The Chunnel

The Channel Tunnel, nicknamed the Chunnel for short, is an underwater tunnel that links Folkestone, Kent, in the United Kingdom, with Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais, near Calais in northern France, It is beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. It runs about 31.5 miles, or 50.45 kilometers long. The Chunnel is considered the only fixed connection between the United Kingdom (UK) and the European Mainland. The Chunnel consists of 3 separate tunnels parallel to each other. The first 2 tunnels are train tunnels, one travels south from the UK to France, and the other north from France to the UK. The third tunnel is a service tunnel. The idea for a tunnel under the channel was proposed in 1802 by Albert Mathieu-Favier, a French mining engineer. The idea of the Chunnel was continually brought forth and discussed, but due to British political and press campaigns saying that it would weaken their national defense, and military fears on both sides of German invasions during the World Wars, the idea was consistently scrapped. Construction and Design on the Chunnel consisted of The British Channel Tunnel Group with 2 banks and 5 construction companies, and France–Manche with 3 banks and 5 construction companies. Construction began on working on both sides in 1988 with 11 tunnel boring machines, and the Chunnel was fully operational by 1994