News

A thorough investigation of Channel Tunnel lorry safety has been called for by the Rail Freight Group, which it believes could lead to lorries being banned from open-sided rail wagons.

September’s lorry shuttle blaze was the third since the tunnel opened in 1994. It caused major disruption to Eurostar and Eurotunnel shuttle services between England and France less than a year after St Pancras International and High Speed 1 opened.

Questions are now being asked about whether trucks are compatible with the tunnel, where relatively high speeds in confined space create a rush of wind past the lorries.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch and its French counterpart have launched an investigation into the fire, which led to a total stoppage of Eurostar and shuttle trains while firefighters fought the blaze.

Fourteen people were injured and firefighters had to extinguish an underground blaze that reached 1,800F.

The RFG, representing companies that use and supply freight trains, believes risks to safety in the tunnel may be too high to justify continuing open-sided lorry shuttles.

Tony Berkeley, who chairs the RFG, said: “There’s a very strong argument for looking at the carriage of lorries through the Channel Tunnel in detail.

“There must be questions about whether any lorry is safe in an open shuttle with the wind rushing by in the way that it does. They may lead to a conclusion that lorries should not be allowed in the tunnel in these types of wagons.”

However, Eurotunnel has previously had concerns about transporting lorries in fully enclosed wagons, and says successive safety reviews have favoured open-sided vehicles.

Eurotunnel spokesman John Keefe said legislation in Britain and France would have to be amended if Eurotunnel were to stop carrying lorries.

Freight Transport Association spokesman Geoff Dossetter dismissed the idea of a lorry ban as “nonsense”.