A2 RW Ch5 L3 · The Channel Tunnel 🚆🌊

1Before 1994, if you wanted to go from France to England, you could make the 34-kilometer (21-mi.) trip across the English Channel by ferry or plane—or by swimming, if you enjoy adventure! For centuries, both the British and the French had thought about connecting the two countries with an underground tunnel. But fear of invasion and funding problems always stopped its construction. This changed in 1985 when the leaders of both countries had a contest to find a company that could plan, fund, and build a tunnel that would stretch the distance between the two countries.

2The engineering company Transmanche Link developed the winning plan. It planned for the construction of three tunnels, built next to each other. The northern tunnel was designed to bring people from England to France. The southern tunnel was to go from France to England. And an additional service tunnel—to be rarely used, only in case of an emergency—was to go in the middle. The estimated cost was $3.6 billion. Once the plan was approved, digging started from each side of the Channel.

3With the help of powerful tunnel boring machines, thousands of workers started digging below the ground. The dirt was moved to above ground before the cement was poured for the tunnel. Even with advanced technology, the work was often difficult. However, with the help of about 15,000 workers, the two sides met in December 1990, and the service tunnel was completed. However, workers never enjoyed a break because two more tunnels remained. The two sides finished the northern tunnel the following year and the southern tunnel a month after that. The digging was done, but then train tracks, electrical equipment, and train stations were needed. Finally, in May 1994, the Channel Tunnel opened. After ten years, $15 billion, and the deaths of ten workers, it was finally finished.

4Today, the Channel Tunnel, or Chunnel, as it is usually called, is 50 kilometers (31 mi) long—39 kilometers (24 mi) of it underwater—and 7 meters (23 ft) in diameter. At their deepest point, the tunnels are 75 meters (246 ft) below the seabed. About 500 trains a day, sometimes going as fast as 160 kilometers per hour (99 mph), move more than 50,000 people between the two countries. The trip takes a comfortable 35 minutes, a noticeable improvement over the 90-minute ferry ride.

1Before 1994, if you wanted to go from France to England, you could make the 34-kilometer (21-mi.) trip across the English Channel by ferry or plane—or by swimming, if you enjoy adventure! For centuries, both the British and the French had thought about connecting the two countries with an underground tunnel. But fear of invasion and funding problems always stopped its construction. This changed in 1985 when the leaders of both countries had a contest to find a company that could plan, fund, and build a tunnel that would stretch the distance between the two countries.

2The engineering company Transmanche Link developed the winning plan. It planned for the construction of three tunnels, built next to each other. The northern tunnel was designed to bring people from England to France. The southern tunnel was to go from France to England. And an additional service tunnel—to be rarely used, only in case of an emergency—was to go in the middle. The estimated cost was $3.6 billion. Once the plan was approved, digging started from each side of the Channel.

3With the help of powerful tunnel boring machines, thousands of workers started digging below the ground. The dirt was moved to above ground before the cement was poured for the tunnel. Even with advanced technology, the work was often difficult. However, with the help of about 15,000 workers, the two sides met in December 1990, and the service tunnel was completed. However, workers never enjoyed a break because two more tunnels remained. The two sides finished the northern tunnel the following year and the southern tunnel a month after that. The digging was done, but then train tracks, electrical equipment, and train stations were needed. Finally, in May 1994, the Channel Tunnel opened. After ten years, $15 billion, and the deaths of ten workers, it was finally finished.

4Today, the Channel Tunnel, or Chunnel, as it is usually called, is 50 kilometers (31 mi) long—39 kilometers (24 mi) of it underwater—and 7 meters (23 ft) in diameter. At their deepest point, the tunnels are 75 meters (246 ft) below the seabed. About 500 trains a day, sometimes going as fast as 160 kilometers per hour (99 mph), move more than 50,000 people between the two countries. The trip takes a comfortable 35 minutes, a noticeable improvement over the 90-minute ferry ride.

1Before 1994, if you wanted to go from France to England, you could make the 34-kilometer (21-mi.) trip across the English Channel by ferry or plane—or by swimming, if you enjoy adventure! For centuries, both the British and the French had thought about connecting the two countries with an underground tunnel. But fear of invasion and funding problems always stopped its construction. This changed in 1985 when the leaders of both countries had a contest to find a company that could plan, fund, and build a tunnel that would stretch the distance between the two countries.

2The engineering company Transmanche Link developed the winning plan. It planned for the construction of three tunnels, built next to each other. The northern tunnel was designed to bring people from England to France. The southern tunnel was to go from France to England. And an additional service tunnel—to be rarely used, only in case of an emergency—was to go in the middle. The estimated cost was $3.6 billion. Once the plan was approved, digging started from each side of the Channel.

3With the help of powerful tunnel boring machines, thousands of workers started digging below the ground. The dirt was moved to above ground before the cement was poured for the tunnel. Even with advanced technology, the work was often difficult. However, with the help of about 15,000 workers, the two sides met in December 1990, and the service tunnel was completed. However, workers never enjoyed a break because two more tunnels remained. The two sides finished the northern tunnel the following year and the southern tunnel a month after that. The digging was done, but then train tracks, electrical equipment, and train stations were needed. Finally, in May 1994, the Channel Tunnel opened. After ten years, $15 billion, and the deaths of ten workers, it was finally finished.

4Today, the Channel Tunnel, or Chunnel, as it is usually called, is 50 kilometers (31 mi) long—39 kilometers (24 mi) of it underwater—and 7 meters (23 ft) in diameter. At their deepest point, the tunnels are 75 meters (246 ft) below the seabed. About 500 trains a day, sometimes going as fast as 160 kilometers per hour (99 mph), move more than 50,000 people between the two countries. The trip takes a comfortable 35 minutes, a noticeable improvement over the 90-minute ferry ride.

1Before 1994, if you wanted to go from France to England, you could make the 34-kilometer (21-mi.) trip across the English Channel by ferry or plane—or by swimming, if you enjoy adventure! For centuries, both the British and the French had thought about connecting the two countries with an underground tunnel. But fear of invasion and funding problems always stopped its construction. This changed in 1985 when the leaders of both countries had a contest to find a company that could plan, fund, and build a tunnel that would stretch the distance between the two countries.

2The engineering company Transmanche Link developed the winning plan. It planned for the construction of three tunnels, built next to each other. The northern tunnel was designed to bring people from England to France. The southern tunnel was to go from France to England. And an additional service tunnel—to be rarely used, only in case of an emergency—was to go in the middle. The estimated cost was $3.6 billion. Once the plan was approved, digging started from each side of the Channel.

3With the help of powerful tunnel boring machines, thousands of workers started digging below the ground. The dirt was moved to above ground before the cement was poured for the tunnel. Even with advanced technology, the work was often difficult. However, with the help of about 15,000 workers, the two sides met in December 1990, and the service tunnel was completed. However, workers never enjoyed a break because two more tunnels remained. The two sides finished the northern tunnel the following year and the southern tunnel a month after that. The digging was done, but then train tracks, electrical equipment, and train stations were needed. Finally, in May 1994, the Channel Tunnel opened. After ten years, $15 billion, and the deaths of ten workers, it was finally finished.

4Today, the Channel Tunnel, or Chunnel, as it is usually called, is 50 kilometers (31 mi) long—39 kilometers (24 mi) of it underwater—and 7 meters (23 ft) in diameter. At their deepest point, the tunnels are 75 meters (246 ft) below the seabed. About 500 trains a day, sometimes going as fast as 160 kilometers per hour (99 mph), move more than 50,000 people between the two countries. The trip takes a comfortable 35 minutes, a noticeable improvement over the 90-minute ferry ride.