On this day, May 6, 1994, the Channel Tunnel opened.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Wed May 6, 2020: On this day, May 6, 1994, the Channel Tunnel opened.

Hat tip, This Day in History

Channel Tunnel
74,472 views • Jan 30, 2018

Institution of Civil Engineers
18.8K subscribers

The Channel Tunnel opened in May 1994 after six years of construction and is the longest undersea tunnel in the world. It actually consists of three tunnels running parallel to each other; the two outer tunnels are used for trains and the smaller central service tunnel is used for ventilation and access.

The two larger tunnels are 7.6m wide and are high enough to take a double-decker bus. They curve gently up and down or left and right so that they can run through the chalk strata. On average, the tunnels are 45m below the sea bed.

The Channel Tunnel has cut travel times between the UK and mainland Europe dramatically. Before the tunnel, it took around 6-7 hours by rail and ferry from London to Paris. Trains can now do the same journey in 2.5 hours.

To learn more about the Channel Tunnel click here: https://www.ice.org.uk/what-is-civil-engineering/what-do-civil-engineers-do/the-channel-tunnel

Channel Tunnel

[3Hotdogs]

1. I crossed on the Dover ferry and the Chunnel. I liked the ferry.

Ferry. Reading the times, while having morning breakfast -- there was an ad. Save 5 coupons from The Times and get a round trip to Calais for 5 pounds. So we need 10 papers.

We enjoyed it. Problem was, this was August and Calais and most of France was shut down for employee vacations. Then comes the next problem. We stopped for lunch but the menu is in French and we don't know a word of it except Wee-wee and murky bow-cups. So we pointed to something on the menu and it filled us up.

Then, on to a German WW II bunker that had been turned into a museum.

Snack. Then back to Dover.

Coming back, seeing the White Cliffs of Dover. Vera L ynn song came to my mind.



Trip to Paris, using the Chunnel -- I posted on that one. I still tell stories about that one, courtesy of my drunk boss. He came close to getting arrested at the Paris train station.