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Tunnel trucks go up
Page 10
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TRUCK TRAFFIC through the ChannelTunnel rose 6% in the first three months of this year over the first quarter of 2004 following the launch of a new booking system.
The increase,to a total of 345,570 trucks, is also being linked to the closure of several berths at the Port of Calais which severely disrupted ferry services.
Tunnel operator Eurotunnel says hauliers are now being asked to forecast their likely demand for truck shuttles over set periods.
Spokeswoman Barbara Cottage says: "We were getting queues and queues of lorries and not having the required rolling stock in the right place at the right time was costing the truck companies money and us money."
The introduction of the new system provoked anger when it was introduced earlier this year (CM 13 January) — many users threatened to quit Eurotunnel and head back to the ferries. Many operators are also using the Eurotunnel Plus booking agency to get round the tunnel restrictions.
However, its 2004 results, released this week, show a 7% decline in shuttle services.
• Ferry firm Stena Line says an f.8.5m profit last year was the best for nine years, with all the company's markets improving, the UKIreland routes most of all.