CHANNEL TUNNEL FREIGHT

That this House notes with alarm that freight trains could cease to run through the Channel Tunnel from 1st December if a dispute over access charges remains unresolved; further notes the important role which the tunnel has played in moving freight by rail, with 1.6 million tonnes of freight moved in the last year; further notes that planned changes to access charges will mean an additional cost to freight companies of £8,000 per train; and notes that though the Department for Transport is considering an application for environmental grants for international traffic the freight operators believe this falls well short of the funding required to make Channel Tunnel traffic viable; and calls on the Department for Transport to take a lead in resolving the dispute between Eurotunnel and freight operators by pressing the bi-national Intergovernmental Commission to direct Eurotunnel to grant access at affordable prices.