HISTORY OF THE DIEPPE-NEWHAVEN LINE

For several centuries, many engineers have helped to connect France and England. Thus, over the technological advances, British and French were able to exchange, travel and discover the customs of their neighbors.

At the heart of this story is the Dieppe Newhaven line, one of the oldest cross-Channel links .

From 1824, thanks to the "General Stream Navigation Company" Passengers wishing to discover France board in Brighton , and already join the port of Dieppe although at the time, the crossing did not last 4 hours, but 9.

Very quickly the development of the railways, on both sides of the Channel, modifies the line, which shifts of 15 kilometers in the East: towards the port of Newhaven . The Paris-London route via Dieppe-Newhaven is considered as the fastest and most economical way to connect the two capitals.

In 1964, the arrival of ferries will still transform the line: now, passengers can embark with their own car! Their enthusiasm for this line becomes such that the first small ships must give way to bigger ones, like the Chartres , a 115-meter long ferry; and so passengers enjoy greater comfort on board and a tax reduction thanks to the Duty Free .

Finally, in 1990, the transport of goods between the two countries took off, and once again shaped cross-Channel shipping. Improved facilities and the inauguration of a new terminal in Dieppe allow trucks and semi-trailers to navigate the Channel as well.

The Dieppe-Newhaven line was taken over by the Dieppe Chamber of Commerce in 2001. And although other modes of transport are emerging, it has since continued to transport its many passengers , passionate about the sea.

Since 2013, DFDS has come to continue the history of the Dieppe-Newhaven line, since its purpose is none other than the one that saw the birth of this maritime link: to create trips that look like you.

If you too want to be part of the history of the line, treat yourself to a crossing !