Undoubtedly, the tunnel under the English Channel is, although unofficial, but one of the wonders of the world. The Eurotunnel (its second name) is the longest in the world. Boarding the train in Folkestone (UK), after 20 minutes, passengers are in the city of Calais (France). Thus, England turned into a land power, joining mainland Europe.
The history of the construction of this tunnel has more than 200 years. Back in 1802, the project was submitted to Napoleon. Since then, many solutions have been proposed to connect the two great powers across the English Channel. The tunnel was still preferable. I had to abandon the idea of building bulk islands and connecting them with bridges, from building a huge structure consisting of spans of 5 kilometers long, interconnected by heavy-duty cables, etc.
During the construction period, the project was postponed several times and frozen. Hot controversy unfolded between supporters of the construction of the century and its opponents. There were many reasons, and yet, in 1994, on May 6, the Channel Tunnel was officially opened. Over 15 thousand workers took part in the construction, thirteen and a half billion dollars were spent, unique machines with rotating cutting heads were involved.
The Channel Tunnel is two eight-meter-wide railway lines parallel to each other, and between them is another smaller tunnel. Its main function is the maintenance of two main roads. It is interesting that the French eroded the soil that was pulled out during construction at sea, but the practical British disposed of the waste differently. An artificial peninsula was created on which a 36 hectare park was set up. It was named after the famous
English poet and playwright William Shakespeare.
Special Eurostar trains serve the Channel Tunnel. Carriages for passengers look like common, with a difference only in price. The price depends on comfort and class, but the coupe is not provided. For cars, special hangar cars were designed, the so-called "shuttles" are engaged in transportation. Often, in order to save money, drivers do not buy a ticket to a common carriage, but remain inside the cabin, so they cross the Eurotunnel. Carriages are lit, they are warm. The shuttle is intended for transportation of both passenger cars, and buses, and trucks.
Such an engineering structure, like the
tunnel under La Manche, involves the application of the most stringent security measures. There is a constant review and control using computers. A thorough search of both passengers and vehicles is provided for the fight against terrorists. 350 electric locomotives cross the Eurotunnel daily, more than 200 thousand tons of cargo are transported at a speed of 160 to 350 kilometers per hour. At the same time, no more than one train is in the tunnel.
This project has become another contribution of mankind for friendship and cooperation between the two countries.