by business editor Trevor Sturgess

Channel Tunnel shuttles carried a record number of vehicles over the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee weekend as Eurotunnel anticipates new traffic peaks during the Olympic Games.

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

It is also expecting a large number of coaches operated by Eurolines bringing spectators to London, espccially in the early mornings.

Additional booths have been put into service to speed up frontier controls and increase traffic flows.

It said “significant peaks of traffic are expected between the Continent and the UK.”

During the Jubilee, for the first time Eurotunnel Le Shuttle carried more than 10,000 passenger vehicles in 24 hours from Cheriton to Coquelles.

On Friday June 1, 10,380 cars and 128 coaches travelled to the Continent by Shuttle. In three days, Eurotunnel transported 26,000 passenger vehicles from Kent to France.

Eurotunnel reported revenue up 14% to £378m in the first half of the year, with EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) improved to £164m. Trading profit rose to £103m, and net profit to £4m. Shuttle revenues went up 18% to £296m.

Lorries carried by truck shuttles rose by a fifth to 731,100, while passenger shuttles carried 1.049m (up 4%) and 30,000 coaches (up 6%). Eurostar passengers went up 3% to 4.84m.

Jacques Gounon, Eurotunnel Group chairman and chief executive, said: “This first half year has been very satisfactory: traffic has continued to grow in a highly competitive market due to a distinct service offering.

The financial performance is sound, generating a very good level of cash-flow.”

Meanwhile, preparations are well under way for the launch of MYFERRYLINK, the new cross-Channel operation replacing the liquidated SeaFrance service.

It will use three ships bought by Eurotunnel for £52m and leased to a third-party operator comprising mainly former SeaFrance employees.

It is expected to create up to 100 jobs in Dover. Existing operators P&O and DFDS/LD Lines have protested to competition watchdogs about the deal.