The Boulogne–Calais railway is an

electrified Electrification is the process of powering by electricity and, in many contexts, the introduction of such power by changing over from an earlier power source. The broad meaning of the term, such as in the history of technology, economic history ...

double track A double-track railway usually involves running one track in each direction, compared to a single-track railway where trains in both directions share the same track. Overview In the earliest days of railways in the United Kingdom, most lin ...

railway running between the ports of

Boulogne-sur-Mer Boulogne-sur-Mer (; pcd, Boulonne-su-Mér; nl, Bonen; la, Gesoriacum or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department of Pas-de-Calais. Boulogne lies on the ...

and

Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's prefecture is its third-largest city of Arras. Th ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. An extension of the

Longueau–Boulogne railway The Longueau–Boulogne railway is a French railway which runs from a junction with the Paris-Lille railway at Longueau to the coastal port of Boulogne. A double track railway it is long. Until the start of the Eurostar service from London to Pa ...

it meets the

Lille–Fontinettes railway The Lille–Fontinettes railway is a French railway which runs from Lille-Flandres station to Les Fontinettes station near Calais. Electrified double track it is long. Completed in 1848, it was the first railway to reach the coastal port of Cala ...

and

Coudekerque-Branche–Fontinettes railway The Coudekerque-Branche–Fontinettes railway runs along the English Channel and North Sea coast of France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of oversea ...

to Dunkirk at

Les Fontinettes station Les Fontinettes station ( French: ''Gare des Fontinettes'') is a railway station in Calais, France. It is on a triangular junction, where the Coudekerque-Branche–Fontinettes railway, Lille–Fontinettes railway and Boulogne–Calais railway a ...

in Calais. The line opened on 7 January 1867 with railway stations at

Wimille Wimille is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. Geography Wimille is a farming and light industrial town situated some north of Boulogne, at the junction of the D233 and the D237 roads, on the ba ...

, Marquise,

Caffiers Caffiers () is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas region ...

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.archive
/ref> Until the start of the

Eurostar Eurostar is an international high-speed rail service connecting the United Kingdom with France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Most Eurostar trains travel through the Channel Tunnel between the United Kingdom and France, owned and operated sep ...

service from London to Paris in 1994 via

LGV Nord The Ligne à Grande Vitesse Nord (North High-Speed Line), typically shortened to LGV Nord, is a French -long high-speed rail line, opened in 1993, that connects Paris to the Belgian border and the Channel Tunnel via Lille. With a maximum speed ...

it was the main route for the

boat train A boat train is a passenger train operating to a port for the specific purpose of making connection with a passenger ship, such as a ferry, ocean liner, or cruise ship. Through ticketing is normally available. __NOTOC__ Notable named boat trains ...

s to Paris which met the ships carrying passengers from Great Britain. the line is used by TGV services from

Rang-du-Fliers Rang-du-Fliers () is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. Geography Rang-du-Fliers is located on the Côte d'Opale (the Opal Coast), 4 miles (6 km) from the beach and 5 miles (8 km) sout ...

via Calais-Fréthun to

Lille-Europe Lille-Europe station (French: ''Gare de Lille-Europe'') is a SNCF railway station in Lille, France, on the LGV Nord high-speed railway. The station is primarily used for international Eurostar and long-distance SNCF TGV services, although some h ...

and local

TER Hauts-de-France TER Hauts-de-France is the regional rail network serving the region of Hauts-de-France, northern France. It is operated by the French national railway company SNCF. It was formed in 2017 from the previous TER networks TER Nord-Pas-de-Calais and T ...

services.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boulogne-Calais railway Railway lines in Hauts-de-France Standard gauge railways in France Railway lines opened in 1867