Eurotunnel's Le Shuttle Freight service reaches record number of trucks carried as new security measures pay off
In the year to December 22, the Le Shuttle Freight carried 1,464,880 lorries, matching the full-year high set in 2012 when the Olympics Games delivered a boost.
The new record came despite disruptions to freight transport on both sides of the Channel this year as migrants trying to reach the UK trespassed on rail tracks and tried to stow away in trains and trucks.
Further delays were caused by striking
employees of French shipping company My Ferry Link who started fires on
roads approaching the entrance to the Channel Tunnel.
Le Shuttle Freight, which transports trucks between Folkstone in Kent
and Coquelles in Pas-de-Calais, said that new security measures put in
place in October had reduced the disruption
The company added: “This extraordinary performance is proof of the confidence that transporters from across Europe have in Eurotunnel and its staff and is recognition of the competitive advantages of the Shuttle service, compared to ferries, with its high departure frequency, 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.”
Eurotunnel said that its infrastructure had the capacity to grow by 45pc and it was investing in three new freight trains to help meet growing demand, just weeks after it carried its 23 millionth truck since the tunnel opened in 1994.
It currently has 19 cargo trains in its fleet, which are each almost 2,500ft long and capable of carrying up to 32 trucks at speeds of up to 90mph.
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