Popularly called the “Chunnel”
A three-tunnel railroad connection running under the English Channel, connecting Folkestone, England, and Calais, France.

The tunnels are 31 miles (50 km) long.
There are two rail tunnels, each 25 ft (7.6 m) in diameter
and a central tunnel, 16 ft (4.8 m) in diameter, that is used for maintenance and ventilation.

The depth of the tunnels below the seabed averages about 150 ft (45 m).

The project is a joint English and French venture,
with a 55-year concession granted to Eurotunnel, a private company.
And it is the centerpiece of a high-speed rail link between London and Paris.

The project began with the signing of the Channel Tunnel Treaty between France and Britain in 1986.

Passenger service began in 1994.

Eurostar speeds you through the Channel Tunnel, one of Europe's biggest infrastructure projects to date.

The $15 billion Channel Tunnel makes the old dream of a ground link between Great Britain and continental Europe a reality for the first time since the Ice Ages.

The tunnel consists of 3 interconnected tubes - 1 rail track each way plus 1 service tunnel.
Its length is 31 miles, of which 23 miles are underwater.
Its average depth is 150 feet under the seabed.

The channel crossing time for Eurostar is only 20 minutes.

95 miles of tunnels were dug by nearly 13,000 engineers, technicians and workers.

The volume of rubble removed from the tunnel is three times greater than that of the Cheops Pyramid in Egypt.

And it has increased the size of Britain by 90 acres.
Equivalent to 68 football fields, this area has been made into a park.

Experience Eurostar -- with great fares, luxurious service and convenient schedules, you'll wonder why you ever considered taking the plane.

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