Walon takes on Rover deal and goes by road
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• The export of 60,000 Rover Group cars a year will be switched from rail to road next month when French-owned operator Walon takes over a multi-million-pound contract.
The move will hit Londonbased rail wagon and car transporter operator MAT, which previously held the contract. And it will be a blow to the Channel Tunnel operators, who see new car movements to and from the European mainland as an obvious target for business.
Walon will trunk the cars through a South Coast port for shipment to Zeebrugge. It will be responsible for them throughout their journey to depots in Belgium and Switzerland using a network of 85 depots with a fleet of 1,700 vehicle transporters.
Trainloads of Rover cars from Small Heath were previously sent across Europe via rail terminals at the Cowley, Longbridge and Solihull plants.
Bob Shaw of the Transport & General Workers Union says he is concerned for his MAT members, most of whom are nonLGV trained. He hopes that some jobs will be found for them at Walon.
Walon says an extra 30 LGV driving jobs will be generated and promises to consider appropriate MAT employees.