The emergence and significance of dry ports: the case of the Port of Goteborg

The dry port concept is based on a seaport directly connected by rail to inland intermodal terminals, where shippers can leave and/or collect standardised units as if directly at the seaport. The purpose of this paper is to present the dry port concept, to identify and categorise existing dry ports for the Port of Goteborg and to evaluate the concept from an environmental perspective. The conclusions indicate that implementation of a dry port in the seaport's hinterland enables the seaport to increase its terminal capacity; the modal shift from road to rail results in a reduced congestion at the seaport gates and its surroundings and consequently in improved inland access, as well as in a lesser environmental effect. Only two of the surveyed intermodal terminals can be categorised as simple dry ports for the Port of Goteborg.