Eurotunnel plan to reduce charges
28 April 2014by eub2 -- last modified 28 April 2014
Eurotunnel on 28 April 2014 committed to reduce the level of track access charges imposed on rail freight operators using the Tunnel by up to 50%. The European Commission welcomed the announcement, which, it said, should allow rail freight in the Channel Tunnel to double in the next 5 years.
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The Channel Tunnel is not being used to capacity, and a major reason
for that has been high track access charges. As a result, more freight
has been carried on lorries, instead of by rail, and the high charges
paid by freight operators can be passed onto their customers.
Currently
only seven rail freight trains run through the tunnel each day on
average, while there is 43% unused capacity. Rail freight companies
complain that excessive track access charges and other mandatory charges
make it uneconomic to use the Tunnel.
The commitment by
Eurotunnel is a direct response to the legal investigation opened by the
European Commission against France and the UK for failure to implement
European rules on access to infrastructure in the Channel Tunnel, in
June 2013.
Eurotunnel's new freight charging scheme
Under
Eurotunnel's new freight charging scheme, a new entrant running trains
in the time periods (intervals), most used by freight, could benefit
from up to 50% reduction in freight charges compared to the current
situation. The average charge reduction will vary, but is estimated to
be between 30% and 45% percent.
The key measures include:
- Rail freight tolls for "off-peak period" periods (intervals) will be reduced by 25%, while the toll for the "weekend maintenance" interval will be reduced by 33.3 %
- The most expensive maintenance period will be reduced from three to two nights per week
- Charges will not be adapted to the inflation rate until 2018
- The current incentive scheme, giving rebates to new entrants (ETICA) will be prolonged and will apply to more types of freight trains
- The security fee imposed on freight operators (Frethun charge) will be eliminated (600€ France – UK per train).
The new charge scheme will be applicable from June 2014, and remain in operation until 2023.
The European Commission investigation
In
June 2013, the European Commission opened a legal investigation
(infringement procedure) against France and the UK for failure to
implement European rules regarding the Channel Tunnel. The proceedings
cover four different areas: transparency of costs, setting of charges,
independence of the Regulator – Intergovernmental Commission (IGC) and
the capacity allocation in the tunnel guaranteed by the Railway Usage
Agreement (RUC).
With regard to the different aspects of the infringement, the European Commission says it also welcomes:
A decision by the Tunnel Regulator on transparency of costs
The
Channel Tunnel regulator (IGC) has recently issued a decision that
obliges Eurotunnel to make its costs more transparent. This is an
important step forwards, as the actual costs of use of the
infrastructure is a key element in determining the level of track access
charges allowed under EU law. If strongly enforced, this decision
should allow for a more transparent charging in the tunnel for
passengers and freight.
What happens next?
The Commission will assess implementation of these measures in the context of its ongoing infringement case.
Eurotunnel - key facts (source Eurotunnel):
43% of tunnel capacity is currently unused.
Rail
passenger traffic has increased slowly in recent years - 9.9 million
passengers used the Tunnel in 2012 compared to 9.7 in 2011.
However,
rail freight traffic is declining. Only 2,325 freight trains passed
through the tunnel in 2012 (down from 2,388 in 2011 and 2,718 in 2008).
Since
its opening in 1994, Eurotunnel has been unable to attract a sufficient
amount of rail freight traffic for its railway infrastructure. In 2013,
there were only seven rail freight trains going through the tunnel
every day, instead of 30-40 a day as originally envisaged when the
tunnel was opened.
One of the significant obstacles to the growth
of the freight traffic is the high access charges which currently
amount up to €6075 per freight train, while the average charge for a
freight train going through the tunnel one way is approximately €4,500
per freight train.
Shuttle services (both passenger and freight)
operated by Eurotunnel are excluded from most EU rail rules including on
track access charging and are not covered by the EC infringement.