The M6 toll road made a loss of more than £32m in 2013, and has not turned a profit for the company that runs it since it opened to traffic in 2003.
The private toll road, which is run for the government by Midland Expressway, actually saw both turnover and traffic volumes climb in the twelve months ended 31 December 2013.
Turnover (toll revenue) climbed 13.5% to £65.9m (2012: £58m). This was driven by a corresponding rise in Traffic volumes by 12.1% to 14,652,000 vehicles, in the year that saw free access during July for Road Haulage Association members.
The pre-tax loss recorded by Midland Expressway was at £32.5m, an 11.5% improvement on the previous year’s £37m loss.
In the company accounts, Midland Expressway warned that the roll-out of the smart-motorway concept along the standard, non-tolled M6 (which sees hard shoulder running when there is congestion), “may provide significant challenges to traffic flows and revenues to the M6 Toll longer term”.
This may well be the case, as last December the Freight Transport Association reiterated its criticism that the fees to use the toll road (currently £11 for non-TAG using HGVs) had been set to high from the very start, meaning hauliers generally can only afford to use it for emergency, time-sensitive deliveries.
