By ferry from Dover, of Course!

In these heady day of Super-Ferries, Jumbo-Ferries, Fast-Ferries and Channel tunnel an almost forgotten anniversary took place in October 2006.

Seventy years ago a revolution in continental European occurred.

Overnight 13^th/14^th October 1936 an inaugural party travelled from Paris to London. This event was followed on the following night by the first ever through passenger train from Britain to mainland Europe.

How was this achieved? By “Night Ferry” from Dover, of course!

It was in 1927 that “Angleterre-Lorraine-Alsace” started to operate services from Dunkerque to Tilbury, but in 1930, the service moved to Folkestone.

In 1936, the Dunkerque - Folkestone route closed and a new service started to Dover Western Docks train ferry terminal.

The original vessels used were the HAMPTON FERRY, the SHEPPERTON FERRY, which belonged to the Southern Railway and the TWICKENHAM FERRY owned by A.L.A.

These sisters were eventually replaced by the now classic vessels Saint Germain, St Eloi, Chartres, Vortigern and the displaced Harwich train ferry, the Cambridge Ferry. All these names are now so closely associated with Dover's ferry history.

All these vessels were eventually replaced by the SNCF super ferry Nord Pas de Calais. Due to her size she was unable to use the original berth so a new berth was constructed on the Admiralty pier.

The original train ferry dock situated between the South pier and the Dunkerque jetty in the Western docks (this area is now occupied by the aggregate berth) was closed by the Saint Germain in 1988 when the new double deck berth was opened on the Admiralty pier and the Nord Pas de Calais took over the service.

The train ferry service lasted, in some form or other, until December 1995 and could carry goods, passengers and motorists. What a revelation!!!!

With the European Union trying to put more freight onto the rails as a part of it's inter-modal transport plan we may well see a train ferry in the future at Dover

Let’s hope that ferries of some sort will be here at Dover in another seventy years?

The Train Ferries

A number of train ferries operated from Dover to Dunkerque during the 59 years the service operated.

Please click on the images below to go to detailed histories of Dover's Train Ferries in our Past and Present Section.

Hampton Ferry and Shepperton Ferry

Twickenham Ferry and Saint Eloi

Vortigern and Saint Eloi

Chartres and Nord Pas de Calais

© Nigel Thornton 2008 | Email the Webmaster | Guestbook | Forum |Copyright and Disclaimer