The Rail Freight Group has welcomed the meeting between Theresa May and French interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve to agree a deal on providing greater security measures to protect cross channel freight traffic.
In a statement, the Group said this would hopefully result in better security and policing arrangements to avoid the very significant loss of business and delays to production being experienced by hauliers, freight forwarders, suppliers and customers.
“However, this problem has also seriously affected cross channel rail freight. Delays and disruption to trains caused by migrants invading the terminal at Calais are increasing, leading to cancelled rail freight services and a loss of customer confidence. Cross channel rail freight has been slowly increasing since the last period of disruption in the early 2000s, and in particularly in the last year, but the present situation threatens to undo this good progress, forcing supermarket goods, steel, automotive components and other goods onto alternative routes,” it said.
“Additional security measures are urgently needed, including ensuring that the SNCF rail freight terminal is included within the boundaries of the adjacent Eurotunnel terminal security plans.”