Overnight ferry services to the continent have been cut back, and those that remain cater mostly for motorists. They offer beds, and they also offer the convenience of cutting out a lot of driving for many destinations. A few foot passengers find them convenient and worthwhile, but they could not survive on that traffic alone.
Hmm, maybe a Motorail type solution could work? Of course, it would have to be cheap enough to tempt people out of driving across the UK, but might be better than going after passengers alone? After all, drivers would already be looking at shelling out quite a bit on a chunnel/ferry crossing, and I'd think the NW to Dover would be a particularly slow drive.
I'd guess the restrictions on freight going through the chunnel aren't as strict as for e.g. Eurostar (judging by how often they catch fire
), so perhaps existing stock could be used (if it still exists), though it may have to be separated from the passenger section.
My first thought was that 5.5 hours is absurdly short for an overnight trip - leaving at a sensible time like 2300 would get you in Paris at 0530 (0430 UK time) and likely just as tired as if you'd got a very early flight. Why not run it during the day - e.g. 0730 dep which would get you to Paris for lunchtime?
