LeShuttle reached a major milestone on 13 March 2024, as it transported its 35 millionth lorry by train between Folkestone and Calais.
Since the company started operation 30 years ago, over 750 million tonnes of goods have been transported through the channel tunnel.
The truck in question came from Spain, it belongs to Ontime Capitrans which transports temperature-controlled goods across Europe, most of which are perishables.
Ontime Capitrans having been using LeShuttle to deliver goods to the UK since 1999, and deliver refrigerated goods to the UK's leading supermarket chains.
The driver of the lorry, Luis Vitervo Panches, has been a HGV driver across Europe for 36 years and has passed through the channel tunnel on the train over 1000 times.
One of the major points in the building of the Channel tunnel was the need to transport goods faster between mainland Europe and the United Kingdom.
LeShuttle have 15 truck shuttle trains which have been running almost daily since 1994. These trains are 800 meters long and can carry 32 lorries at a time. Each lorry train makes 6 departures per hour and takes 35 minutes to travel through the channel tunnel between France and England.
This frequency and speed has enabled LeShuttle to become an extremely important link in the global supply chain, carrying 25% of goods imported and exported between Europe and the UK
15-20% of LeShuttles' freight comes from Spain and Portugal. Fresh fruits and vegetables arrive in the UK using Ontime Capitrans temperature-controlled lorries, which is not only important in helping to keep the produce fresh for the British public to enjoy, but it also plays a key role in the Spanish and Portuguese economies. Spain is a vital trading partner with the UK, with £29 billion of goods traded between the two countries in 2023, of which 16% of that trade went via the Channel Tunnel.
The popularity of transporting goods using LeShuttle has been enormous, and in a bid to increase fluidity, LeShuttle has introduced a new freight service, ‘FIRST', which aims to save time, costs and support with Channel crossings.
In addition to this, a new app has been created, which lorry drivers and customers can download and see train arrival and departure times, club car number, and customs status at the border, all of which can be linked to a vehicle registration number.
The app also communicates operational procedures and safety instructions, to ensure customers have a smooth and trouble free journey, there is also access to a dedicated loyalty programme for drivers.
Deborah Merrens, Chief Commercial Director at LeShuttle said: “This milestone is one we're incredibly proud of and we want to thank our customers for their continued support. At LeShuttle Freight, we focus on better understanding the needs of our customers – hauliers and drivers – to offer them dedicated services from smart border crossing procedures to enhanced driver experience onboard our shuttles and on our premises. This was reflected in an improved satisfaction score last year and we're looking forward to hitting our next milestone very soon… watch this space!”
Agustin Lison, FTL International Operations Manager at Ontime Capitrans, said: “We've been using LeShuttle Freight for 25 years due to the speed and ease of use of the service. It is the quickest and most efficient way we can deliver our fresh goods to the British consumers and the smart border solutions provided by LeShuttle Freight help us to ensure a smooth and fast crossing.”
The question should be asked, why isn’t more of this long distance freight going by rail for the majority of its journey, not just through the Chunnel? Surely that ought to be even quicker AND more environmentally friendly. What are the railway companies doing about this?