Cheaper freight transport through the Channel tunnel

Eurotunnel company announced a series of price cuts for freight. The French company operating trains through the Channel tunnel is intending to increase number of trains transiting UK, France and Belgium in the next few years.

No one knows if the measure was taken by good will or as a result of a law suit threat from the European Commission. The executive body of the EU was on the verge of initiating legal action against Eurotunnel to force them to lower charges. Howevern, the French company said it will cut off prices during the off-peak services at night and freight services.

The announcement was praised in Brussels. “This decision unblocks a major bottleneck in Europe's transport network. It is great news for business, for consumers and for the environment because rail transport is the most energy-efficient way of moving cargo. The Channel Tunnel was not being used at full capacity.” The Commission also said it expects freight transport between UK and Europe to double in the next four to five years.

Eurotunnel even revealed some figures that show a ten percent increase in freight traffic through the tunnel in 2013 and a 13 percent increase in early 2014. The French company also confirmed it will not raise charges for freight traffic until 2019. By that time, officials said the number of freight trains transiting the Channel Tunnel will reach 5,000 per year for an average of one train at each two hours, every day around the year.