Quarantine boost for Le Shuttle
August 14 was one of the busiest days of the year for Le Shuttle as Britons rushed to return to the UK before the start of a mandatory 14-day quarantine period for people arriving from France.
Some 11,600 vehicles and 30,000 passengers were carried on its trains in the 24 hours before the quarantine kicked in on 15 August.
Transport secretary Grant Shapps only revealed the quarantine requirement on 13 August, giving holidaymakers less than 48 hours to get back home before the need to self-isolate for two weeks.
Le Shuttle said it had ‘performed remarkably’ over the summer, despite the on-off quarantine measures.
It saw a 28% year-on-year drop in passenger vehicles in August, when it carried almost 268,000, but it’s truck traffic was down only 7%.
In a statement, it said: "This success under the circumstances is the result of the incomparable competitive position of the Le Shuttle service, which offers a contactless journey from start to finish, together with the reactivity of the staff in adapting to the new situation."
By Linsey McNeill, Editor (UK)
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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