35 Million Trucks: LeShuttle Freight Hits Cargo Milestone
More than 750 million tonnes of goods have been transported aboard Truck Shuttles since 1994[1]
LeShuttle Freight[2], the faster, safer, more reliable and low carbon way[3] to transport goods between the UK and continental Europe through the Channel Tunnel, announces a milestone as its 35 millionth truck crossed the Channel aboard its shuttle yesterday, Wednesday 13th March 2024.
The 35 millionth truck belongs to Ontime Capitrans, one of Spain’s largest transporters of temperature-controlled goods throughout Europe. Ontime Capitrans has been a LeShuttle Freight customer for over 25 years, supplying refrigerated goods to some of the UK’s leading supermarket chains. The driver, Luis Vitervo Panches has been driving for 36 years and has crossed the Channel with LeShuttle Freight over 1000 times.
Agustin Lison, FTL International Operations Manager at Ontime Capitrans, said: “We’ve been using LeShuttle Freight for 25 years due to the speed and ease of use of the service. It is the quickest and most efficient way we can deliver our fresh goods to the British consumers and the smart border solutions provided by LeShuttle Freight help us to ensure a smooth and fast crossing.”
30 years as a vital trade link
Since 1994, more than 750 million tonnes of goods have been transported via the tunnel aboard one of the 15 Truck Shuttles. LeShuttle Freight is a vital link in the global supply chain and carries 25% of the goods exchanges between the UK and continental Europe thanks to the speed, ease and flexibility of its service with up to 6 departures per hour. At 800m long, each Truck Shuttle can carry up to 32 trucks for the 35-minute journey between Folkestone to Calais.
Spain is a key trading partner for the UK; in 2023, £29 billion of goods were traded between the UK and Spain. Overall, 16% of the total trade between UK and Spain was facilitated by The Channel Tunnel, making this a critical route to market for Spain’s fresh produce exports. With between 15-20% of LeShuttle Freight traffic from Spain and Portugal, the Iberia region is one of the largest trade contributors along Germany, Eastern Europe and BeNeLux.
Increasing fluidity through innovation
Deborah Merrens, Chief Commercial Director at LeShuttle said: “This milestone is one we’re incredibly proud of and we want to thank our customers for their continued support. At LeShuttle Freight, we focus on better understanding the needs of our customers – hauliers and drivers – to offer them dedicated services from smart border crossing procedures to enhanced driver experience onboard our shuttles and on our premises. This was reflected in an improved satisfaction score last year and we’re looking forward to hitting our next milestone very soon!”
As a leader in increasing fluidity through innovation, LeShuttle Freight has introduced FIRST, a distinctive new service for freight customers looking for additional time savings and dedicated support on their Channel crossings. In addition, to enhance the Short Strait crossing for both hauliers and drivers, LeShuttle Freight introduced a Driver Info web app to provide customised information such as departure and arrival times, club car number and customs status linked to a vehicle registration number to drivers. The tool is also used to communicate important safety instructions and operational procedures to ensure that drivers have a smooth experience at every step of their journey. It also enables access to the loyalty programme dedicated solely to drivers.
***************************
About Getlink
Getlink SE (Euronext Paris: GET), through its subsidiary Eurotunnel, is the concession holder for the Channel Tunnel infrastructure until 2086 and operates Truck and Passenger Shuttle services (cars and coaches) between Folkestone (UK) and Calais (France). Since 31 December 2020 Eurotunnel has been developing the smart border to ensure that the Tunnel remains the fastest, most reliable, easiest, and most environmentally friendly way to cross the Channel. Since it opened in 1994, almost 500 million people and more than 102 million vehicles have travelled through the Channel Tunnel. This unique land link, which carries 25% of trade between the Continent and the UK, has become a vital link, reinforced by the ElecLink electricity interconnector installed in the Tunnel, which helps to balance the energy needs between France and the UK. Getlink completes its sustainable mobility services with its rail freight subsidiary Europorte. Committed to "low carbon" services that control their impact on the environment (through its activities, the Group avoids the equivalent of 1.9 million tonnes of CO2 per year), Getlink has made the place of people, nature and territories a central concern.
Footnotes
- ^ [1] 750m tonnes calculated by using 20-26 tonnes per truck, based on an average 70% capacity / 30% empty.
- ^ [2] LeShuttle Freight is the commercial service of rail shuttles operated in the Channel Tunnel by the concessionnaire Eurotunnel, wholly-owned subsidiary of the Getlink Group.
- ^ [3] According to the Carbon 4 study, a truck crossing the Channel on a Shuttle emits 12 times less than on a ferry.
Share on
Contact
Press office
