Angleterre-Lorraine-Alsace (ALA)
Angleterre-Lorraine-Alsace (ALA) was the French subsidiary company of the Southern Railway. It’s heritage can be traced back to 1927 when it was established as a subsidiary of the French shipping company Société Anonyme de Gérance et d’Armement (SAGA), passing into the ownership of the Southern Railway in 1936.
The Southern Railway was nationalised along with the rest of the railway network in 1948 and incorporated into British Railways. ALA remained a French registered company until 1977 when it became a wholly-owned subsidiary of the British Rail Board and it passed to Sealink UK Ltd in 1979.