by David Jones

In the seven days up to August 12, Channel Tunnel shuttles carried their heaviest traffic in one week since the end of duty free sales in 1999.

The bumper total comprised 74,292 vehicles (cars, motorcycles, caravans and camper vans) and 776 coaches travelling (in both directions) between Folkestone and Coquelles.

The operator geared up for the Games by lengthening trains and cutting journey times from 35 to 30 minutes.

To manage these record-breaking traffic levels, 838 shuttle departures were needed, at a rate of five per hour, the equivalent to one departure every 12 minutes between 7am and 10pm.

At the same time, a new daily record was also achieved, with 15,152 vehicles travelling across the Channel on Saturday in both directions on August 11.

This figure beat the record 10,380 passenger vehicles carried in 24 hours on June 1, in the run-up to the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

Over a three-day period during the Jubilee, Eurotunnel transported 26,000 vehicles from Kent to France.

During the Games, Le Shuttle bookings increased by 16% for the period from July 23 to August 12. On top of this there were also 40 additional Eurostar departures.

The trend is expected to continue with the Paralympics Games, which start August 29.