Boulogne–Calais railway

Route map

Legend Longueau–Boulogne railway to Amiens 253.5 Boulogne-Ville 254.9 Boulogne-Tintelleries 259.5 Wimille-Wimereux 270.0 Marquise-Rinxent 273.2 Le Haut-Banc freight depôt freight depôt 278.3 Caffiers 282.3 Pihen LGV Nord to Lille-Europe 286.9 Calais-Fréthun 289.5 Fréthun to Channel Tunnel to Eurotunnel Calais Terminal CF AC to Anvin 293.0 Les Fontinettes 293.6 Calais St. Pierre 294.6 Calais-Ville 297.3 Calais-Maritime Coudekerque-Branche– Fontinettes railway to Dunkirk   Lille–Fontinettes railway to Lille Flandres   This diagram: view talk edit

The Boulogne–Calais railway is an electrified double track railway running between the ports of Boulogne-sur-Mer and Calais in France. An extension of the Longueau–Boulogne railway it meets the Lille–Fontinettes railway and Coudekerque-Branche–Fontinettes railway to Dunkirk at Les Fontinettes station in Calais.

The line opened on 7 January 1867 with railway stations at Wimille, Marquise, Caffiers and St Pierre. It was used only for local traffic between Boulogne and Calais until that March when the Paris to Calais trains were diverted, cutting 30 minutes off the Paris to London mail route.^[2]

Until the start of the Eurostar service from London to Paris in 1994 via LGV Nord it was the main route for the boat trains to Paris which met the ships carrying passengers from Great Britain. As of 2022^[update] the line is used by TGV services from Rang-du-Fliers via Calais-Fréthun to Lille-Europe and local TER Hauts-de-France services.^[3]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ligne de Boulogne-Ville à Calais-Maritime.

50°48′06″N 1°42′59″E / 50.8016°N 1.7163°E / 50.8016; 1.7163