Killing off international railfreight in the UK

            A smart pairing of 47344 & 47051 pass Sevington, near Ashford with 4O63, the 1245 Wembley to Dollands Moor intermodal.   The train would work forward from Dollands Moor to to French/Spanish Border at Port Bou.

Part of the business case for building the channel tunnel was the vast increase in international railfreight traffic that would follow: volumes of 20 trains per way in either direction were envisaged, compared to the 5 or so per day that ran via the Dover to Dunkerque train ferry.   The tunnel had a design capacity of circa 10 million tonnes of railfreight per annum.    In 1993, the train ferry carried just over 900,000 tonnes of railfreight.

Immediately after the opening of the tunnel in 1994 it looked as though the vision might be realised.     In the summer of 1996, approximately 20 trains in total were running via the tunnel, many consisting of swapbodies and containers, as pictured here.   The train ferry was withdrawn in December 1995.

This was very much a false dawn, created by high rates charged by the tunnel operator and high temporary subsidies paid by the UK government to hauliers.    As the subsidies were withdrawn, so were the trains.   The high rates remained and continue to remain in 2023.

Rail freight through the tunnel peaked at 3.1 million tonnes per annum in 1997.

In 2005 the Freight Transport Association and Rail Freight Group jointly forecast a rise from 2 million tonnes of traffic via the tunnel in 2003 to 7.2 million per annum by 2014.

Unfortunately in the years from 2011 to 2020 growth was noticeably absent - throughout that period tonnage moved hovered around 1.2M tonnes per annum.   

In reality, the amount of rail freight moved across the channel was only slightly higher in 2020 than in the days of the train ferry 27 years earlier, whereas international freight traffic between mainland Europe and the UK has nearly doubled over the same period.

Taken on: August 16, 1995

Sets appears in: • England in the 1990s

Groups appears in: • Trains and Trolleys • Rail more » • planes, trains and automobiles • trains • Trains and railways • Railroads • Railway • Railway and all the things around • Trainspotting • European Railways • Transportation • train railroad • I Love Trains • Güterzüge / Freight trains / Cargo trains • MOVING trains --READ THE RULES • All aboard! Trains - Real and Surreal • 1701-2000 (Comments Required) • trains in action • railfans • Train pictures • Transport In The Frame • minimum 2000 views • Rail Rider • Train Engines and Locomotives • Railway Express Agency • Engines • Train Photography • British Rail Steam, Diesel and Electric Traction • Trains and Trams - Railway Lovers • All Trains • Rail Archive - Photos • BRITISH RAILWAYS • RailwayWorld • Anything trains • The Railway Age • World Trains • Classic trains • transport of the world • British Railways (1948 to 1997) & Preserved Railways • LIFE ON THE RAILWAYS • Railways of Britain • UK Trainz (Diesel 'n' Electric) • 1,000,000 TRAINS • Duffs 'r' Us • Trains in the uk • UK Trainz - Diesel • UK Rail • UK Class 47/48/57 • UK Trainz Sectors: Eastern Railways • UK Trainz - Locomotives • UK Trainz • Container Haulage • RAILWAY PHOTOS • LocoMotives • International Railroad Photography Gallery • Runs On Rails • world train & stations • GB Railways • Classic UK rail traction • Any Thing Trains • RfD - Railfreight Distribution • Trains, Rails and Railroad Equipment • Tutti i treni d'Europa / All Trains of the Europe • Trains-new and old-past and present • Locomotive Photo Group • UK Train Pics • Diesel "da lavoro" • Your Best Railroad Photos • I've been railroaded! • cars, trains and buses • Railway Gallery • Treni Cargo / Cargo Trains • Trains Deluxe • Rail UK : Built by Brush of Loughborough • All Locomotives, Trains and Trams • UK Rail Photography & London Underground • If it has to do with trains • British Rail 80s and 90s • uk train shots • British Rail time machine, BR-ordered or operated Diesels only. • British Railways (1948 to 1995) • Trains in the 70's, 80's and the 90's • Train and Railway/Railroad Lovers - photos and videos.. (No 30/ • The Messroom • Eisenbahnfieber.de • Fret/Cargo/Freight passion • 1.000.000 Trains in Europe • Tracks and Trains - worldwide • 3/4 UK Railway Photos • Named British Railway Locomotives • UK Rail Images (no post limit) • Rail-UK Forum • UK Class 47 • Railways in the UK • Anything Railway • Dieselpower Europe • All Out Train's • British GM Free Railway Shots • Railroad Traffic • Trains of the UK • 1,000,000 Locomotives • British And European Railway And Train Photography • UK Rail Gen • Ich mag Züge / I like trains • JUST TRAINS • Rural Railfanning • High Quality Train Pictures • Diesel Locomotives • Just Cool European Trains • Rails Around The UK • Rail Cargo • WNXX • Foto's die niet meer gemaakt kunnen worden/pictures that can't • European Container Trains • Eisenbahn in Europa • + Railway Unlimited • Brush Type 4 • Rail Pictures Worldwide Net • Railfreight in the UK • UK Train - Best Shots • Cross-channel Railfreight • Cargo in train • EuropeanRailways • World railways! Trains, trams and subways! • Class 47 Diesel Locomotives • UK Railway photos • 2,000 Views Unlimited 2000 • 4,000 Views Unlimited 4000 • 3,000 Views Unlimited 3000 • Whole Train In Shot • Rail Enthusiasts Worldwide Opted out 30/60 • "All Kinds of Transportation International" {the public group} • Trenes, materiales y paisajes ferroviarios (Sin limite de grupos • [UK] British Locomotives • Uk Locomotives • Monstruos sobre raíles/Monsters on rails • All Line • Estaciones, trenes y tranvías de Europa • Railfan Atlas • Kent Railways. • UK Railways Past and Present • Treinenkoerier • Železniční fotografie/Railway photographs • Shots from around England • TrainLogistic • +All Locomotives of the World • Trains Winter/Summer (No 30/60 limit) • Worldwide Train's and Tram's • +Railways of Europe • All pictures on the Terra (No 30/60 limit) • Railway Favourites (UK only) min 20 favs • Anything to do with UK Railways • * Trains ~ all Trains ~ only Trains → Please join us...(p1~a1) • Locomotive Every Season (No 30/60 limit) • Engine Drivers Eyes - no 30 / 60 group restriction • **Only Trains _ No 30 / 60 Group restriction ! • UK Double Headers • Railway - trains • Classic and Modern Cars, Trucks, Buses, Trams and Trains worldw • UK Diesel Locomotives. Opted out of 30/60 Limit. • Ferrocarriles Españoles Internacional • RAILROAD 1 • A Train In [No 30/60 limit] • The Strange Fascination With Railroad Tracks Club - no 30/60 • Top Quality Railway Shots. UK ONLY. • TRRPG Flickr Group • Diesel and Electric Locomotives of Great Britain • Stuff on Rails "opted out of 30/60" • Modern Train photos in the uk and in Europe • Transport in London, The Home Counties and South East England - • Transport Scenes That Are Now Lost To History. [No 30/60 limit. • flickrailroad • Real Railfreight UK • One train a day (High Quality) • Trains Double Headed « less

Stats: 5,743 views / 15 comments