When was train between England and France begun?

There have been trains between England and France since the railway lines were first constructed in the 19th century.

They were initially known as 'boat trains'. The trains ran from London to the channel ports (Dover etc.) and stopped beside a waiting ferry, so passengers could walk from the train to the ferry. At the French port (Calais etc. the reverse happened and the passengers walked from the ferry a few yards to the waiting train to Paris. The reverse happened in the opposite direction.

Since the opening of the Channel Tunnel in 1994, direct trains from London to Paris, known as 'Eurostar', have run and there is no need to change.

Boat trains to France do not run any longer, but there are still boat trains to the Netherlands, which use the Harwich - Hook-of-Holland ferry.