The Dover–Dunkerque train ferry was one of two regular rail freight train ferries that operated between the United Kingdom and Europe. The route connected the English port of Dover, with the French port of Dunkerque. After rationalisation of other Anglo-European train ferries, the Dover to Dunkerque sailing was the last to survive, though it ended its days on freight carryings only after the Night Ferry passenger service ended in 1980. The last Dover to Dunkerque wagon-freight ferry service became redundant upon the opening of the Channel Tunnel when freight was carried directly through the Channel Tunnel.
History
Before the First World War, freight being shipped between the Channel ports led to a time-consuming process of shipping from source, unloading onto a ship, re-loading onto rail wagons and then onward delivery on the continent. This ran a significant cost of finance, time and also was detrimental in the amount of labour required to handle the transhipment. During the First World War, despite many innovative efforts to get military supplies to the front (such as small barges sailing across the Channel), the British military established a train ferry at Richborough to enable trains and wagons to be taken onto a ferry without having to transfer the goods from wagons. Other crossings were also established at Southampton, Dover, Newhaven and Liverpool.
Whilst this process was by no means unique in Britain (at least two water crossing train ferries were in operation across the Firths of Forth and Tay until their respective bridges were built), train ferries on the open sea was new to the British railway system.
The London and North Eastern Railway established a Harwich to Zeebrugge train ferry in 1924, using the former ferries and docking equipment as produced for the British military at Southampton and Richborough during the First World War. In 1933, the Southern Railway started on a train ferry terminal in the port at Dover to allow a ferry service for trains across the channel to Dunkerque. Dunkerque was chosen above other French ports because of its recently refurbished docks. Initial lightly loaded freight services started in 1936, but a full service for freight did not begin in earnest until 1937, with the Night Ferry passenger service starting a year earlier in 1936.
Due to the height difference between high and low tides, which could be as much as in Dover Harbour, a separate dock was created which was protected against the extremes of tidal difference. Additionally, the dock was specially constructed with concrete in the water and a substrate of chalk removed from beneath it. The geological problems of building on the grey chalk (which was found to be riddled with cavities) was a problem that presented itself to the builders of the Channel Tunnel, a venture which brought the train ferry service to an end.
The Night Ferry service last ran in September 1939 due to the onset of the Second World War, and during the war, the three ships that plied the route were redeployed in use by the Royal Navy as mine-laying ships as the advantage of having rails set into the deck, allowed for easy transport onto the ship of the mines.
Competition first came from vehicle only ferries in 1952 when a Dover to Boulogne service was started.
In 1988, a new dock and linkspan were installed at Admiralty Pier at Dover. This allowed loading and unloading of the ferry whatever the water level as the linkspan was adaptable for the height variances of the tide. At the same time, a single ship was introduced, the MS Nord Pas-de-Calais, which was capable of a two-hour journey time between the two ports, which resulted in the possibility of up to four sailings each way per day. Loading and unloading at both terminals was undertaken with two locomotives each drawing a train of railway wagons on or off at the same time. This was to prevent the ship shifting under the weight change when wagons were taken away or added. The Nord Pas-de-Calais was built with an open section at the stern of the ship (as were most other train ferry vessels); this allowed for the transport of dangerous goods which could dissipate fumes if they leaked, but also that the wagons that contained the dangerous goods were more accessible in case of emergencies.
Commodities
Freight arriving and departing from the Dover ferry terminal was brought into Dover, or forwarded on, via British Rail's wagonload network (labelled as Speedlink from 1977 to 1991, and as Railfreight Distribution between 1991 and 1995. Traffic imported into Dover via the train ferry included, fruit, chemicals and nuclear fuels between the continent and the BNFL complex at Sellafield.