ROAD HAULAGE SUPPORT WANTED IN CHANNEL PROJECT
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Filial! our Political Correspondent DRIVATE interests pressing hard for a stake in the building of the Chunnel have made a hid for road haulage support in a booklet just published.
The Channel Tunnel Study Group, comprising four international companies says that its idea of Chunnel control would give road interests a big say in the daily affairs of the link, particularly the fixing of tolls and the setting up of operating practices.
This is needed, the Group adds, because road interests will be the Chunnel's best customers. A sharing of authority on the lines indicated would refute any suggestion of a railway monopoly, and ensure there was no discrimination in favour of goods carried by rail.
Broadly, the optimum toll levels worked out by the Group would (it says) halve the existing sea ferry charge. Based on 1957 figures, the Group reckoned a 42s. per ton average charge for goods.
Using a rail tunnel, the goods transport industry would be saved about £55 m.
86 between " opening day" in 1969 and 1985. Some optimum charges for tunnel freight, calculated on 1957 figures (existMg services have gone up since then) were:— The Group does not favour a road-rail tunnel because, it says, capital costs would be high, more intricate ventilation would be needed, capacity would be smaller, and there would be hazards to driving the long distance in a confined space. In addition, breakdowns would cut down peak road capacity by half.
"Based on the fact that, in Europe, vehicle breakdowns average one in every 11.165 miles, and in America one every 6,214 miles, it is estimated there would be from five to eight breakdowns an hour in each direction," says the booklet, "These breakdowns would create traffic jams at the entrance and during the crossing, which would increase the time of the journey to 90 min. (time to be taken in the rail tunnel is estimated at 45 min.).
"In the experience of fairly short road tunnels operating in New York the average speed (normally 35 m.p.h.) of traffic during rush hours slows to 16 m.p.h. The slowing-down effect would be even greater in a much longer Channel road tunnel, thereby halving the tunnel's capacity during peak hours.
"The sponsors of the combined tunnel apparently recognize its inadequacy because they planned that at peak hours 10 per cent of the cars would travel by rail on flat wagons. They further proposed to exclude lorries and coaches from the road tunnel during these peak hours because of the problem of fumes, • "As the piggy-back rail service is essential—and would be adequate in itself to handle all vehicle traffic—there seems to be little purpose in constructing a roadway alongside."