CIT warns on Chunnel
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• The Chartered Institute of Transport has called on the Government to remember freight when planning the Channel Tunnel links.
In its report Channel Tunnel Rail Link: Slow Progress to a Fast Link, the CIT says that the possibility of running freight on the line should be considered from the start. It also wants the Government to demand the
larger Loading gauge required for Continental freight wagons to be extended beyond London.
There is a clear need for Government, British Rail and local authorities to collaborate in devising a strategic transport infrastructure plan, says the CIT, and it should cover the railway system and the associated issues of road access for goods vehicles to factory sites.
The CIT also urges improved incentives for transport operators to run combined road/rail operations. This will have "far more effect on freight volumes than will the access granted to freight on the proposed link" it claims. The Channel Tunnel is expected to open fully by mid-1994. However, the precise route of the fast link with its exact loading gauge and running speed have not yet been decided.