News

Eurotunnel is aiming to relaunch its freight service in the coming weeks in an attempt to reverse a decline in traffic.

Last week the company reported a sharp rise in first-half revenues driven by higher shuttle traffic and more passengers using Eurostar services, but saw a drop in its rail freight of 14%.

It has been in talks with its freight partners, EWS and SNCF, as well as the UK and French governments.

The talks on rail freight have centred on speeding up services by allowing the same engines and the same crews to be used on both sides of the tunnel.

"It is just the last bits and pieces at French ministerial level which need to be finished off," a Eurotunnel spokesman said. "We hope to be announcing something positive in the short term."

Eurotunnel is hoping that the second leg of the high-speed link between London and the tunnel, due to come into service in November, will provide a further boost.