The number of HGV journeys through Kent will increase dramatically if no resolution is found to the cessation of Channel Tunnel rail freight services tomorrow (1 December) following the end of the agreement between the UK Government, EWS Railways and Eurotunnel.
Forecasts produced by MDS Transmodal on behalf of the Freight Transport Association show that by 2015 the number of additional HGV journeys through Kent will exceed 250,000 per year on the M20 and M2 if Channel Tunnel rail freight operations stop.
FTA's External Affairs Director, Geoff Dossetter, said, 'The Channel Tunnel was itself constructed with rail freight as a fundamental element of its operations. As such the idea that, in future, it will not carry rail freight is ludicrous.
'But the consequences will be greater and greater as the years go by. The anticipated growth of imports through the Tunnel, coupled with the new need to move all of these goods by road, will generate over 250,000 extra lorry journeys per year through Kent by 2015. The stress which this will place on the M20 and the M2 is obvious. At the same time other traffic, notably cars, will further complicate the mix and we can anticipate major problems as the years go by.
'It is absolutely vital that a solution be found to the current hiatus on cross-Channel rail freight - failure would represent a major waste of the Channel Tunnel asset and mounting problems for our major road Trade Routes.'
FTA will shortly be publishing its Freight Future report showing forecasts for road and rail traffic between now and 2015. A map demonstrating the impact of closing the Channel Tunnel for through rail traffic and the consequential extra HGV traffic is available by clicking on the following link:
http://www.fta.co.uk/images/maps/closure2015.jpg