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Berkeley calls for help on stowaways
Page 12
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• by David Craik The UK government is being warned that it must force the French authorities to give more resources to fight the problem of illegal stowaways or risk crippling the rail freight industry.
Lord Tony Berkeley, chairman of the Rail Freight Group, says that the suspension of freight services through the Channel Tunnel by French rail operator SNCF could make cus
tomers switch back to using road haulage.
"Who could blame them for losing all confidence in rail freight? SNCF's workers are being attacked by the stowaways in Calais so I understand its decision," he says. "However, the French government must join with the British government in a joint military exercise to make sure the workers are protected and the ser
vices get back to normal. Otherwise the UK government's strategy of increasing rail freight substantially over the next 10 years will ti ounder."
The Freight Transport Association's policy director James Hookham says that it has already secured meetings with government ministers to put forward its three-part solution to the crisis, which has reduced the number of freight trains going through the tunnel from 15 a day to just five.
"The French authorities must install perimeter fencing at the SNCF yard at Calais, more security staff must be employed to supervise freight trains in the yard and the practice of freight trains stopping at Calais must end."
Hookham adds that SNCE's action, which has already been running for two weeks, must stop before the pre-Christmas build-up of traffic begins.