Channel Tunnel Rail Link

About a week ago, I asked various transport experts if they had in their files the exact record of what President Francoise Mitterrand said at the time of the official opening of the Channel Tunnel on the 6^th May 1994, when Mitterrand criticised the then British government for the failure to build a high speed rail line linking London with the Channel Tunnel.  After some searching of the French National Library (Bibliothèque Nationale de France) data base

I found the quote in a speech made by President Francoise Mitterrand in the northern French town of Arras. President Mitterrand made the remarks that we all remember with conviction if somewhat hazily, but in fact it was made a year earlier on the 18 May 1993 at the opening of the TGV Nord high speed rail line,  

 If you are interested the actual quote was in the original French: 

Oui, on va y arriver bientôt ; je pense que l’année prochaine, on débouchera à grande allure : on traversera les plaines, celles du Nord-Pas-de-Calais français, on passera – toujours à grande allure – sous le tunnel, et ensuite on pourra rêver à toute petite allure, admirer la campagne… 

An English translation: 

“Yes, we will succeed in this very soon; I think that next year we will arrive (at the station) at top speed; we will cross the plains of Nord-Pas-de-Calais, and pass through the tunnel, all at top speed, and then we will be able to dream at a leisurely pace, enjoying the countryside….” 

Source: The Bibliothèque Nationale de France (National Library of France) http://www.bnf.fr Reference 937006000 Microfiche: 93-7-0004; A11; 6 

Interesting, eh!

Also read http://www.oxfordprospect.co.uk/EUrailo.htm