RAIL 587 reports that Deutsche Bahn (DB) and EWS, which is owned by Deutsche Bahn since last year, have launched container freight traffic from Duisburg to Manchester using the Channel Tunnel.
Deutsche Bahn hauls the trains up to the Tunnel where EWS then takes over and pulls the train into the UK and all the way up north to Manchester.
According to DB this is the first in a series of rail links between the UK and continental Europe. The service started operations on 04 March 2008.
We welcome DB establishing the rail link finally using some of the excess spare capacity of the Channel Tunnel. It would be nice if, in cooperation with other freight and train companies, services like this would be developed as a strong competitor to road and air freight between continental Europe and the UK.
Not only does this mode of freight bear a much smaller carbon footprint compared to the afore mentioned modes, it also makes use of the available capacity through the Tunnel, which finally could see the Tunnel being made much better use of.