Channel Tunnel

The con­struction of the Channel Tunnel, also called the Euro Tunnel or Chunnel, is one of the greatest tech­nological and engineering feats of the 20th century. In 1986, after almost 200 years of debate and planning (the idea of an undersea tunnel linking Britain with France was first mentioned in talks with Napoleon), the governments of both coun­tries finally agreed to start construction and signed a treaty.

Engineers were faced with a huge challenge. Not only would they have to build one of the longest tunnels in the world; they would have to convince the public that passengers would be safe in a tunnel this size. Tunnel fires were com­mon at this time. How did the engineers solve this problem? They built an escape route.

The Channel Tunnel, actually consists of three tunnels. In between the two full-sized train tunnels there is a smaller service tunnel that can be used as an emergency escape route. There are connections between it and the train tunnels every 375 metres. Just one year after the Chunnel opened, this engineering design was put to the test. Thirty-one people were trapped in a fire that broke out in a train coming from France. The design worked. Everyone was able to escape through the service tunnel.

It took three years for the boring machines from France and England to chew through the chalky earth and meet 45 metres below the sur face of the English Channel. Today, trains roar through the tunnel at speeds up to 160 km per hour and it's possible to get from one end to the other in only 20 minutes!