Europorte Channel (formerly Europorte 2) is a
rail freight
Rail freight transport is the use of railroads and trains to transport cargo as opposed to human passengers.
A freight train, cargo train, or goods train is a group of freight cars (US) or goods wagons (International Union of Railways) hauled ...
train operator which operates rail freight services between France and the United Kingdom through the
Channel Tunnel. It is a subsidiary of
Europorte
Europorte is a European rail freight company, a subsidiary of Getlink; operating in France and through the Channel Tunnel.
The company was formed in 2009 as an entity encompassing the previous operations of Europorte 2 and the France-based bu ...
.
In 2009 Europorte's parent company
Eurotunnel
Getlink, formerly Groupe Eurotunnel, is a European public company based in Paris that manages and operates the infrastructure of the Channel Tunnel between England and France, operates the Eurotunnel Shuttle train service, and earns revenue o ...
acquired the French operations of
Veolia Cargo
Veolia Cargo was a European rail freight transportation company that operated mainly in France and Germany. On 2 September 2009, the company was acquired by Eurotunnel and SNCF, the deal being finalised on 1 December 2009.
History
Prior to the cr ...
leading to the rebranding of Europorte 2 as Europorte Channel.
History
Background
Europorte 2 was founded in 2003. The company was established as an independent rail company, with a remit to expand freight operations around
Calais. The company acquired a licence to operate in France in February 2006.
Operations
In June 2007 the
Eurotunnel
Getlink, formerly Groupe Eurotunnel, is a European public company based in Paris that manages and operates the infrastructure of the Channel Tunnel between England and France, operates the Eurotunnel Shuttle train service, and earns revenue o ...
entered into a collaboration with the Port of
Dunkirk relating to rail freight traffic through Europorte 2 subsidiary; the company was to operate trains from Dunkerque to the Delta 3 logistics terminal at
Dourges, and collaborate on container shipments to the UK using the port of Dunkerque via channel tunnel. In 2010 Eurotunnel obtained a contract with the port to operate the enterprises own railway system - this contract was carried out by a new organisation
Europorte Services.
In 2009 Eurotunnel acquired Veolia Cargo's French rail freight operations - during the period of absorption of these entities Europorte 2 was renamed Europorte Channel.
Traction and rolling stock
A fleet of forty-six
Class 92 locomotives were built by a consortium of
Brush Traction
Brush Traction is a manufacturer and maintainer of railway locomotives in Loughborough, England. It is a subsidiary of Wabtec.
History
Hughes's Locomotive & Tramway Engine Works
Henry Hughes had been operating at the Falcon Works since t ...
and
ABB
ABB Ltd. is a Swedish- Swiss multinational corporation headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland. The company was formed in 1988 when Sweden's Allmänna Svenska Elektriska Aktiebolaget (ASEA) and Switzerland's Brown, Boveri & Cie merged to crea ...
between 1993 and 1996. Initially the fleet was split between
Railfreight Distribution
Railfreight Distribution was a sub-sector of British Rail, created by the division in 1987 of British Rail's previous Railfreight sector. It was responsible for non-trainload freight operations, as well as Freightliner and Intermodal services ...
,
SNCF and British Rail European Passenger Services (now
) for operations through the Channel Tunnel.
The locomotives attached to
London & Continental Railways
London and Continental Railways (LCR) is a property development company owned by the Government of the United Kingdom for developing former railway land. The company was originally established in 1994 as a private consortium to own European Pa ...
were for operations of the ''
Nightstar'' international sleeper services. Introduction of the sleeper services were delayed and then cancelled. During 2000, Eurostar International offered its seven Class 92 members (92020–21, 32, 40, 44–46) for sale, being surplus to requirements. No immediate buyer could be found, so the locomotives were decommissioned and stored at
Crewe Electric TMD
Crewe Electric TMD (officially named Crewe IEMD – International Electric Maintenance Depot) is a traction maintenance depot for AC electric and diesel-electric locomotives. It is situated to the north-west of Crewe railway station on the Cre ...
.
In February 2007, following a tender exercise, the seven locomotives were purchased by Eurotunnel for £2 million, for use by Europorte 2. In July 2011, Europorte 2/Eurotunnel purchased the five remaining locomotives that had belonged to SNCF, bringing Eurotunnel's total up to sixteen Class 92s.
[Eurotunnel buys five Class 92s ''The Railway Magazine'' issue 1325 September 2011 page 78]
Current fleet
*
Class 92 Electric × 16 — 92006, 92010, 92014, 92018, 92020-92021, 92023, 92028, 92032–92033, 92038, 92040, 92043–92046
References
External links
company website
{{Channel Tunnel navbox
Channel Tunnel
Railway companies of France
Railway companies established in 2003
2003 establishments in France