Folkestone Ferries

Ferries have been part of Folkestone’s everyday business since the first boat train connecting London and Paris ran in on New Years Day in 1849.

Undoubtedly the best period for Folkestone was after arrival of the twin ships “Horsa” and “Hengist” and the number of passengers peaked at just under 1m in 1998 – two years before closure.

Since September 2000 the port has not had a ferry using the port and this corresponds to the decline of the town.

In 2005 the Folkestone Harbour Company proposed reopening the port but this promise came to nothing. In 2006 the Fosters Masterplan proposed including a ferry berth as part of the plan, but this came to nothing.

Consultants on both sides of the Channel believe that a ferry service can not only be viable in it sown right but, linked to rail services can return the town to being the point where passengers can arrive from France – straight into the centre of the town. Other passengers from Boulogne can continue to Ashford and London by train without having to take a bus from port to the Central station, always a disincentive.

Ferries from Folkestone will not try and compete with neither Dover nor Eurotunnel but would occupy a niche market that would link the twinned towns to the benefit of both with about 60% of business coming from the UK and 40% from France and beyond.

There are two broad types of vessel that have been identified as being possible contenders for operating a regular service between Folkestone and Boulogne: -

Passenger only Tricat

Car & Passenger Seacat

What we are sure about is that there would be no HGVs carried as they simply do not suit the roads through the town.

How often would the ferries take to Boulogne? Probably 60 minutes with a turnaround time of between 40 and 60 minutes depending on how things would fit into the mainline rail network. The maximum number of crossings would be 5 departures each way per day.

Would there be more than one ferry? To be honest we don’t know. If Folkestone was considered to be a good insurance policy against future failures within the Channel Tunnel then it might be economic to also consider maintaining a longer link with Oostende to enable fast ferries to operate to and from the jewel of the Belgian coast with the added value of maintaining a link between domestic trains in each country for those who would view it as an experience but also when it might be the only rail link.