Folkestone’s history is under threat as developers plan to demolish the Harbour Railway Station, the Station Masters House, Signal Box and Viaduct in order to build about 750 houses on the seafront plus some presently unknown buildings on the harbour area and Stade.

Our campaign is seeking to retain this entire unique example of our engineering heritage as an operational entity as well as providing a practical, working link with the Venice Simplon Orient Express (VSOE) and other train operators around the country through access to Network Rail’s national rail system.

We aim to provide trains from London to link with a cross-channel service from Folkestone, visiting battle-sites and other places of interest in France.

For over 165 years, the railway and harbour has served many thousands of travellers both to and from the Continent and millions of service personnel in two World Wars. It provided jobs for local people and could still do so. A fully working harbour and railway will promote regeneration of the area and benefit all those who live and work in Folkestone, so removing the divide that currently exists.

Market research has indicated that there is a viable tourist business and a potential of sharing the annual 250,000 visitor market of those who would follow in the footsteps of their forefathers, visiting the railway, its nationally important heritage and a ferry link with its twinned town of Boulogne and its nearby coastal destinations.

We believe that the branch railway was the first in the world to be constructed with the primary business objective of international (rather than domestic) rail traffic.   Its brick viaduct is an early railway structure being built in 1843 to a design by Lewis Cubitt and this lies at the foot of one of the steepest railway gradients in Britain.

We invite you to join the Remembrance Line Association and help us achieve our goal.