WORTH THE FREIGHT

Central Railway is an Anglo/French scheme that will extend the benefits of the Channel Tunnel to the Midlands and North of Britain. The project involves the modernisation and operation of a 644-km railway from Liverpool to the Lille region of France via the Channel Tunnel. Most of the route will follow underused or disused railways, with a new railway along the M25 transport corridor past Heathrow. The scheme aims to transport approximately three million lorries per year to and from France. The railway's core business will be a high-volume, low-cost shuttle operation carrying unaccompanied lorry trailers. Projected train operating costs are lower than lorry road operating costs. Central Railway's railway will be sized so that it can carry lorries as well as continental and UK passenger and freight trains. There are proposals for five terminals in England close to major motorway junctions. The overall project cost is approximately #5.8bn. For the covering abstract see IRRD E113772.