LeShuttle, formerly known as Eurotunnel Le Shuttle and also called The Shuttle, is a railway service that transports road vehicles and their passengers through the Channel Tunnel between Calais in France and Folkestone in the United Kingdom. It began operations on 6 May 1994, the same day the Channel Tunnel was officially opened.

The service is owned and operated by Getlink, the company that manages and operates the Channel Tunnel infrastructure.

Operations

LeShuttle carries smaller vehicles—including cars, vans, buses, motorcycles, and bicycles—inside enclosed shuttle trains, with passengers remaining alongside their vehicles. Heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) are carried on separate shuttle trains that are largely open for safety reasons, and their drivers ride in a passenger carriage known as a club car.

The shuttle trains are hauled by Eurotunnel Class 9 locomotives, which were designed for and are used exclusively for the LeShuttle road vehicle service through the Channel Tunnel.

Context

In the news context, a minibus carrying truck drivers crashed into a LeShuttle train at the tunnel entrance in Coquelles near Calais, injuring 19 people and briefly suspending vehicle shuttle service. The Channel Tunnel, which opened in 1994, carried 3.4 million vehicles in the year before the crash, along with millions of Eurostar passengers.