§ Mr. Home RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the arrangements which will apply to the transit of British and NATO military material through France via the channel tunnel; and if the railways in(a) the United Kingdom, (b) the European mainland and (c) the channel tunnel can carry Challenger tanks.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonNo decisions have been made on the military use of the tunnel in peacetime. Cost will be a major factor in any decision to use the tunnel for routine movements. The dimensions of the Challenger tank, and the absence of suitable rolling stock, currently preclude it from movement on the railways in the United Kingdom. Challenger tanks are routinely moved by rail in Germany. The tunnel is physically capable of taking the Challenger tank although a number of technical aspects as well as commercial and safety aspects would have to be resolved first.