The Channel Tunnel, also known as the Chunnel or Eurotunnel, is a 31.4-mile tunnel between Great Britain and France, with two train tunnels and a central access tunnel. It revolutionized travel between the two countries and offers a shuttle service for vehicles. Construction began in 1988 and it was completed in six years. It was named one of the seven wonders of the modern world by the American Society of Civil Engineers.
The Channel Tunnel is a large tunnel running between Great Britain and France, under the Strait of Dover in the English Channel. It is also affectionately referred to as the Chunnel or Eurotunnel, and in French it is known as Le Tunnel Sous la Manche. The journey through the Channel Tunnel on a high-speed train takes around 20 minutes and bypasses the sometimes inclement weather of the English Channel to deposit passengers safely on the other side.
In fact, there are three tunnels in the Channel Tunnel; two train tunnels and a central access tunnel used for maintenance access and as an emergency escape route. The tunnel carries passengers and cargo in high-speed trains and also offers a special shuttle service on large trains that can accommodate vehicles. To use the shuttle service, people board the train directly and secure their vehicles for the journey under the Channel.
Proposals to build an access tunnel under the English Channel date back to the 1800s, but construction on the Channel Tunnel did not begin until 1988. The tunnel workers faced a number of engineering problems as they faced irregularities geological and the sheer amount of labor required to construct a 31.4-mile (about 50 km) long underground tunnel. The tunnel needed to be sturdy enough to withstand years of use as well as being well ventilated, and engineers also wanted to allay concerns about fire risk in the tunnel with state-of-the-art safety mechanisms, including in the central escape tunnel.
The American Society of Civil Engineers named the Channel Tunnel one of the seven wonders of the modern world and, as of 2008, it is the second longest tunnel in the world. It certainly simplified and revolutionized travel between Britain and France, paving the way for visitors from both nations to travel quickly and easily. Tickets are readily available for passengers wishing to travel on Eurostar passenger trains serving the Chunnel through Eurostar and various authorized agents.
The Channel Tunnel took six years to complete and the safety systems were only tested two years later when a fire broke out in 1996. The tunnel attracted much criticism, due to the fact that construction was heavily budgeted, and many Europeans were concerned that the tunnel would not be able to make a sufficient profit to justify its construction. It also proved to be a problem with immigration officials, as it was used by asylum seekers to enter Britain illegally.
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