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Migrant incursions causes suspension of Calais truck-train service
The new 'rail motorway' service for unaccompanied road trailers between Calais and the French Pyrenees, VIIA Britanica, was suspended indefinitely late last week following repeated incursions by migrants.
The service's operator said: "The VIIA Britanica service has been suspended since 10 July for an indefinite period due to a surge in intrusions onto trains and the damage done to trailers over the past week. It appears unlikely it will resume before September."
The intermodal service, operated by SNCF Logistics' subsidiary VIIA and marketed as a direct link to the UK for exporters in the Mediterranean, started at the end of March having initially been scheduled for launch in January. However, it was held up over migrant-related security issues, the Lloyd's Loading List reported
The service runs on a section of track that passes close to the migrant camp known as 'The Jungle' before trains reach the port. For a few hundred metres, the speed of trains drops below 20km/h, giving migrants an opportunity to jump aboard the convoys.
Measures were taken to make this area secure, including fencing, allowing VIIA Britanica to resume in March. However, the Port Boulogne Calais authority said current security conditions in the vicinity of the port did not allow the service to continue to operate. It underlined that efforts were being stepped up to provide "a lasting solution for the safe and secure passage of trains at the port".
Its president and CEO, Jean-Marc Puissesseau, said the suspension of the rail motorway, even though regrettable, would only affect the economic performance of the port marginally. "This service is only at its beginning and we are confident that a resumption will possible in the near future," he added
The service's operator said: "The VIIA Britanica service has been suspended since 10 July for an indefinite period due to a surge in intrusions onto trains and the damage done to trailers over the past week. It appears unlikely it will resume before September."
The intermodal service, operated by SNCF Logistics' subsidiary VIIA and marketed as a direct link to the UK for exporters in the Mediterranean, started at the end of March having initially been scheduled for launch in January. However, it was held up over migrant-related security issues, the Lloyd's Loading List reported
The service runs on a section of track that passes close to the migrant camp known as 'The Jungle' before trains reach the port. For a few hundred metres, the speed of trains drops below 20km/h, giving migrants an opportunity to jump aboard the convoys.
Measures were taken to make this area secure, including fencing, allowing VIIA Britanica to resume in March. However, the Port Boulogne Calais authority said current security conditions in the vicinity of the port did not allow the service to continue to operate. It underlined that efforts were being stepped up to provide "a lasting solution for the safe and secure passage of trains at the port".
Its president and CEO, Jean-Marc Puissesseau, said the suspension of the rail motorway, even though regrettable, would only affect the economic performance of the port marginally. "This service is only at its beginning and we are confident that a resumption will possible in the near future," he added
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