The joint [[hovercraft]] services of British Rail in association with the French [[SNCF]].<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.competition-commission.org.uk/rep_pub/reports/1981/fulltext/138c03.pdf |title = Chapter 3: British Rail Hovercraft Ltd |website = [[Competition Commission]] |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20050302103859/http://www.competition-commission/rep_pub/reports/1981/fulltext/138c03.pdf |archive-date = 2 March 2005}}</ref> British Rail Hovercraft Limited was established in 1965, under authority given to it by the British Railways Act 1967 and started its first service in 1966. Sea speedSeaspeed started cross-Channel services from [[Port of Dover|Dover]] to [[Calais]] and [[Boulogne-sur-Mer]], [[France]] using [[SR-N4]] hovercraft in August 1968.<ref name="hov2006">{{cite web |date=6 March 2006 |title=Hovercraft |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/southeast/series9/week_nine.shtml |publisher=BBC}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=D. G. |first=Williams |title=An examination of the application of corporate planning in the four major organisations within the nationalised transport sector in the United Kingdom with special attention to the British Railways Board. PhD Thesis. |publisher=University of Bath |year=1981 |location=Bath |pages=190}}</ref> During 1981, Seaspeed merged with rival cross-channel hovercraft operator [[Hoverlloyd]] to create the combined [[Hoverspeed]].<ref name = "kew 1981">{{cite web |url = https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C11186344 |title = Merger of British Rail Hovercraft Ltd and Hoverlloyd Ltd to form Hoverspeed UK Ltd |publisher = The National Archives, Kew |date = 1 November 1981}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.mmc.gov.uk/rep_pub/reports/1981/fulltext/138c01.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=13 August 2007 |archive-date=28 September 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928072939/http://www.mmc.gov.uk/rep_pub/reports/1981/fulltext/138c01.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>
