Fewer freight trucks used the Channel Tunnel in the first quarter of 2024. The LeShuttle Freight trains carried just under 302,000 trucks between the turn of the year and the end of March. Last year (2023), the figure was just below 322,000, representing a six per cent fall, according to Getlink.
Getlink has also announced the acquisition of ChannelPorts Limited, a long-established British customs intermediary. Folkestone-based ChannelPorts carries out the customs formalities that have become compulsory since Brexit. They work on behalf of client hauliers, logistics companies and forwarding customers. Getlink hopes the integration of the specialist company into their operations will encourage freight operators to choose the rail shuttle service more frequently.
Passenger up, freight down, and the Irish go-around
On 13 March, LeShuttle Freight welcomed its 35 millionth road truck customer onboard its Truck Shuttles. However, the celebrations were tempered by rather disappointing figures overall. Road trucks using the Channel Tunnel have been consistently down in numbers over the first three months of 2024. Drivers opting for the thirty-five-minute undersea crossing have declined by six per cent compared to the same period in 2023. Despite that, the LeShuttle Freight service has still conveyed more than 300,000 trucks since 1 January, The figures for March alone, when compared year on year, show a more marked decline. In the month, LeShuttle Freight carried 102,906 trucks, representing a twelve per cent fall.
It is possible that the early Easter holiday period had a negative effect on commercial traffic. Conversely, leisure traffic recorded a corresponding rise. The passenger LeShuttle carried 146,057 passenger vehicles in March. That’s up seven per cent compared to March 2023. However, just over 380,000 passenger vehicles have been transported since 1 January. That has left LeShuttle traffic down by two per cent compared with the same period last year. It isn’t yet clear if the figures are down to external economic factors or a shift to surface ferries. There is certainly a loss of traffic using the “land bridge” across the UK to reach Ireland. Ferries bound directly from Europe to Irish ports are taking more traffic, thereby avoiding the administrative hassles of leaving and re-entering the EU.
A portfolio of smart border solutions
Getlink has been alive to the problems faced by haulage customers heading for the UK. The acquisition of ChannelPorts Limited is part of a wider strategy Getlink calls “Low Carbon – High Simplicity”. ChannelPorts carries out the customs formalities that have become compulsory since Brexit. The acquisition gives Getlink access to the ChannelPorts digital platform “CustomsPro”, which simplifies data exchanges and improves the productivity of operations. Getlink say they intend to integrate the import, export and transit administration functionality into their own “Sherpass”, system. They say that will make border crossings easier for transport and logistics customers. Getlink also has tangible assets in play. It already operates its own secure truck stops on both sides of the Channel.
“Administrative procedures involved in crossing the border post-Brexit have made the business of cross-Channel hauliers more complex”, said Yann Leriche, CEO of Getlink. “Our aim is to accompany our freight customers by developing a comprehensive range of services to help them with customs clearance. The acquisition of ChannelPorts strengthens the Group’s portfolio of smart border solutions.” Whether or not the bid pays off should soon be apparent. The April traffic figures will be published on Tuesday, 7 May.
