Business, Freight News, Logistics, Road

Locos cleared for Channel Tunnel

[ December 2, 2011   //   Chris ]

Europorte Channel, which provides traction services for rail freight trains through the Channel Tunnel and international haulage from Spain and Italy to the UK, has been granted approval to use of its Class 92 electric locomotives on the High Speed 1 route between London and the Channel Tunnel. The move follows the launch of the first regular freight train on the route in November.

Europorte Channel train drivers are currently gaining route knowledge for HS1 and new commercial services are expected to start early in 2012. Europorte Channel can now use its 11 Class 92s throughout the UK network and through the Channel Tunnel, although they are still not authorised to operate in France.

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pW�Wned companies in the years ahead. The agreement offers us new opportunities to optimise the use of our respective fleets, improve our transit times and increase our performance.”

 

Executive officer of CMA CGM Group, Rodolphe Saadé, added: “For more than 30 years, our two companies have followed the same trajectory and for a number of years we’ve cooperated on a few lines. Based on this experience and our shared vision of the shipping industry, we have decided to step up our partnerships, which reflect a commitment to long-term cooperation and will enable us to offer customers improved solutions and services.”

The announcement came as CMA CGM announced its third-quarter figures for 2011, in which it said that the global economic environment remained challenging and that there was still overcapacity in the market. The Group implemented a vigorous action plan last September to reduce full-year costs by $400 million, which will deliver its full impact in 2012.

Volumes carried rose by 10% year-on-year to 2,604m teu in the third quarter of 2011, thanks to the size and modern technology of its ships said the line. Over the first nine months of the year, volumes carried were up by 9.4%, to 7.42m teu.