Cross Channel changes

According to figures published last week by the Department for Transport, in 2012, for the first time, more people used the Channel Tunnel to depart the UK than by sea, 20m v 19.7.

Looking at the numbers in more detail Dover continued as Britain’s largest port with 12m passengers, but Eurostar itself carried a record 9.9m, with the balance of the tunnel traffic, coach, car and commercial vehicle travellers, using the Eurotunnel shuttle service.

The collapse of SeaFrance in January 2012 reduced the ferry operators to P&O and DFDS, augmented in August 2012 by MyFerryLink, a three-ship operation owned by Eurotunnel, and the subject of a Competition Commission enquiry. 

As a sponsor of the London 2012 Games, Eurostar played a key role bringing hundreds of thousands of fans and athletes to the Games.  In addition to transporting the French, Belgian and Dutch Olympic teams, Eurostar carried out extensive modifications to its trains in order to transport the French and Belgian Paralympic teams to and from London. www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-transport

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