Undoubtedly, the Channel Tunnel is, although unofficial, one of the wonders of the world. Eurotunnel (its second name) is the longest in the world. Boarding the train in Folkestone (Great Britain), after 20 minutes passengers find themselves in the city of Calais (France). Thus, England became a land power by 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 for consideration. Since then, many solutions have been proposed to connect the two great powers across the English Channel. The tunnel still turned out to be preferable. I had to abandon the idea of building artificial islands and connecting them with bridges, from building a huge structure consisting of spans 5 kilometers long, interconnected by heavy-duty cables, etc.
During the construction period, the project was postponed and frozen several times. A heated debate unfolded between supporters of the construction of the century and its opponents. There were many reasons, and, nevertheless, in 1994, on May 6, the Channel Tunnel was officially opened. More than 15 thousand workers took part in the construction, thirteen and a half billion were spentdollars, unique machines with rotating cutting heads are involved.
The Channel Tunnel consists of two parallel railway lines eight meters wide, and between them there is another tunnel, smaller in size. Its main function is the maintenance of two major roads. It is interesting that the French eroded the soil pulled out during construction into the sea, but the practical British disposed of the waste differently. An artificial peninsula was created, on which a park of 36 hectares was laid out. They named it after the famous English poet and playwright William Shakespeare.
Special trains "Eurostar" serve the tunnel under the English Channel. Cars for passengers look like common, with a difference only in price. The price depends on the comfort and class, but a compartment is not provided. Special hangar wagons have been designed for cars, the so-called “shuttles” are engaged in transportation. Often, in order to save money, drivers do not buy a ticket for a common car, but stay inside the cabin, so they cross the Eurotunnel. The cars are lit and warm. The shuttle is designed to transport both cars and buses, and trucks.
Such an engineering structure as the Channel Tunnel requires the use of the most stringent security measures. It is constantly monitored and controlled by computers. To combat terrorists, a thorough inspection of both passengers and vehicles is provided. Eurotunnel350 electric locomotives cross daily, more than 200 thousand tons of cargo are transported at a speed of 160 to 350 kilometers per hour. No more than one train is in the tunnel at a time.
This project has become another contribution of mankind for friendship and cooperation between the two countries.
