British MEP accuses de Palacio of ‘presiding’ over collapse of Channel Tunnel freight traffic

Date: 14/03/02

By Martin Banks

TRANSPORT Commissioner Loyola de Palacio has been accused of 'presiding' over the collapse of freight traffic through the Channel Tunnel.

Since November of last year, only 41 of scheduled freight services have run and 1,700 freight trains have been cancelled due to asylum-seekers attempting to board trains or get into the tunnel in desperate bids to enter the UK.

Liberal MEP Chris Davies has now written to de Palacio appealing to her to intervene in what he terms a 'crisis'.

In his letter, he accuses her of 'presiding' over the collapse of the freight business between the UK and France.

He says: 'The massive investment in this tunnel should have brought about a renaissance in the rail business and a dramatic shift in the transfer of freight from road to rail. Instead, the rail freight business faces catastrophic collapse.'

The tunnel has been plagued by intrusions. In January, a Romanian gang, accused of controlling the train's signals to allow immigrants to leap onto trains, was caught by police.

And in December last year, hundreds of people stormed the tunnel entrance. The persistent attempts to gain access to the tunnel have prompted calls for the closure of the Red Cross Sangatte refugee centre near its French entrance.

But Eurotunnel's most recent legal attempt to force the camp's closure ended in failure. Davies says a security fence, which was recently erected by authorities at the terminal's French entrance, is 'completely inadequate'.

In his letter to de Palacio, he says: 'It is inevitable that many will note that you are presiding over the collapse of businesses and prospects for [the tunnel's] rail freight.'

He adds 'I urge you to take a lead in laying the blame for this situation upon the French authorities and insisting that resources are used immediately to secure the terminal and to protect the rail freight industry.'

His concern is echoed by Tony Berkeley, chairman of the UK-based Rail Freight Group. He said: 'The situation is very serious.

'The problem is that operators and customers do not know from day to day which services will run, so the quality and reliability is very poor.'

In a letter to the RFG, Adrian Fortescue, justice and home affairs director-general, says that 'only a harmonisation of asylum rules throughout the EU will solve the problems we are now facing'.

The problem of stowaways is costing Britain's biggest freight operator, EWS Railway, €308,000 a week and the firm is warning that carrying freight through the tunnel may soon not be viable.

Meanwhile, freight services through the tunnel were suspended indefinitely on Friday last week because of the repeated problems at the freight yard on the French side.