EC welcomes Eurotunnel's plan to reduce charges by up to 50%
28 Apr 2014 12:35 PM
The European Commission
welcomes the announcement by Eurotunnel to commit to reduce the current level
of track access charges imposed on rail freight operators using the Tunnel by
up to 50% - this should allow rail freight in the Channel Tunnel to double in
the next 5 years.
The Channel Tunnel is not being
used to capacity, and a major reason for that is high track access charges. As
a result, more freight is being carried on lorries, instead of by rail, and the
high charges paid by freight operators can be passed onto their
customers.
Vice-President of the European
Commission Siim Kallas said: "I welcome Eurotunnel's announcement
because it should pave the way for more freight to use the Channel Tunnel and
at lower prices. It stands to unblock a major bottleneck in Europe's
transport network. This is good news for Europe's businesses that rely on
effective and competitively priced transport services and good news for
consumers they serve. It is also good news for the environment, as rail is the
most energy efficient way of transporting goods."
Currently only seven rail
freight trains run through the tunnel each day on average, while there is 43%
unused capacity. Rail freight companies complain that excessive track access
charges and other mandatory charges make it uneconomic to use the
Tunnel.
The commitment by Eurotunnel is
a direct response to the legal investigation opened by the European Commission
against France and the UK for failure to implement European rules on access to
infrastructure in the Channel Tunnel, in June 2013 (see IP/13/557).
Eurotunnel's new freight
charging scheme
Under Eurotunnel's new
freight charging scheme, a new entrant running trains in the time periods
(intervals), most used by freight, could benefit from up to 50% reduction in
freight charges compared to the current situation. The average charge reduction
will vary, but is estimated to be between 30% and 45% percent.
The key measures
include:
-
Rail freight tolls for
"off-peak period" periods (intervals) will be reduced by 25%, while
the toll for the "weekend maintenance" interval will be reduced by
33.3 %1
-
The most expensive maintenance
period will be reduced from three to two nights per week
-
Charges will not be adapted to
the inflation rate until 2018
-
The current incentive scheme,
giving rebates to new entrants (ETICA)2 will be prolonged and will apply
to more types of freight trains
-
The security fee imposed on
freight operators (Frethun charge) will be eliminated (600€ France –
UK per train).
The new charge scheme will be
applicable from June 2014, and remain in operation until 2023.3
The European Commission
investigation
In June 2013, the European
Commission opened a legal investigation (infringement procedure) against France
and the UK for failure to implement European rules regarding the Channel Tunnel
(see IP/13/557). The proceedings cover four different areas:
transparency of costs, setting of charges, independence of the Regulator
– Intergovernmental Commission (IGC) and the capacity allocation in the
tunnel guaranteed by the Railway Usage Agreement (RUC).
With regard to the different
aspects of the infringement, the European Commission also
welcomes:
A decision by the Tunnel
Regulator on transparency of costs
The Channel Tunnel regulator
(IGC) has recently issued a decision that obliges Eurotunnel to make its costs
more transparent. This is an important step forwards, as the actual costs of
use of the infrastructure is a key element in determining the level of track
access charges allowed under EU law. If strongly enforced, this decision should
allow for a more transparent charging in the tunnel for passengers and
freight.
What happens
next?
The Commission will assess
implementation of these measures in the context of its ongoing infringement
case.
Eurotunnel – key facts
(source Eurotunnel):
43% of tunnel capacity is
currently unused.
Rail passenger traffic has
increased slowly in recent years - 9.9 million passengers used the Tunnel in
2012 compared to 9.7 in 2011.
However, rail freight traffic is
declining. Only 2325 freight trains passed through the tunnel in 2012 (down
from 2388 in 2011 and 2718 in 2008).
Since its opening in 1994,
Eurotunnel has been unable to attract a sufficient amount of rail freight
traffic for its railway infrastructure. In 2013, there were only seven rail
freight trains going through the tunnel every day, instead of 30-40 a day as
originally envisaged when the tunnel was opened.
One of the significant obstacles
to the growth of the freight traffic is the high access charges which currently
amount up to €6075 per freight train, while the average charge for a
freight train going through the tunnel one way is approximately €4500 per
freight train.
Shuttle services (both passenger
and freight) operated by Eurotunnel are excluded from most EU rail rules
including on track access charging and are not covered by the EC
infringement.
Contacts :
Helen
Kearns (+32 2 298 76 38)
Dale Kidd (+32
2 295 74 61)
For the
public: Europe Direct by
phone 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 or by email
|