Getlink SE

PAR:GET

Business Description

Sector

Industrials

Industry

Transportation Infrastructure

Headquarters

France FR

Employees

3 726

IPO date

Jul 19, 2012

Getlink SE owns and runs the Channel Tunnel, the rail link between the UK and France. Its core business is selling access through the tunnel: passenger rail operators, freight trains, and vehicle shuttle services use its infrastructure to cross the English Channel quickly and without relying on sea or air travel. The company also earns money from related rail services and cross-Channel transport activities tied to this route.

Its main customers are rail operators, freight shippers, logistics firms, and travelers moving between Britain and continental Europe. For vehicles, Getlink’s shuttle service carries cars, vans, trucks, and coaches through the tunnel, while passenger trains and freight trains pay to use the rail connection. This makes Getlink a toll-road-like infrastructure business, except the asset is a fixed rail tunnel rather than a highway.

What sets Getlink apart is its role as a critical transport bottleneck between two major markets. It does not sell consumer goods or run a broad transport network; it owns a unique piece of cross-border infrastructure and charges users for access. That gives the company a business model built around long-lived assets, regulated and contracted access rights, and steady demand from trade and travel between the UK and Europe.