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EWS launches new European freight services to increase Channel Tunnel volumes
English, Welsh and Scottish Railways (EWS), the UK Freight operator recently taken over by Deutsche Bahn, is launching new European intermodal services which will increase the amount of goods carried through the Channel Tunnel.
'There are substantial volumes of goods that can be moved by rail, which are currently moved by road and shortsea ferries,' commercial director David Kerr said. 'This new capability will offer manufacturers, retailers and transport operators the ability to bypass UK port congestion and remove 1,000 lorries a week from key UK congestion points on the M25, M1, M62 and M6.'
Rail freight through the Channel Tunnel was decimated by asylum seekers disrupting services between 1999 and 2002, and volumes have struggled to exceed 1 mln tonnes a year since, he said at a press conference in London.
Services were cut further -- to only 25 a week -- last year when EWS had to start paying tolls for using the tunnel.
The new services, however, take advantage of Eurotunnel's new open access system, which has removed 'punitive' charges, he said.
EWS's European subsidiary Euro Cargo Rail will run the services on both sides of the Tunnel, which will improve transit times and reduce operating complexity, Kerr said. 'For manufacturers and retailers looking for a timely arrival of goods in Europe and the UK, [reduced complexity] is a key factor.'
The first new service will be between Brussels and Daventry three times a week from January, followed by Duisberg to Manchester six times a week from February, and Milan to Manchester five times a week from March.
Additional services will be rolled out between the UK and Belgium, Germany, Italy, France, Spain and Switzerland later in the year, he said.
'We aim to break the 1998 freight volume record (of 3 mln tonnes) in 2009,' Kerr said. 'The target is 6 mln tonnes a year over the next five years.'
Customers switching to intermodal rail should save 5-10 pct of total supply chain costs, Kerr said. 'We are looking to be more competitive than current options,' he said.
The new services were proposed before the Deutsche Bahn acquisition, he said, but the deal will enable customers to integrate into the wider DB network.
Freight will not be speeding along the new Channel Tunnel Rail Link, however, because the line is dedicated to Eurostar services -- a situation EWS is keen to change. 'It represents an excellent opportunity for rail freight,' said EWS' planning director Graham Smith.
The company intends to run trials on the line in Q4 2008 and Q1 2009, he said, with the eventual aim of starting night services.
The UK government has put the high speed line, which is owned by the state-backed London & Continental Railways, up for sale, and Smith said he would be working to ensure that the buyer does not impose access charges too high for the market to bear.
EWS also announced the acquisition of the Grangemouth Intermodal Terminal in Scotland from logistics company TDG.
'We will be able to introduce new Scottish services on both the West and East coast main lines, as well as improving rail freight access to other parts of Scotland, particularly on the recently improved rail line to Aberdeen,' Kerr said.
'There are substantial volumes of goods that can be moved by rail, which are currently moved by road and shortsea ferries,' commercial director David Kerr said. 'This new capability will offer manufacturers, retailers and transport operators the ability to bypass UK port congestion and remove 1,000 lorries a week from key UK congestion points on the M25, M1, M62 and M6.'
Rail freight through the Channel Tunnel was decimated by asylum seekers disrupting services between 1999 and 2002, and volumes have struggled to exceed 1 mln tonnes a year since, he said at a press conference in London.
Services were cut further -- to only 25 a week -- last year when EWS had to start paying tolls for using the tunnel.
The new services, however, take advantage of Eurotunnel's new open access system, which has removed 'punitive' charges, he said.
EWS's European subsidiary Euro Cargo Rail will run the services on both sides of the Tunnel, which will improve transit times and reduce operating complexity, Kerr said. 'For manufacturers and retailers looking for a timely arrival of goods in Europe and the UK, [reduced complexity] is a key factor.'
The first new service will be between Brussels and Daventry three times a week from January, followed by Duisberg to Manchester six times a week from February, and Milan to Manchester five times a week from March.
Additional services will be rolled out between the UK and Belgium, Germany, Italy, France, Spain and Switzerland later in the year, he said.
'We aim to break the 1998 freight volume record (of 3 mln tonnes) in 2009,' Kerr said. 'The target is 6 mln tonnes a year over the next five years.'
Customers switching to intermodal rail should save 5-10 pct of total supply chain costs, Kerr said. 'We are looking to be more competitive than current options,' he said.
The new services were proposed before the Deutsche Bahn acquisition, he said, but the deal will enable customers to integrate into the wider DB network.
Freight will not be speeding along the new Channel Tunnel Rail Link, however, because the line is dedicated to Eurostar services -- a situation EWS is keen to change. 'It represents an excellent opportunity for rail freight,' said EWS' planning director Graham Smith.
The company intends to run trials on the line in Q4 2008 and Q1 2009, he said, with the eventual aim of starting night services.
The UK government has put the high speed line, which is owned by the state-backed London & Continental Railways, up for sale, and Smith said he would be working to ensure that the buyer does not impose access charges too high for the market to bear.
EWS also announced the acquisition of the Grangemouth Intermodal Terminal in Scotland from logistics company TDG.
'We will be able to introduce new Scottish services on both the West and East coast main lines, as well as improving rail freight access to other parts of Scotland, particularly on the recently improved rail line to Aberdeen,' Kerr said.
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