Rail ferry services between Rostock (DE) and Trelleborg (SE) will continue to operate until 2031, with special attention to military mobility. Stena Line and the Swedish Transport Administration (Trafikverket) signed a deal for financial support to get the service back up and running after it was discontinued at the end of April.
Under the agreement, Trafikverket will provide 51.5 million SEK (4.7 million euros) every year, with a cap at 55 million SEK (5 million euros) depending on fuel prices. Even though most rail traffic has moved on the Öresund bridge over the past two decades, rail ferries remain key especially for military mobility. “The continued operation of Stena Line’s rail ferries enables ongoing military mobility for both the Swedish Armed Forces and NATO”, the two parties said.
‘Permanent agreement is only solution’
“The agreement is based on several completed investigations”, the joint note added. The Swedish government tasked Trafikverket with finding ways to make sure that train ferries would continue to run. The full investigation will only be “finalised later this year”, according to Trafikverket. However, one of the conclusions already drawn is that a permanent agreement would be the best way to keep traffic flowing. It remains to be seen if, once the report is concluded, the deal recently signed will be amended into a never-ending one.
Combined transport soaring at Rostock
The rail ferry services connecting Rostock to Trelleborg are a key piece of the combined transport growth recorded by the German port in recent years. Between 2022 and 2025, intermodal units handled in Rostock almost doubled, from 64,000 to 110,000. Almost 50 trains arrive to and leave from the port every week. The rail ferry facilitates moving goods towards Scandinavian hubs such as Gothenburg, Stockholm and Oslo.
