News

Channel Tunnel operator Eurotunnel has rejected a plea by the Rail Freight Group (RFG) to ban lorries from the Channel Tunnel and says it will not do so until substantial evidence proves it is necessary.

Responding to the proposal by Lord Berkeley, chairman of the RFG, that HGVs are restricted or banned from the Channel Tunnel until a full investigation on the 11 September fire has been carried out, Eurotunnel says no action will happen until a review shows that changes are needed.

A Eurotunnel spokeswoman said: "Trucks are the core part of our business and all safety measures and aspects of operation were given the go-ahead to re-open by the Intergovernmental Commission."

Lord Berkeley also said at the House of Lords that it was "pathetic" that the public would have to wait until September 2009 for a review into the cause of the fire - but Chris Snelling, head of rail freight and global supply chain policy at the Freight Transport Association (FTA), does not believe that lorries should be used as scapegoats. "We should not act pre-emptively. This would be an overreaction and cause huge problems as it would be difficult to transfer the capacity to ferries," he explained.

Although no one was seriously injured in the fire, 27 HGVs were burnt out. Lord Berkeley believes service disruption is likely to continue for months.

The argument that lorries should not bare the brunt of blame was strengthened by another Channel Tunnel fire on 24 October started by someone smoking in the train toilet.

That resulted in a four-hour delay for 700 passengers.