With the construction of a Channel Tunnel between England and France, the business man would be able to leave London at eight o'clock in the morning, making the journey to Paris where he could spend four or five hours, and return home before midnight the same day.
This was the picture drawn by Mr F. A. Brant, head of the Continental Department of the Southern Railway, in a paper which he read last night at the Railway Students' Association London School of Economics. He was dealing with the problem of the future aspects of Continental travel.
"Think of the advantage of getting into your sleeping berth at the London terminus and waking up in Paris or Brussels. Imagine the variety of through carriages from all parts of the Continent coming to London.
"Picture the saving of time for the transit of merchandise in fast goods trains, fitted with continuous brakes. Even the motorist would be cared for by the provision of motor car trains, onto which the cars would be driven and then carried through the tunnel - a short half-hour."
The Irish Times, January 11th, 1929.