Getlink/Eurotunnel is seeking to unlock what it describes as the “significant growth potential” of cross-Channel rail freight. In the fourth quarter of last year, a total of 318 freight trains operated through the fixed Link, down 10 per cent on the same period in 2022. Figures for the whole year showed that the number of freight trains fell by 5 per cent in 2022 to 1,417 trains – less than six per working day.
“Today, we are faced with a historic paradox: the Channel Tunnel’s railway line is largely under-used by rail freight at a time when the UK, French and European authorities are calling for a significant increase in rail’s share of freight transport as part of a decarbonisation strategy,” explained Getlink CEO, Yann Leriche. “Rail freight via the Fixed Link represents only 10 per cent of annual available capacity – one million tonnes of goods, compared with an estimated potential of 10 million tonnes.”
Getlink CEO
Technical issues hinder growth
Leriche said that technical issues are the main factor that explains the low number of freight trains using the Tunnel: “It’s not the UK’s rail track gauge that’s the problem but the loading gauge, which is incompatible with the size of international containers. At present, the Kent CTR1 line linking Folkestone to Wembley via Maidstone has a W9 loading gauge (2.74 metres high) and cannot transport containers and swap bodies of international intermodal gauge W12 (2.90 metres high) to and from Europe in an economically efficient manner. The reduced gauge means that special wagons have to be used, with a 25 per cent loss in productivity – fewer units and therefore less revenue generated per convoy.”
As for solutions to the issue, Leriche highlights the need for the Kent line to be upgraded to the W12 intermodal gauge to link the UK intermodal network to the Channel Tunnel effectively.
Getlink is calling on the UK authorities to transfer some of the investment that has been earmarked for the HS2 project to the development of the W12 intermodal gauge between the Fixed Link and Wembley. According to a study commissioned by Eurotunnel in December 2022, the investment required for this upgrade is around 50 million pounds.
“Such an investment would not only reduce road congestion on the M20 in Kent but would also open up the regions of the North of England and contribute to their economic development. Solving the 25% productivity handicap will trigger a growth dynamic for cross-channel intermodal freight, driven by its increased competitiveness and by the imperatives of modal shift and decarbonisation on the part of economic and political players,” Leriche noted.
Short-term solutions
Meanwhile, in the short term, Getlink is working with its rail freight subsidiary, Europorte, to develop cross-Channel rail freight with W9 gauge wagons that can run on the Kent line.
“We have identified a fleet of existing, inter-operable wagons that would enable us to meet the requests we receive from major European logistics companies, particularly in Germany, to reach the intermodal hubs of Barking and Wembley via the Fixed Link without bulk breaking loads. Europorte is also working on projects to transport freight to Barking via HS1 using T3000 wagons,” Leriche added.
Separately, the number of truck-trailers using Getlink’s LeShuttle Freight service through the Tunnel fell by 17 per cent to just over 1.2 million units last year compared to 2022. The Group said the decline in traffic could be largely attributed to “the sluggish economic environment in the UK”. Twenty-five per cent of freight from continental Europe to the UK by value is transported by LeShuttle Freight service, it added.
