Channel Tunnel doubt rrom Loughborough
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• Doubt has been cast on the viability of the Channel Tunnel in a report issued this week by the Department of Transport Technology of Loughborough University. The author, Ralf Bonwit, states "one cannot envisage a promising future for a rail system which still runs a high proportion of its freight services in unbraked wagons at a time when U1C plans foresee the conversion by 1985 of most wagons used in international traffic on the Continent to automatic coupling combined with an advanced form of electro-pneumatic braking. The problem of fitting the British wagon fleets in the European traffic system would become acute with the opening of the Channel Tunnel", During the compilation of the report opinion was taken from a wide crosssection of freight forwarders and it would seem that the railways have more than technical problems to overcome if they are to compete for an increased share of freight with road haulage. Many industrial transport managers said that they would be willing to transfer freight from road to rail if the railways could guarantee a 24-hour service, deliver the goods in undamaged condition and provide easily accessible railhead sites. The situation is described by the author as "a crisis of confidence".
The survey, which was conducted under the auspices of the Scientific Research Council, looked at transport systems in Britain, Canada, Germany, Japan and France, and reports that in these countries transport organizations are generally of outstanding efficiency and technological perfection.
The report is available from Loughborough University.