To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to reduce the impact of congestion and delays on road and rail freight to help boost trade imports after Brexit.
Answered on
6 February 2019
The Department for Transport, Highways England and other partners continue to work closely together to develop contingency plans for traffic management in case of border disruption in Kent. Known as Operation Brock, these plans have been designed to ensure that the M20 will be kept open and traffic will continue to flow in both directions at times of cross-Channel disruption. Furthermore the Department has requested Highways England to continue to engage with all relevant Local Resilience Forums on plans for a range of circumstances in a no-deal scenario.
In addition, as part of sensible contingency planning, the Department has entered into contracts with DFDS, Brittany Ferries and Seaborne Freight which are intended to increase the available ro-ro capacity available to help maintain the flow of trade in the event of constriction of capacity on the short Straits.
The Government has also been engaging closely with a range of partners to ensure that trade can continue to move as freely as possible through the Channel Tunnel. In addition, the Government has and continues to hold discussions with interested parties, including businesses, to assess all potential options to provide additional rail freight services in the event of no deal.