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Rail freight disaster for Channel Tunnel

Posted by editor on Mar 04, 2005 - 01:01 PM
Filed under: Articles, News

RAIL FREIGHT DISASTER FOR CHANNEL TUNNEL

Whilst the Port of Dover recorded record freight traffic in 2004, the Channel Tunnel operators Eurotunnel have been criticised in a report published today over their low level of freight handling.

The House of Lords Select Committee on the European Union have today warned (4 March) that the Channel Tunnel is running 'disastrously below' freight capacity.

They say that competition is being stifled by domination of freight by English, Welsh and Scottish Railway (EWS) and the French national railway SNCF.

Forecasts that it would carry 10m tonnes of rail freight per year have fallen short of expectations and only 2m passed through the tunnel in 2004.

But EWS, which took over rail freight distribution from British Rail in 1997, claimed business had been badly disrupted by asylum seekers trying to reach Britain illegally and trains had to be cancelled.