Latest news with #ChannelTunnel
The Guardian
6 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Eurostar calls for ‘credible' Channel rail strategy as monopoly decision looms
Eurostar has urged the UK government to choose a 'credible long-term strategy' for international rail or risk 'falling behind' the rest of Europe, before a crucial decision by the regulator that could end its cross-Channel monopoly. The high-speed train operator warned that a 'premature' ruling from the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) to allow competitors to squeeze trains into existing facilities could jeopardise its planned investment and expansion. Instead it called for 'big-picture thinking' from the government to enable more capacity for overseas rail – which it said could produce more high-skilled jobs and growth. Eurostar is on the verge of finalising an order for 50 more high-speed trains to upgrade and expand its fleet, and has pledged new direct routes to Frankfurt and Geneva. A number of potential competitors are, however, hoping to break its 30-year exclusive hold on passenger train services through the Channel tunnel. Virgin Group, the British startup Gemini trains and a partnership between the Italian state rail operator, FS Italiane, and the Spanish company Evolyn are among those vying for space. While the owners of the rail infrastructure – the Eurotunnel parent, Getlink, and London St Pancras High Speed (formerly HS1) – are keen to drive more business, rivals have been unable to secure space to house and maintain high-speed trains in Great Britain. Capacity for more services has been focused on one functioning depot at Temple Mills, in east London, which Eurostar insists is full and can only accommodate its own growth plans with a €80m (£70m) investment. However, the ORR has said it believes there is space at the depot and invited applicants to submit proposals before a ruling. Eurostar's own response to the regulator, seen by the Guardian, sets out plans for expansion on the back of recent passenger growth, up 5% last year to 19.5 million, and agreements between the UK and Germany and Switzerland to facilitate direct routes. However, it also starkly sets out what it says would be the risk of a new operator sharing the depot, including a 'significant impact on the ability to operate' and disruption to customers. Eurostar suggested that the ORR should find 'that it would be premature to make any determination' and that it 'cannot assume the capacity … is actually deliverable'. Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning after newsletter promotion Instead it said the ORR and government should outline its support and strategy for new depots, to be used by any company, including repurposing existing alternatives or building brand-new facilities. Gareth Williams, the general secretary at Eurostar, said: 'We believe there is an incredible opportunity to grow international rail … With demand for sustainable travel at an all-time high and growth being a key challenge for the country, the UK cannot afford to fall behind.' He said Eurostar's plans were financed and already under way, adding: 'Temple Mills is an important foundation of that future. We want to be a leading centre for European high-speed maintenance, bringing skilled jobs and industrial investment. The regulator, UK government and private investors have a unique moment now to make bold decisions to unlock the huge potential of international rail and encourage more European links for tourism, trade and education.' The decision by the ORR on whether Eurostar has to give up depot space to a competitor is expected in October.
The Guardian
07-07-2025
- The Guardian
A new start after 60: I quit my job, bought a camera – and became a successful wildlife photographer
A few weeks ago, Michelle Jackson was in the Peak District, hiding beneath a camouflage net with her camera, waiting for badgers to emerge at sunset. For more than two hours she watched the skylarks and curlews, her hopes intensifying during the 45-minute window in which the light was perfect. At last the heather moved. A badger's head appeared. 'Their eyesight is poor, but they can smell you,' Jackson says. At 66, she has won national and international awards as a wildlife photographer. Although the desire to get the shot 'drives' her, for a while she simply watched. 'You want to embrace what's there. It's so special to see wildlife up close.' At least two of the shots Jackson took that evening are 'competition-worthy'. Yet she didn't pick up a camera, beyond a simple point-and-shoot, until she was 61. Jackson, who lives in Derbyshire, England, spent most of her working life as an engineer in the rail industry. In 1978, she was one of the first two women taken on by British Rail as design engineers. She designed carriage systems for the Channel tunnel trains, and regards the British Rail Class 91 high-speed electric locomotive as 'my baby'; she managed its emerging weight and balance. In 1994, she and her husband, also an engineer, moved from the UK to Sydney, Australia. She worked, or spent time with their two daughters. 'I didn't put aside time for myself.' Jackson retired at 56 when her hearing became impaired. 'Meetings were very social. Cafe environments, hard surfaces, clitter-clatter, people talking in the background. I realised I was missing too much. I didn't want to embarrass myself or the organisation I worked for. So I decided to give up,' she says. She didn't ask for adjustments to the meetings? 'I probably didn't want people to know.' In 2018, she and her family returned to England. 'What am I going to do now?' she thought. 'The emails went from 550 to 50, and 20 of them were junk. I needed something to stimulate me.' The following year, at 61, she bought her first DSLR camera and joined a local walking and photography group; then, when Covid hit, she enrolled in an online photography and Photoshop course. A history of pneumonia meant she had to shield, so she photographed whatever she could find indoors – still life, flowers, pets. 'If I'm going to do something, I'm going to do it properly.' Jackson publishes under the name 'Emmabrooke', after years of being presumed male in engineering and mistakenly being called Michael. But she brings to her camera 'an engineering brain … I do everything in manual'. She has always loved nature. In her 20s, she hiked long distances, including the 268 miles of the Pennine Way in northern England. 'Nature, seeing the big picture of landscapes, has always been there. But I didn't use a camera,' she says. It was only after retirement that the camera became 'a means to capture what I'd seen. The things you take for granted.' Even planning a boat trip to see humpback whales, 'I didn't consider buying a decent camera. I was just enthralled by seeing: the fact you could see them, rather than have a photograph to remember them by.' Maybe there is a connection between hearing loss and wanting to 'capture' the environment she witnessed? Jackson's images are sharp and crisp, and the result of an acutely focused anticipatory vision. 'I have a mind's eye of what I'd like to get,' she says. She once waited hours for two gannets to bring their heads together in the shape of a heart. 'When you lose a sense, other senses get stronger,' she says. 'I've got my eyesight.' Jackson is preparing for her Master Craftsman award with the Guild of Photographers. She achieved her associate level with the Royal Photographic Society last year and is now aiming to achieve fellowship. She spends at least 20 hours a week in the field. 'I'm besotted with British wildlife. I get excited each time,' she says. Whether she is photographing badgers, ospreys, kingfishers or a golden eagle in the snow, she says: 'It's the thrill of them turning up. If you really want to seek them out, you'll find them.' You can see Michelle Jackson's work on her website, on Instagram and on BlueSky Tell us: has your life taken a new direction after the age of 60?
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Getlink SE: Shuttle Traffic in June 2025
PARIS, July 07, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Regulatory News: Getlink SE (Paris:GET): In June 2025, LeShuttle Freight carried 93,726 trucks, down 4% compared to June 2024. Since 1 January, close to 600,000 trucks have crossed the Channel on board the Shuttles. LeShuttle carried 215,751 passenger vehicles in June, down 1% compared to June 2024. Close to 1,000,000 passenger vehicles have been transported since 1 January. June 25 June 24 Change Jan-June 2025 Jan-June 2024 Change Truck Shuttles Trucks 93,726 97,501 -4% 591,746 601,710 -2% Passenger Shuttles Passenger vehicles* 215,751 216,772 -1% 985,847 967,962 +2% * Including cars, motorcycles, vehicles with trailers, caravans, camper vans and coaches. The July traffic figures will be published on Thursday 7 August 2025 before the market opens. About Getlink Getlink SE (Euronext Paris: GET), through its subsidiary Eurotunnel, is the concession holder until 2086 for the Channel Tunnel infrastructure and operates Truck Shuttles and Passenger Shuttles (cars and coaches) between Folkestone (UK) and Calais (France). Since 31 December 2020 Eurotunnel has been developing the smart border to ensure that the Tunnel remains the fastest, most reliable, easiest and most environmentally friendly way to cross the Channel. Since it opened in 1994, more than 518 million people and more than 106 million vehicles have travelled through the Channel Tunnel. This unique land link, which carries a quarter of trade between the Continent and the United Kingdom, has become a vital link, reinforced by the ElecLink electricity interconnector installed in the Tunnel, which helps to balance energy needs between France and the United Kingdom. Getlink completes its sustainable mobility services with its rail freight subsidiary Europorte. Committed to "low-carbon" services that control their impact on the environment Getlink has made the place of people, nature and territories a central concern. View source version on Contacts Press contacts:Anne-Sophie de Faucigny: +33 (0)6.46.01.52.86Laurence Bault: +33 (0)6.83.61.89.96 Analyst and investor contact: Virginie Rousseau: +33 (0)6.77.41.03.39Dana Badaoui: +33 (0)6.80.01.39.46 Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
The Guardian
07-07-2025
- The Guardian
A new start after 60: I quit my job, bought a camera – and became a successful wildlife photographer
A few weeks ago, Michelle Jackson was in the Peak District, hiding beneath a camouflage net with her camera, waiting for badgers to emerge at sunset. For more than two hours she watched the skylarks and curlews, her hopes intensifying during the 45-minute window in which the light was perfect. At last the heather moved. A badger's head appeared. 'Their eyesight is poor, but they can smell you,' Jackson says. At 66, she has won national and international awards as a wildlife photographer. Although the desire to get the shot 'drives' her, for a while she simply watched. 'You want to embrace what's there. It's so special to see wildlife up close.' At least two of the shots Jackson took that evening are 'competition-worthy'. Yet she didn't pick up a camera, beyond a simple point-and-shoot, until she was 61. Jackson, who lives in Derbyshire, England, spent most of her working life as an engineer in the rail industry. In 1978, she was one of the first two women taken on by British Rail as design engineers. She designed carriage systems for the Channel tunnel trains, and regards the British Rail Class 91 high-speed electric locomotive as 'my baby'; she managed its emerging weight and balance. In 1994, she and her husband, also an engineer, moved from the UK to Sydney, Australia. She worked, or spent time with their two daughters. 'I didn't put aside time for myself.' Jackson retired at 56 when her hearing became impaired. 'Meetings were very social. Cafe environments, hard surfaces, clitter-clatter, people talking in the background. I realised I was missing too much. I didn't want to embarrass myself or the organisation I worked for. So I decided to give up,' she says. She didn't ask for adjustments to the meetings? 'I probably didn't want people to know.' In 2018, she and her family returned to England. 'What am I going to do now?' she thought. 'The emails went from 550 to 50, and 20 of them were junk. I needed something to stimulate me.' The following year, at 61, she bought her first DSLR camera and joined a local walking and photography group; then, when Covid hit, she enrolled in an online photography and Photoshop course. A history of pneumonia meant she had to shield, so she photographed whatever she could find indoors – still life, flowers, pets. 'If I'm going to do something, I'm going to do it properly.' Jackson publishes under the name 'Emmabrooke', after years of being presumed male in engineering and mistakenly being called Michael. But she brings to her camera 'an engineering brain … I do everything in manual'. She has always loved nature. In her 20s, she hiked long distances, including the 268 miles of the Pennine Way in northern England. 'Nature, seeing the big picture of landscapes, has always been there. But I didn't use a camera,' she says. It was only after retirement that the camera became 'a means to capture what I'd seen. The things you take for granted.' Even planning a boat trip to see humpback whales, 'I didn't consider buying a decent camera. I was just enthralled by seeing: the fact you could see them, rather than have a photograph to remember them by.' Maybe there is a connection between hearing loss and wanting to 'capture' the environment she witnessed? Jackson's images are sharp and crisp, and the result of an acutely focused anticipatory vision. 'I have a mind's eye of what I'd like to get,' she says. She once waited hours for two gannets to bring their heads together in the shape of a heart. 'When you lose a sense, other senses get stronger,' she says. 'I've got my eyesight.' Jackson is preparing for her Master Craftsman award with the Guild of Photographers. She achieved her associate level with the Royal Photographic Society last year and is now aiming to achieve fellowship. She spends at least 20 hours a week in the field. 'I'm besotted with British wildlife. I get excited each time,' she says. Whether she is photographing badgers, ospreys, kingfishers or a golden eagle in the snow, she says: 'It's the thrill of them turning up. If you really want to seek them out, you'll find them.' You can see Michelle Jackson's work on her website, on Instagram and on BlueSky Tell us: has your life taken a new direction after the age of 60?
Times
06-07-2025
- Times
Eurostar passengers stranded for hours in France on London-bound train
About 800 passengers were stranded for nearly five hours near Calais after a Eurostar train from Brussels to London suffered an electrical breakdown on Sunday. Passengers complained of a lack of information after the train stopped near the entrance to the Channel Tunnel at Guines. Air conditioning went off and lavatories were blocked up. A passenger posted online: 'They've said it's coming at 1pm, but nothing. Conditions aren't great — paramedics are on board and triaging people. There's no toilets. Zero communication from staff on board. None. The only info we get is from Twitter.' There were complaints after delays to the replacement service Eurostar apologised and offered customers a full refund. It said the train had stopped because of a power failure and a rescue train had been promptly dispatched to collect passengers. The 'complex transfer operation' to the new train was 'taking longer than anticipated'.
