The northern Norwegian port of Narvik might serve as a new rail transport hub for freight en route from China and Russia to the US, a Norwegian cabinet member said Friday. "Several countries are in serious talks, including China, Sweden, Russia, Finland and Norway. It is really exciting," Transport Minister Magnhild Meltveit Kleppa told broadcaster NRK.

The distance between Narvik and Beijing is some 6,000 kilometres. But moving freight by train to Narvik and reloading it onto ships would cut the transport to the eastern seaboard of the US by 14 days. Current sea transports from China take 40 days, Kleppa said. Narvik is ice-free due to the Gulf Stream that flows past Norway, and the port has for years been important for ore shipments from neighbouring Sweden.

Copyright Deutsche Presse-Agentur, 2010