The date was 17 May 2006, and I bunked off school. I say bunked – my teacher was informed and I was with my Dad – but the three of us agreed to keep it a secret. All that mattered was I was off to Paris for the Champions League final.
This plan disintegrated on arrival at Waterloo station, when we were accosted by a film crew from BBC Breakfast, who interviewed us on our way to the platform. At which point, the operation was no longer covert. As it happens, Arsenal led for most of the game before losing 2-1 to Barcelona, but it was not all bad. I got to experience the Eurostar.
Today marks the 30th anniversary since the service began ferrying passengers under the Channel. And let's face it, the concept is pretty cool. The project began life in in July 1987, when Margaret Thatcher and François Mitterrand signed a treaty authorising construction of a tunnel underneath the channel. But this was far from the first attempt at linking Britain with those curious foreigners on the continent.
In 1802, French mining engineer Albert Mathieu-Favier proposed a design for a Channel tunnel, illuminated by oil lamps, which would enable horse drawn carriages to cross under the water. This was however a rather, erm, busy time for the French state, and the project came to nothing. Further attempts, some obviously ridiculous, were made in the 19th century.
Then, in late 1960, Société d’études du pont sur la Manche was established to explore a rail and road bridge between England and France, The first project proposed was a 21-mile bridge, comprised of eight road lanes and two rail lines. By 1963, this had morphed into a 'bridge-tunnel-bridge', inspired by the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, This rather implausibly consisted of two artificial islands replete with service stations, restaurants, a hotel, beach and heliport. Hey, it was the Sixties.
International rail travel is nothing special in practically every other major European city. Walk into Amsterdam's Centraal Station, or Paris's Paris Gare de l'Est or Warsaw's Centralna and the boards are full of distant destinations. But it remains a novelty in Britain. Brexit has only made this more apparent, as new immigration checks mean longer waits at St Pancras, a station that was not designed for a hard border.
Other grumbles include the issue of competition, or lack thereof. Eurostar looks set to continue to enjoy its Channel Tunnel monopoly for the time being, with rivals blaming Brexit red tape for delays to the launch of their services. The Sunday Times reported earlier this year that Virgin Group and Evolyn amongst others, who were looking to compete with Eurostar, will not be able to until at least 2028. Added competition would likely lead to lower fares and improved offerings for passengers.
Being a mere train journey away from Paris did not turn the British onto ever-closer union. But that was always asking a lot of a high-speed train. Instead, it is just a fun thing to do, whether or not you're skipping school.
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