The imminent death of Road-Rail Combined Transport through the Channel Tunnel? - UIRR

France, Great Britain and the European Union as a whole have all stated that they are in favour of sustainable modes of transport as alternatives to road-only transport, including Road-Rail combined transport. However, if no action is taken soon, all rail traffic through the Channel Tunnel will cease and there will no longer be any Road-Rail combined transport along this route.<P>In December 2001, the UIRR (International Union of combined Road-Rail transport companies) raised the alarm following the measures taken from November onwards with a view to stemming the flow of immigrants hiding on freight trains through the Channel Tunnel in order to gain illegal entry to the United Kingdom. These measures began by halting all freight rail services along this route and then subsequently reducing the frequency with which they ran by less than half.<P>The UIRR had underlined the unfairness of these measures. It had also warned against the untenable risks which this situation imposed on the rail companies, combined transport operators and their clients, and have called upon the various authorities, in particular the British and French governments, the European Union and the railway undertakings, to assess their own responsibilities so that every effort could be made to restore cross-channel rail services as quickly as possible.<P>The gathering of a large number of asylum seekers at the Sangatte Red Cross centre - that is to say within easy reach of the entrance to the Tunnel - was always going to be a temptation for those people attempting to cross illegally as it is extremely easy to get away from the centre and gain access to the Fréthun-Calais rail terminal.<P>Since then, resources aimed at tightening up security at the Fréthun-Calais terminal have been put into place, on the initiative of the SNCF, in particular through the installation of a fence and infrared cameras, but this is still not really enough: so far the French State has failed to provide enough security forces and the British State has put off taking stricter immigration measures.<P>At present no return to normal is foreseen before June at the earliest. In the immediate future, a number of companies, including CTL (a British member of the UIRR) are also under threat, their traffic having dropped by an average of around 60%. In spite of a potentially high demand, the current situation means that it is impossible to offer an appropriate range of services and many clients have already returned to using road-only transport. But by June, unless something is done very quickly indeed,<BR>a whole sector of the economy will have collapsed, thus leading quite simply to the death of Road-Rail combined transport through the Channel Tunnel.<P>In addition to this, immigrants are attempting to get through the Tunnel at any cost. There have already been 9 deaths in the last 18 months plus a number of injured and we are very much afraid that this is only the start. How many more people need to die before the politicians decide that it is time for action?<P>So the UIRR is calling on Heads of State and Government, on the occasion of the meeting of the European Council to be held in Barcelona on 15th and 16th March, to urgently implement the required measures, that is to say:<BR>1/ the French political and rail authorities must provide enough agents to guarantee the security of the terminal and the other points of entry to the Channel Tunnel and thus allow trains to run normally again.<P>2/ these same authorities must grant compensation for the damage suffered in order to guarantee the survival of this sector and also contribute to restoring the cross-channel rail service as quickly as possible. In the immediate future, it is vital that plans be made for the setting up of an emergency fund in order to cope with the transition to full compensation.<P>3/ both the European Union and the EU Member States must make provisions so as to harmonise European immigration legislation: for the time being, the disparities within the Schengen area and also between the legislation in force in this area and British immigration laws are a major problem.<P><IMG SRC="/images/icons/folder.gif" hspace="5" width="17" height="16" ALT="Members only">