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Issue 6 2015 - Freight Business Journal


///NEWS Channel Tunnel rail services face a second stowaway crisis


Through rail services are suffering disproportionately from the ongoing stowaway problems in Calais, say train operators. DB Schenker Rail UK, the main service provider, said on 28 August that a ban had been imposed on all


international through rail freight services for a week and called for immediate action to allow a resumption. Limited rail freight services did


in fact resume on 2 September, aſter security at Calais was stepped


up with more personnel and dog teams, but at the time of writing services had yet to return to full strength. It is understood that the ban


was imposed mainly to protect rail workers from stowaways milling


Channel returns to normal, at least for now


Road freight across the Channel had returned to something like normality in early September, although stowaway attempts and attacks on drivers continued to occur, albeit at a lower level. Road Haulage Association spokeswoman Kate Gibbs said: “It does seem to have quietened


that there had been no recent incidents involving migrants. “We have five layers of security checks at Calais,” he said. Eurotunnel also pointed out


that, despite the problems, it had handled record volumes of passenger traffic over the summer. Earlier, the freight industry


search teams, including detection dogs.


Speaking in early September,


Eurotunnel spokesman John Keefe told FBJ that there had been “a transformation” of core areas of the Eurotunnel terminal as well as a new protected truck storage zone off the A16 motorway in France to reduce queues. “There has been a significant reduction in


the numbers of migrants


attempting to get on trucks or who succeed in getting to the UK,” he added. While the work to upgrade


security at the terminal had yet to be completed at the time of writing, changes in police tactics had dramatically improved security, he said. But Road Haulage Association


down a bit. Operation Stack hasn’t been on for quite a while, although there are still a few press reports about drivers being attacked in France.” RHA’s head of international


affairs, Peter Cullum said that traffic was now now moving smoothly across the Channel, although the authorities were keeping Operation Stack under review. P&O European Ferries head of


communications, Dan Bridgett said that the line was operating its usual 58 services a day and


welcomed further security measures announced by Home Secretary Theresa May to step up security in Calais, announced during a visit to the area with the French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve on 20 August, but warned that more needed to be done. The announced measures


include more French police and, at the Eurotunnel railhead, fencing, CCTV, flood lighting and infrared detection technology, along with stronger security within the tunnel itself and more freight


chief executive Richard Burnett (pictured, leſt) sought the Home Secretary’s assurance that the government would continue to work closely with the industry to reduce the problem. He said: “This is vital, particularly if the location of attacks on our members’ vehicles moves further out from the Port and Tunnel areas as we suspect will be the case. I am pleased that she gave that assurance”. At the height of the Channel


troubles, the former airport at Manston near Ramsgate was pressed into service as a lorry park.


Tianjin could happen here >> 1


done,” he


stressed. Sometimes


shippers were tempted not to declare dangerous goods because of the extra costs incurred. While it had been suggested that these could be waived or subsidised by the lines, in reality shipping operators would probably be reluctant not to pass on the costs incurred to have them effectively cross- subsidised by shippers of non- hazardous substances. The drive towards better


information on what is being loaded on board ships, either for customs, security or commercial purposes might in time improve knowledge of dangerous goods too, but at the moment “government agencies tend to operate in silos. In a utopia there would be a single data set covering all this information, and technically it probably is possible, but the reality is that there are a lot of different standards,” said Mr Storrs-Fox. While some media


reports have stressed the poor safety


around the freight yards and trying to get on board trains. Work was due to start on reinforcing security at the two train yards at Frethun on 1 September and should be finished by the end of September. Eurotunnel spokesman John


Keefe said that his company was now cooperating with SNCF to improve security at Frethun with regular sweeps of the area by security personnel and dog teams. Train frequency would be stepped up as patrol hours were extended, he predicted. Some industry sources have


suggested that the French Government and railways (SNCF) were “caught on the hop” by the stowaways. They failed to anticpate that, having been thwarted in their attempts to board trucks at the shuttle terminal by improved security there, would- be stowaways would make their way instead to the Frethun yards a


couple of kilometres away.


There were also suggestions that improving security of UK-bound trains – which are only a tiny percentage of total French rail traffic – was not a priority for SNCF. But DB Schenker chief executive


Geoff Spencer, said: “We need immediate and concerted action; enhancement to security fencing at Calais Frethun, increases in security manpower and inter- agency co-operation – all


are


critical to ensure uninterrupted rail freight services can resume. “Without these the


consequences for the future of international rail


freight will be


very grave. Our customers cannot and will not wait whilst the UK and French authorities debate what might be done and by when. Action is needed today. I cannot stress too much the importance for UK business of international rail freight services returning to normal as soon as possible.” The Rail Freight Group said


that through rail freight had been slowly increasing since the last period of disruption in the early 2000s, and particularly in the last year, but this good progress was now threatened. 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. RFG executive director Maggie


Simpson commented: “Actions are being taken but it is unclear if its enough to save the traffic.” Getting through rail freight


working properly again was a top priority, Eurotunnel’s John Keefe insisted. “It is the focus of everyone to ensure that growth resumes – it has taken such a long time to get to this point – and a lot of manpower has gone into it. There is cross- industry recognition that we mustn’t allow the situation of the early 2000s to happen again.”


record of Chinese industry it would be wrong to see the Tianjin incident as “a totally Chinese problem” said Mr Storrs- Fox, although safety standards in the UK and Europe are generally high. Also, unlike China, UK ports are not usually in the midst of heavily built-up urban areas. However, it is a sobering thought that the effects of the Tianjin blast were felt 4km away - and there are plenty of residential areas within that radius of ports and logistics terminals in this country.


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