Eurotunnel has date to resume freight...
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by David Craik • Eurotunnel is set to resume freight services on 15 June.
Planned resumptions were aborted in March and mid-May but a green light from the Anglo-French Inter-governmental Commission last week means services can resume, dependent on a successful trial period.
The commission was confident that Eurotunnel had met, or will soon meet, the recommendations in the recent Channel Tunnel Safety Authority's Report (CM 15-21 May).
Eurotunnel will begin trials in the next few days with empty freight shuttles, moving on to trials with non-paying volunteer hauliers and then a full service on 15 June.
The Fire Brigade Union (FBU) condemns the re-opening which, it says, puts profit before safety. The FR; has previously called on drivers to boycott the Channel Tunnel due to concern over the use of semi-open freight wagons which it describes as "inherently unsafe and allowing fire to spread more quickly" (CM10-16 April).
John Noulton, Eurotunnel's director of public affairs, says: "It signals the end of a long period of frustration for hauliers and ourselves." But he could not give hauliers a guarantee that another fire would not occur. "We cannot guarantee there will not be another fire," says Noulton, "however, we are very well equipped to deal with another one if it does occur. The necessary measures have been taken."