In 1823, William James visited Canterbury. He suggested to Canterbury City Council that a railway to link Canterbury and the Thames Estuary would help alleviate traffic problems in the city. The initial Act of Parliament for the construction of the line was passed on 10 June 1825. Three further acts in 1827, 1828 and 1835 allowed for the issue of a further £80,000 of stock. From the beginning, the Canterbury and Whitstable Railway was a public railway, intended for passengers as well as freight. Indeed, the world's first season ticket was issued for use on the line in 1834, to take Canterbury passengers to the Whitstable beaches for the summer season. Unlike the Liverpool and Manchester Railway which opened four months later, it used cable haulage by stationary steam engines over much of its length, with steam locomotives restricted to the level stretch.