Kiruna Wagon said the railcars will be built primarily with high-strength steels and will have a low tare weight to maximize payload. The Pitkäjärvi-to-Narvik Malmbanan rail route has a max-imum permitted axle load of 30 mt.

Based on technology that has been previously proven on the railway, the wagon features a load “cube” that differs from the design manufactured by Kiruna Wagon for LKAB. Kiruna Wagon notes that, due to the fine particle size of Northland Resources’ magnetite concentrate—with 80% of the product passing 40 micron—bottom discharge is not practical and consequently a “bas-ket-turning” solution was chosen instead. When emptying, the cube is rotated 148° while the frame remains on the rails. The rotation, along with the rounded contour of the walls, creates optimal conditions for effective dis-charge, according to the manufacturer. The Northland order, comprising 150 wagons, will operate as 75 short-coupled units in 500-m-long train sets.