SITL: Eurotunnel wins Best Innovation award for its Freight service, the Eurotunnel Border Pass

Eurotunnel has won the Best Innovation award, for its Eurotunnel Border Pass, at the SITL 2021 Exhibition (Transport and Logistics Innovation Week), being held in Paris this week, in the category Technologies, IOT et Systèmes d’Information.

Since the opening of the service on 1 January, 2021 as part of Brexit, more than 300,000 Eurotunnel Border Passes have been used by freight drivers transiting to and from Great Britain using the Channel Tunnel.

This service, unique to the undersea cross-Channel route, makes it possible to exchange information necessary for the passage of goods from the carrier, via digital communications to the authorities of both the two countries, in a rapid and secure manner. The driver does not need to get out of the truck when crossing the border, or even to present a document when arriving on site as the license plate of the truck, included in the Pass, is recognised upon arrival at the terminal.

Since mid-July, and given the success of this process, dedicated Eurotunnel Border Pass lanes have been set up at the Pit Stop located on the French terminal giving an advantage in speed of crossing for those using the Border Pass. Further dedicated lanes will be opened on the Folkestone terminal by the end of 2021.

The simplification of the process offered by the Eurotunnel Border Pass has improved on-site traffic flow by 20%.

Yann Leriche, Chief Executive Officer of Getlink, stated: “The massive use of the Eurotunnel Border Pass by our customers demonstrates the value of this offer. The feedback on the service is excellent, and carriers trust us to adapt our tools as UK import regulations are introduced from January 2022. Eurotunnel  continues to offer our customers the fastest and easiest way to cross the Channel.”