France / Calais : postponement of the modalohr service Calais - Le Boulou

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10/01/2016

This is further proof, if any were needed, that the presence of migrants hinders the development of the territory. The intermodal rail link Calais-Le Boulou (near Perpignan) devoted to unaccompanied freight (that is to say the trailers without tractors or truck drivers) was to be launched Tuesday. But this will not be the case. The French Minister of the Interior Bernard Cazeneuve opposes it and postpones the launch sine die. He believes that the safety of the train is not guaranteed due to the presence of migrants. The cause is that two convoys of 20 Megatrailer pocket wagons, forming a train of 680 meters long, must to cross the Dunes area of Calais ... at a maximum speed of 10 km / h. According the Ministry of Interior, it's too tempting for migrants that could use this opportunity to reach more easily the closed harbour area.

In July 2015, 120 French police officers are being sent to Calais to reinforce security there, after many problems with the security of the Channel Tunnel. In August 2015, Britain's Home Secretary Theresa May had to visit Calais to sign an agreement aimed at alleviating the migrants crisis there. The problem persists on both for the Channel Tunnel and near the ferries area.

The link was intended to provide work for twenty dockers, with a expected traffic of two daily return trips. Currently 25 000 to 30 000 unaccompanied trailers per year pass through the port of Calais, representing 4% of its freight traffic. It was expected to carry 40.000 trailers all over the year, by the "Modalohr" system. The company VIIA Britannica has built a special terminal which has cost seven million euros.

See the link : The Modalohr system

The specialized platform in work in the port of Calais (photo VIIA Britannica)