Late holidays cause slump in Getlink passenger traffic
Getlink, the Channel Tunnel operator, reported slumps in its truck and car traffic figures in July, which it blamed on a slowdown in UK consumption and later holiday departures.
Getlink, which used to be called Eurotunnel, transports passenger vehicles and commercial vehicles across the Channel.
Read more: Getlink blames Brexit for slump in traffic numbers
Truck traffic decreased from 144, 990 in July 2018 to 130, 936 this July, which the firm said was “mainly due to the lack of recovery in the automotive market, and a slowdown in UK consumption”.
Since the beginning of the year, more than 940,000 trucks have crossed the Channel on its Le Shuttle Freight services down five per cent on the same period the year before.
In July 2019, 294,0444 passenger vehicles were transported across the Channel, down seven per cent on the previous year.
Getlink said it had been “penalised by an unfavourable calendar effect with later holiday departures”.
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In June Getlink blamed dwindling passenger traffic numbers on the political uncertainty caused by Brexit.
It reported an 11 per cent drop in truck traffic in May after British businesses de-stocked the items they had initially build up in preparation for the UK to leave the EU on the scheduled departure date of 29 March.