A new rail freight service has launched which connects London, UK and Duisburg, Germany, via the Channel Tunnel.
In Germany, the new rail freight service can also connect to other services running through Poland and even China, as part of what is being dubbed the ‘new Silk Road’. The service is operated by freight companies GB Railfreight and Transfesa, on behalf of CMA CGM Logistics.
The first service launched from London last Tuesday (10 April), and the service will initially transport containers between London and Duisburg running on the basis of one return trip per week. However Getlink, the company which operates the Channel Tunnel, has said that the service could be capable of making up to six returns per week, and that its operation may scale up, depending on demand.
What did Getlink say about the new service?
Getlink, which was formerly known as Eurotunnel, said that the new rail freight service was part of a raft of new projects which demonstrate the organisation’s aim to increase the role of rail in freight across Europe and beyond.
In a statement, the company explained: “The introduction of this service and its connection to the new Silk Road is further proof of Eurotunnel’s determination to relaunch rail freight, as already demonstrated with the construction of the whole-train scanner in Fréthun, France … and the restructuring implemented to add efficiency to border formalities at the Frethun yard with Europorte Channel.”
Meanwhile, train operator Eurostar, which runs passenger services through the Channel Tunnel, has also launched an additional service earlier this month. The company’s new service will carry passengers from London’s St Pancras Station to Amsterdam and Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
The number of passengers carried by the company grew by 4% in the first quarter of this year, reaching 2.36m, while its sales revenues grew by 9% to £253m (~€293m). This could further indicate that the Channel Tunnel’s role in both freight and passenger transport is growing.
