownership, financial condition, current operating status, or exact date of cessation. Those points therefore remain unconfirmed.

Cargolink developed out of Autolink's need to control the railway element of its automobile-distribution system. Before Cargolink existed, Autolink owned a substantial fleet of autorack wagons but relied on established railway operators to haul them. The company had traditionally used services associated with the Norwegian State Railways and its successor CargoNet. On 31 January 2007, Autolink acquired a 40 percent interest in Ofotbanen, a private Norwegian railway company, and entered into a haulage agreement with it. Autolink became Ofotbanen's largest customer and an important shareholder. The arrangement was intended to provide a dedicated operating relationship for automobile trains, while Autolink also ordered 70 additional autoracks from Sweden for NOK 175 million according to the source material. Ofotbanen's financial position remained weak. Disagreements arose between Autolink and Rail Management, the majority owner associated with Mons Bolin. Autolink maintained that the relationship deteriorated because the majority owner would not permit a further private placement or sell its shares to Autolink. Autolink began preparing a separate railway company in March 2008 and incorporated Cargolink on 27 March. The commercial relationship broke down in July 2008, when Autolink terminated its contract with Ofotbanen. Automotive services stopped temporarily, and the Autolink-appointed members of Ofotbanen's board withdrew. A related dispute concerned five shunting locomotives that Autolink had bought from Ofotbanen in February 2008 and four train radios located in locomotives owned by Autolink but operated by Ofotbanen. An agreement transferred ownership of the radios to Autolink but also contained language restricting Autolink from starting a competing railway company. Ofoten District Court declined to grant Autolink an interim order on 17 July 2008, holding that the contractual questions required ordinary proceedings rather than an immediate interim ruling. Ofotbanen later lost its operating licence on 7 October 2008 after failing to document required 2007 accounts and demonstrate adequate liquidity. The company entered bankruptcy proceedings on 24 October. Its former majority owner subsequently established Ofotbanen Drift and attributed the bankruptcy to Autolink's alleged failure to permit a NOK 10 million private placement, a claim presented in the source material as the other side's position rather than as an independently established fact. Cargolink received its operating licence on 18 September 2008 and commenced operations in November. Five shunters transferred from the earlier arrangement were used at the company's Drammen port facility. The initial fleet plan included diesel locomotives leased from Vossloh and electric locomotives leased from Hector Rail, together with autoracks and container wagons. The company operated from the ports of Drammen and Oslo, serving the principal Norwegian rail corridors and extending some trains through Sweden. Its traffic was centred on finished automobiles, but the operating concept also included containers and return-load opportunities. Services reached Stavanger, Bergen, Trondheim, Åndalsnes, and destinations in Nordland including Mosjøen, Mo i Rana, and Bodø. Cross-border routes connected with Narvik and Malmö through Sweden. Empty equipment returning from northern Norway could be used to move aluminium from Elkem Mosjøen. The available reference does not document later corporate developments, current operations, or a confirmed closure date, so Cargolink's present status remains unknown.

• 2008

  Cargolink is incorporated

  [1]Cargolinken.wikipedia.org

  Autolink formally established Cargolink on 27 March after preparing to bring railway operations in-house.

• 2008

  Autolink ends the Ofotbanen contract

  [1]Cargolinken.wikipedia.org

  The haulage agreement was terminated in July, triggering a temporary interruption in automobile train services.

• 2008

  Operating licence granted

  [1]Cargolinken.wikipedia.org

  Cargolink received a railway operating licence from the Norwegian Railway Inspectorate on 18 September.

• 2008

  Commercial operations begin

  [1]Cargolinken.wikipedia.org

  The company began service in November with automobile and container trains operating across Norway.

• 2007

  Autolink acquires 40 percent of Ofotbanen

  [1]Cargolinken.wikipedia.org

  Autolink purchased a minority stake in Ofotbanen and signed a railway haulage contract for its automobile-distribution traffic.

A specialized industrial rail carrier supporting Autolink's automobile-distribution network, with additional container and backhaul freight to improve the utilisation of its rolling stock.

• Rail logistics · 2008

  Automotive rail freight

  Cargolink's core service was the rail transport of new automobiles in enclosed autorack wagons. Trains operated from the ports of Drammen and Oslo to distribution destinations on several Norwegian railway lines, supporting Autolink's national vehicle-distribution network.

• Intermodal freight · 2008

  Container rail freight

  The company operated container wagons alongside autoracks and could run combined automobile-and-container trains. This allowed Cargolink to broaden its freight offer beyond vehicle movements and improve the utilisation of train paths and rolling stock.

• Railway operations · 2008

  Rail shunting and terminal services

  Cargolink maintained five shunters at its Drammen port operation. These locomotives supported the assembly, positioning, and handling of freight wagons at the terminal before and after main-line journeys.

• Industrial logistics · 2008

  Backhaul freight

  On return journeys from northern Norway, Cargolink used otherwise empty autorack equipment for other freight, including aluminium from Elkem's Mosjøen operations. The service represented an effort to create useful backhaul traffic within an automobile-focused network.

• 2008

  Autolink brings rail operations in-houseStrategy

  Background

  Autolink's contract with Ofotbanen had broken down amid disputes over financing, ownership, and the terms governing the relationship between the two companies.

  Action taken

  Autolink incorporated Cargolink, obtained an operating licence, transferred shunting equipment to the new company, and began operating the automotive trains directly.

  Aftermath

  Cargolink started service in November 2008, while Ofotbanen subsequently lost its licence and entered bankruptcy proceedings.

  Source

• 2008

  Develops combined automobile and container trainsStrategy

  Background

  The company was established around Autolink's vehicle traffic but had access to container wagons and sought to operate efficiently across a geographically extensive railway network.

  Action taken

  Cargolink combined autorack and container wagons on services reaching southern, western, central, and northern Norway, with some routes continuing through Sweden.

  Aftermath

  The operating model supported both vehicle distribution and supplementary freight, including aluminium carried on selected return trips.

  Source

1. 1Cargolinken.wikipedia.org