How the Channel Tunnel was built. The famous Channel Tunnel All about the Channel Tunnel

Eurotunnel - (French tunnel sous la Manche, English Channel Tunnel or simply EuroTunnel) is a railway tunnel about 51 km long, of which 39 km pass under the English Channel. The structure, opened on May 6, 1994, was declared one of the Seven Modern Wonders of the World by the American Society of Civil Engineers.

The Channel Tunnel links Folkestone, Kent in England with Coquelles near Calais in northern France under the English Channel in the Strait of Dover. The lowest point is 75 m. The English Channel Tunnel has the longest section laid under the sea in the world. Overall, the largest is the Seikan Tunnel in Japan, its length is 53.85 kilometers and its depth is 240 meters. The tunnel is traversed by Eurostar high-speed passenger trains, as well as ro-ro trains, the world's largest international freight trains.

The idea of ​​​​creating a tunnel appeared back in 1802, but the first real project was proposed a century and a half later; construction began in 1988, and it was opened only in 1994. The total cost exceeded expectations by 80%, in addition, concessionaires from Eurotunnel (Eurotunnel) overestimated the potential traffic and therefore faced financial difficulties. Fires interrupted the tunnel's operation several times. Illegal immigrants and adventurers used the tunnel to enter Britain, forming a queue outside the Sangatte refugee camp, which was forced to close in 2002.

Eleven drilling machines from France and Britain were digging through layers of clay to dig two railway tunnels and a service tunnel. Car terminals are located at Sheriton (part of Folkestone) and Cockels and have links to British and French motorways.

Proposals for the creation of communication routes across the English Channel date back to Albert Metier's 1802 plan, according to which crews would move along an artificial bridge under the canal. For 150 years, the British government blocked all initiatives of this kind. In 1974, the French and British governments began construction of a tunnel at both ends, but the project was stopped by the British government due to financial problems. In 1985, the French and British governments paved the way for a new attempt. Eurotunnel, a group consisting of 10 construction companies and 5 banks, received the right to build the tunnel, or rather, to continue the project in 1974. Work began in 1988 and was completed in 1994. At 1985 prices The entire project cost £4,650 million (£10,153 taking into account inflation for 2007), the financial plan was exceeded by 80%. At the height of construction, 15,000 people were involved in the work at a time, costing about £3 million per day. Ten workers, including eight Britons, were killed during construction between 1987 and 1993, most in the early months.

The tunnel is used by three services: Eurotunnel Shuttle (originally Le Shuttle), ro-ro ships, including cargo ones; Eurostar passenger trains; and freight trains.

Eurotunnel's traffic estimate turned out to be overestimated, so the group of companies experienced some financial difficulties. In 1996, 2006 and 2008 Freight trains started several fires, closing the tunnel for periods of time, although no one was seriously injured in any of the incidents. Five years after the opening, the financial situation remained almost unchanged, and therefore it was difficult to make any changes to the design. In 1996, the American Society of Civil Engineers, with the participation of Popular Mechanics, named the tunnel one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World.

Suggestions and attempts

In 1955, arguments about the need to protect the country seemed irrelevant due to the development of air transport. The British and French governments supported technical and geological research.

Construction work began on both banks of the canal in 1974; two tunnels were provided, one of them a service tunnel, where commuter cars could travel. In January 1975, to the disappointment of the French partners, the British government canceled the project. The fact is that the Labor Party came to power with doubts about entry into the EU, the growing cost of the project (up to 200%) and problems in the national economy. By that time, the British company TBM was ready to work, and the Ministry of Transport was ready to finance 300 experimental meters. However, representatives of the British side soon abandoned this short tunnel.

In 1979, the “Mouse-hole Project” was proposed for consideration by the Conservative Party, which came to power in Great Britain. His concept is the only railway tunnel with a service tunnel, but without terminals at the exits. The British government stated that it was not interested in this project, but Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher said that if this project was private, no questions would arise. In 1981, British and French leaders Margaret Thatcher and François Mitterrand agreed to create a working group as part of a private project and in April 1985 the process of reviewing the design of the future tunnel took place. The following were submitted for consideration:

• Railway plan based on the 1975 project Channel Tunnel Group/France-Manche, abbreviated CTG/F-M
• Eurobridge - a 4.5 km long bridge in the shape of a pipe
• Euroroute - a 21 km long tunnel between artificial islands, which, in turn, were planned to be reached by bridges
• Channel Expressway is a wide tunnel with ventilation towers in the middle of the channel.

The protesters united in a company called Flexilink. In 1975, no protest campaign was organized; the state owner was one of the largest railway companies, Sealink. Flexilink continued its opposition activities in 1986-1987. At the same time, public opinion unanimously supported the project, but safety issues, in particular various incidents, caused fear, which led to the reduction of the list of candidates for work on the project to a single company, CTG/F-M.

Organization

The Channel Tunnel Group includes two banks and five construction companies, while its French counterpart, France-Manche, has three banks and five construction companies. The role of banks is to provide financing advice and secure loans. On July 2, 1985, the groups merged as Channel Tunnel Group/France-Manche, CTG/F-M. Their design was based on the 1975 plans and also highlighted the environmental side of the project.

The construction and decoration were entirely carried out by ten construction companies of the CTG/F-M group. The French terminal and the section to Sungate were developed by five French construction companies united in the GIE Transmanche Construction group. The English Terminal and the section to Shakespeare's Cliff were developed by five English construction companies as part of the Trankslink Joint Venture. The two companions were linked by TransManche Link (TML), a French-English organization. The Maître d'Oeuvre is an engineering company hired by Eurotunnel to oversee the development of the project and report to governments and banks.

In France, with a long tradition of investing in infrastructure, the project received widespread approval and the French National Assembly funded the project in April 1987, followed by the Senate in June 1987. In the UK, select committees examined the proposal outside Westminster, in Kent. In February 1987, the Channel Tunnel project had its third reading and was approved by 94 votes to 22 against. The Channel Tunnel Act became British law in July. The BOOT Channel Tunnel project was accepted. TML will build and design the tunnel, but the financing was provided through a separately registered entity: Eurotunnel. CTG/F-M became part of the Eurotunnel and signed a contract with TML; however, the British and French governments monitored the progress of work and the level of safety of the process. The British and French governments gave Eurotunnel a 55 (later 65) year loan to pay off its debts and pay dividends. A Railway Usage Agreement was signed between the Eurotunnel, British Rail and the Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Français, guaranteeing future income in exchange for the railways taking up half of the tunnel .

Private investment has reached unprecedented levels. The initial sum of £45 million raised by CTG/F-M was increased by £206 from private proceeds, a further £770 million was added when press and television were brought in, and the syndicate bank arranged a loan of £5 million. Overall, all private investment at 1985 prices amounted to £2,600 million. By 1994 costs in 1985 prices were £4,650, or 80% more. This was partly due to problems with increasing safety and environmental requirements. The final amount exceeded the planned amount by 140%.

Progress

The Eurotunnel completed the project on time and the tunnel was opened by Queen Elisabeth II and French President François Mitterrand in Calais on May 6, 1994. The Queen traveled through the tunnel to Calais on the Eurostar train, which was nose-to-nose with President Mitterrand's train from Paris. As part of the ceremony, President Mitterrand and the Queen traveled on Le Shuttle to a similar event in Folkestone. The Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL), today called High Speed ​​1, extends 111 km from St Pancras railway station in London to the Channel Tunnel in Folkestone in Kent. Its cost is £5.8 million. On 16 September 2003, British Prime Minister Tony Blair opened the first section of Expressway 1, from Folkestone to north Kent. On 6 November 2007, the Queen officially opened Expressway 1 at St Pancras International Station, replacing the conventional rail line to Waterloo International Station. Express Line 1 trains travel at speeds of up to 300 km/h, traveling from London to Paris in 2 hours 15 minutes, and from London to Brussels in 1 hour 51 minutes.

Usage and flights

The number of passengers and cargo transported increases every year. The number of cargo flights fell in 1996-1997. due to a fire in November 1996 at the British terminal at Cheriton in west Folkestone. Terminal services are connected to the M20 motorway. The White Horse at Folkestone is the last thing passengers in England see when they board a train at Cheriton. Services offered by the tunnel:

• Eurotunnel Shuttle (originally Le Shuttle) - road for ro-ro boats
• Eurostar passenger trains
• Freight trains

Traffic on both cargo and passenger flights was initially overestimated, although Eurotunnel carefully calculated future fees. Although traffic in canal areas (close to sea and air) was predicted correctly, high competition and reduced traffic resulted in lower revenues. IN

Volume of passenger traffic

Passenger traffic peaked at 18.4 million in 1998, then fell to 14.9 million in 2003 and rose again to 16.1 million in 2008. When it was decided to build the tunnel, it was estimated that 15.9 million passengers would use Eurostar trains in the first year after opening. In 1995 - its first full year - the number of passengers slightly exceeded 2.9 million, reaching 7.1 million by 2000 and falling again to 6.3 million in 2003. However, Eurostar was also limited by a lack of expressways In Great Britain. After the opening of Expressway 1 (originally CTRL) to London in two stages - in 2003 and 2007. — traffic has increased again. In 2008, Eurostar carried 9,113,371 passengers through the Channel Tunnel, 10% more than last year, despite the 2008 fire.

Freight traffic volume

Freight traffic volumes are volatile, falling sharply in 1997 due to a freight train fire. Since then, the volume has been growing, the tunnel has proven its competitiveness with the sea. Traffic volumes are now almost identical to Eurotunnel predictions in the 1980s, but calculations in 1990 and 1994 turned out to be overestimated. In the first year, freight train traffic was expected to be 7.2 million tons, but in 1995 this figure stood at 1.3 million tons. The maximum volume of transportation was recorded in 1998 - 3.1 million tons. However, due to unresolved issues, this figure returned to 1.21 million tons in 2007, adding slightly to 2008's 1.24 million tons. However, taking into account suburban cargo flights, a gradual and constant increase in traffic can be traced, from 6.4 million tons in 1995, to 18.4 million tons in 2003 and 19.6 million tons in 2007. Eurotunnel's subsidiary is Europorte 2. In September 2006, EWS, Britain's largest rail operator, announced it would end French-English government subsidies of £52 million to cover the Channel Tunnel's "Minimum User Charge" (subsidy of approximately £13,000 per train with 4,000 trains per year), freight trains will stop operating from November 30.

Economic situation

Eurotunnel shares were issued at £3.50 per share on 9 December 1987. By mid-1989 the price had risen to £11.00. Delays and exceeding the planned cost of the facility “dropped” the value of shares; During the demonstrations in October 1994, the share price reached its lowest level. Eurotunnel delayed payments in September 1995, fearing bankruptcy. In December 1997, the British and French governments extended the loan term by 34 years until 2086. Financial restructuring of Eurotunnel in mid-1998 reduced the debt and financial burden. However, despite the restructuring, The Economist stated in 1998 that Eurotunnel would have to increase prices, traffic and stock to survive the period. An analysis of the costs and benefits of the Channel Tunnel showed that the British economy fared better if the Tunnel had not been built. As part of the same Project, Eurotunnel was obliged to study the possibility of building an additional tunnel. In December 1999, designs for a conventional tunnel and a railway tunnel were submitted to the British and French governments, but it was decided that the design did not meet the requirements for a second tunnel. A tripartite agreement between Great Britain, France and Belgium defined the boundaries and zones where representatives of other countries could perform certain duties. For greater convenience, these powers are distributed at the ends of the tunnel, for example, a French post at the British exit from the tunnel and a British post at the French one. For some trains, the train itself is the control area. The French-English emergency plan coordinates the actions of British and French services.

Fires

There were three fires in the tunnel, due to which it had to be closed, all cases occurred on heavy freight trains.

1996

On November 18, 1996, a freight car caught fire, but no one was seriously injured. The exact cause is unknown, but the accident was not due to Eurotunnel equipment or problems with the rails; Arson may have been the cause. During the fire, temperatures were estimated to reach 1,000 °C (1,800 °F), and a 46-meter (151-foot) section of the tunnel was partially damaged, and a 500-meter (500-meter) section was also damaged to some extent. All flights resumed in full six months after the fire.

2006

The tunnel was closed for several hours on August 21, 2006, when the contents of one of the freight trains caught fire.

2008

On 11 September 2008, the Channel Tunnel fire started at 13:57 GMT. The incident occurred on a freight train heading to France 11 kilometers from the French exit from the tunnel. No one was killed, but several people were taken to the hospital suffering from strangulation and minor injuries. The tunnel was closed to all traffic; the undamaged South Tunnel reopened two days later. On February 9, 2009, renovations were estimated at €60 million.

Impact on regions

A 1996 European Commission report stated that Kent and north Calais could face a significant increase in traffic as a result of increased traffic in the Tunnel. In Kent, high speed rail is set to solve this problem. Regional development in Kent is accelerated by the tunnel's proximity, but limited by its proximity to London. It is mainly the traditional industry that benefits, and in general this benefit depends on the development of the international passenger station in Ashford, without which Kent would gradually find itself in the territory of a growing London. Nord-Pas-de-Calais enjoys the powerful effect caused by the proximity of the tunnel, thanks to which a great leap has been made in the manufacturing industry. Relieving congestion through projects such as the Channel Tunnel does not necessarily result in economic benefits for surrounding regions; the fact that these regions have high-speed transport and are actively involved in political activities is much more important for their development. The south-west of England likely benefits evolutionarily and socially from the proximity of fast and cheaper transport to mainland Europe, but this benefit is limited to some parts of the region. In general, the environmental impact of the tunnel is negative. Five years after the tunnel's opening, there has been little impact on the economy, making it difficult to associate major changes with the tunnel's arrival.

Homeless people and immigrants

Illegal immigrants and house seekers used the tunnel to enter Britain. By 1997, the problem had attracted the attention of the international press and the French Red Cross opened a center for immigrants in Santgate in 1999, using a warehouse that existed during the tunnel's construction; by 2002 it was holding up to 1,500 people at a time, most of them trying to enter the UK. On the one hand, most of them came from Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran, but Africa and Eastern Europe were also represented, albeit to a lesser extent. Most of those who arrived here traveled by freight train, and the rest by Eurostar trains. Although the tunnel was guarded and it was believed that it was impossible to penetrate there, emigrants even jumped from bridges onto moving trains. In several cases, people were injured during their journey through the tunnel; others were hidden among equipment, causing delays and sometimes even repairs. Eurotunnel said it was losing £5 million a month due to the problems. Dozens of emigrants died trying to get through the tunnel. In 2001 and 2002 During several demonstrations, groups of emigrants broke into Sagate (up to 550 in December 2001), they attacked the fences and tried to get through en masse. Immigrants also arrived as Eurostar passengers, but without identification documents. Local authorities in France and the UK called for Sungate to be closed, and Eurotunnel was ordered to do so twice. The UK accused France of not adequately policing Sungate, and France accused the UK of not having strict enough laws for immigrants. This caused other problems, including the detention of journalists. In 2002, after the European Commission failed to declare France that it was breaking EU rules by allowing free movement of goods, and citing delays and closures as a result of insufficient security, a double fence was built at a cost of £5 million, reducing the number of emigrants from 250 a week almost to zero. Other measures include CCTV cameras and increased police patrols. Sungate closed at the end of 2002 after the UK agreed to take in some emigrants.

Engineering

The service tunnel uses the Service Tunnel Transport System (STTS) and Light Service Tunnel Vehicles (LADOGS). Fire protection was a particular area of ​​criticism. Between the entrances at Beussingue and Castle Hill, the tunnel is 50.5 km (31 miles) long, of which 3.3 km underground on the French side, 9.3 km underground on the British side and 37 .9 km underwater. Thus, the English Channel Tunnel is the second railway tunnel in the world, after the Seikan Tunnel in Japan, but the longest underwater section is still near the English Channel. The average depth is 45 meters from the seabed. On the UK side, of the 5 million cubic meters (6.5*106 cubic yards) of excavated earth, 1 million cubic meters was used in the construction of the terminal, the remainder being hauled to Shakespeare's Crag behind the causeway, occupying 30 hectares of land. This land was subsequently used for Samphire Hoe Country Park. The environmental situation did not pose any risks to the project, and subsequent safety, noise and air pollution studies were generally positive. However, the environmental situation was affected by the high-speed line from the tunnel to London.

Research

Measurements of the depth of the strait by Thomas de Gamond in 1833-1867. showed that the maximum is 55 meters, and below there are geological layers. Research continued for many years with 166 offshore and 70 onshore drill holes and 4,000 km of seabed explored. Research was undertaken in 1958-1959, 1964-1965, 1972-1974. and 1986-1988 Research in 1958-1959 required the involvement of a metro and a bridge, as well as a dug area; this entire area was researched. At this time, marine geological research for engineering projects was just in its infancy, and there were no seismic instruments. Study 1964-1965 concentrated in the north on the English coast at Dover Bay, 70 boreholes were drilled into the rock-solid ground south of Dover Bay. After preliminary results and difficulties with access, the territory slightly to the south was explored in 1972-1973, where it was decided to build a tunnel. Other information also came from this research until it was closed in 1975. On the French side at Sungate a large shaft with several galleries was made. On the English side at Shakespeare's Cliff, the government has given permission to dig a 250-metre-diameter tunnel out of 4.5 metres. The modern tunnel was designed in exactly the same way as they tried to do in 1975. During the study in 1986-1997. it was found that 85% of all soil is chalk and limestone. For this purpose, geophysical techniques from the oil industry were used.

Geology

To successfully implement the canal tunnel project, a clear understanding of the geology and topography was necessary, as well as proven building materials for finishing the tunnel from the inside. Geological research is mainly in the chalk layer, partly on the spurs of the mountains in Weldon and Boulogne. The following characteristics were given:

• According to Vestegan's observations in 1698, the slopes on both are represented by Cretaceous rocks without significant changes
• The slopes consist of four geological strata, marine sedimentary rocks deposited 90-100 million years ago; the upper and middle chalk layers above the lower chalk layer and finally the waterproof alumina. A sand layer and glauconitic limestone were found between the chalk layer and the clay.
• The 25-30 meter chalk limestone layer (craie bleue in French) at the bottom of the chalk layer was considered the best place to build a tunnel. Chalk contains 30-40% clay, which makes it waterproof and at the same time easy for excavation and powerful without unnecessary support structures. Ideally, the tunnel would have been built 15 meters below the chalk limestone layer, allowing water to flow out of the openings and providing the fewest joints, but above the clay layer the pressure on the tunnel could increase, and high humidity and unpleasant odors were feared. On the English side of the canal the slope is about 5°, but on the French side it is 20°. Small offsets are present on both sides. On the English side the displacements are small, no more than a meter. But on the French side they reach up to 15 meters, to the anticlinal folds. These displacements are limited in width and filled with calcium, pyrite and clay. An increasing slope and some defects limited the choice of route on the French side. To avoid inclusions of other soils, we used special equipment to look for places with chalky limestone soil. On the French side, especially close to the coast, the chalk was harder and finer than on the English side. Therefore, different techniques were used on different banks.

The study did not identify any significant risks, but the Fosse Dangaered underwater valley and Castle Hill were expected to be affected. In 1964-1965 A geophysical survey of Fosse Dangered showed that the length of the valley is 80 meters and it is located 500 meters to the south, approximately in the middle of the channel. A 1986 study showed that underground rivers ran through the area where the tunnel was planned, so it was moved as far down and north as possible. The English Terminal would take place on Castle Hill, which comprises chalk beds, glauconic limestone and alluvial heavy clay. This area was fortified with buttresses and drainage galleries. The service tunnels were pilot projects before the main tunnels were laid, in order to have advance knowledge of the geology, areas of eroded rock, and wet areas. Research samples were taken in service tunnels, including above, below and to the sides.

Tunnel

A typical service tunnel between two main railways. The connection between two railway tunnels shown in the diagram is represented by a piston needed to control the pressure changing due to the movement of trains. The tunnel between England and France was the largest project besides the Seikan Tunnel in Japan. The most serious risk facing any underwater tunnel is the proximity of water and its pressure on the tunnel surface. The English Channel Tunnel also had its own problem: since the investors in the project were mainly private companies and entrepreneurs, it was necessary to implement it as quickly as possible and pay off the lenders. The goal was to build: two railway tunnels with a diameter of 7.6 meters, 30 meters apart, 50 km long; a service tunnel with a diameter of 4.8 meters between the two main tunnels; pairs of perpendicular tunnels with a diameter of 3.3 meters connecting the railway tunnels with the service tunnel over a space of 375 meters; auxiliary 2-meter pistons connecting railway tunnels every 250 meters; two underwater caves connected to railway tunnels. The service tunnel was always built at least 1 km faster in order to become familiar with the composition of the soil; in the mining industry it was already necessary to build tunnels through chalk soils. Underwater intersecting caves have become a serious engineering problem. The French Cave was modeled after the Mount Baker Ridge Freeway Tunnel in the United States.

The British Cave was connected to the service tunnel before the main tunnel was built to avoid delays. Prefabricated segmental mounts were used in the TBM main engines, but differently on the French and English sides. On the French side, neoprene fastenings made of reinforced cast iron or reinforced concrete were used. On the English side, speed was preferred and segments were bolted together only where the geology required. The British tunnels used eight fastenings and a key segment, while the French side used five fastenings and a key segment. On the French side, a 55 meter shaft in Sungate with a diameter of 75 meters was used for the descent. On the English side, this site was located 140 meters below the top of Shakespeare's Cliff, where the New Austrian Tunneling Method (NATM) was first used. On the English side, underground tunnels were built from Shakespeare's Crag, as well as underwater ones, rather than from Folkestone. The platform at the base of the cliff was not large enough, so the excavated earth was placed behind a reinforced concrete dam, but on the condition that the chalk soils were transferred to a closed lagoon to avoid their dispersal. Due to limited space, the prefabricated factory was located on the Isle of Grain in the Thames Estuary. On the French side, due to insufficient soil impermeability, TBMs were used, putting pressure on the post.

The TBMs were hidden for the first 5 kilometers of the route, then they were exposed and rested on the chalky limestone soil. This minimized the pressure on the base of the tunnel and ensured maximum safety from flooding. Such actions on the French side required the involvement of five TBMs: two main sea vehicles, one main land vehicle (the engines allowed the vehicle to advance 3 km in one direction, then change it and continue moving in the other direction using a different engine) and two vehicles in the service tunnel.

The Thames, on which the English capital London stands, was a left tributary, on the banks of which lies the German River. When they melted, sea levels rose, and vast areas became the bottom of the English Channel. Britain became an island. However, the idea of ​​​​reconnecting the two most important parts of Europe by land road has long been the cherished dream of the inhabitants of the Old World.

For two centuries, scientists have been developing different ways to overcome the English Channel. The tunnel project was first proposed more than 100 years ago, in 1802. Albert Mathieu proposed a project for crossing the English Channel, and the next year a similar plan arose on the other side, in England. True, at that time they were more inclined to build a bridge that would pass over the strait. This gigantic structure was supposed to consist of five-kilometer spans suspended above the sea on heavy-duty cables. The idea was rejected - such gigantic bridges had never been built before, and experts doubted: would the structure be reliable? There were also completely unusual proposals. For example, about erecting artificial islands throughout the entire strait, and from these islands stretching bridges that connect with each other. But this was an even more unrealistic project. It was decided to stop at building an underground road.

The idea of ​​building a road leading from France to England had many opponents. Many people said that in case of war between two countries, this tunnel could be used against the enemy. However, even then this objection was considered absurd. After all, if there is a threat of attack, it is very easy to quickly block the tunnel by blowing up or filling up even a small part of it. And the troops at the exit of the tunnel are more of a convenient target than a formidable force.

For a long time everything remained at the level of projects and plans. They started thinking seriously about building a tunnel only in 1955. They even started construction and started digging pits. However, nothing came of this venture. Two years later, the energy crisis forced workers and engineers to abandon the dug pits, which quickly filled with rainwater. Only 11 years later, the governments of England and France announced that they were ready to again consider the possibility of a land connection between the two. But with one condition - all work must be carried out by private companies at their own expense.

9 best projects were selected, and for a whole year there was serious debate about which one deserved more attention. A year later, according to the majority, the best was chosen. It was supposed to lay railway tracks and highways for cars next to each other. However, the road under the strait had to be abandoned. First, a car accident in a tunnel is much more likely than a train crash. But the consequences of such an accident in a long underground “pipe” can be serious and paralyze traffic for a long time. Secondly, an armada of cars rushing into the tunnel would inevitably fill it with exhaust fumes, which means a very powerful ventilation system would be required to constantly clean the air. Well, thirdly, it is known that traveling in a tunnel tires the driver. We decided to go with the design, which was described in the 1960 project and finalized in the mid-70s.

Work began on the English coast in December 1987, and on the French coast three months later. Huge machines with rotating cutting heads laid a kilometer a month. In total, the construction of the tunnel took three years.

The tunnels were laid, on average, 45 meters below the seabed. When the two halves of the service tunnel were separated by only 100 meters, a small tunnel was dug by hand to connect them. Until the moment of docking, 120 mine locomotives removed rock from the faces, monthly traveling a distance equal to two distances around the earth. The workers met at the end of 1990.

The completion of the two railway tunnels took place on June 28, 1991. However, do not think that the construction was completely completed. Only the central tunnel was completed. And it was still necessary to dig a second, service tunnel, and also lay rails. More than 2,000 companies took part in the international competition for the right to receive an order for rails for the strait. French customers preferred those made in Russia.

The tunnel was completely opened relatively recently - on May 6, 1994. Queen Elizabeth II herself and President Mitterrand took part in its opening. After the ceremonial part, the Queen boarded the train and arrived from London Waterloo station to the town of Calais on the French coast. In turn, Mitterrand arrived there from the Gare do Nord station in Paris via Lille. As the locomotives of the two trains stopped nose to nose, the two heads of state cut the blue, white and red ribbons to the sounds of their countries' national anthems, which were performed by the band of the French Republican Guard. Then the British and French delegations in Rolls-Royce cars crossed the tunnel to the British coast, to the town of Folkestone, where exactly the same ceremony took place as on the French side.

Features of the Channel Tunnel

In reality, there are three tunnels: two railway tunnels (one accepts trains from France to England, the other from England to France) and one performs operational functions. Currently, this is the fastest route from London to Paris or (about 3). Passenger trains depart regularly from London Waterloo and take you to Paris's Gare du Nord or Brussels' Midi-Zuid.

The diameter of each tunnel is 7.3 meters, the length is about 50 kilometers, of which 37 pass under the water column. All tunnels are clad in dense concrete frames, the walls of which are about 40 centimeters.

Special trains with platforms for cars and carriages for passengers depart every hour. In just a day, 350 electric locomotives pass through the tunnel, making it possible to transport more than 200,000 tons of cargo. Cars use the tunnel trains as a moving highway. They enter the carriage at one end and exit at the other after a 35-minute journey. Electric locomotives reach speeds of up to 160 kilometers per hour.

There are many incidents associated with the Channel Tunnel. For example, on October 12, 2003, an unknown person was discovered there who lived in a tunnel for ... 2 years, occasionally coming to the surface to stock up on food and water. It is strange that it was not discovered earlier, since a system of internal surveillance cameras is stretched along the entire length of the tunnel.

The following year, an emergency occurred: an employee of the English branch of Eurostar discovered 15 people on the railway tracks. Some of them were wounded, one very seriously. According to a British police spokesman, illegal immigrants (presumably Turks) were most likely found in the tunnel. Apparently, intending to get to England, they climbed into one of the carriages of the freight train while still on the mainland, and then jumped off while moving in the place where the train slows down a little at the exit of the tunnel.

However, such violations are suppressed. For this purpose, there is a serious security service working 24 hours a day.

The entire project cost £10 billion - twice as much as planned. A year after its official opening, Eurotunnel announced losses of £925 million - one of the biggest negative amounts in British corporate history. Additionally, in 1996, freight traffic through the tunnel was suspended for 6 months due to a fire caused by a truck that caught fire.

Although the tunnel project was very expensive and the costs have not yet been recouped, the structure still represents an example of modern engineering excellence, taking safety and functionality into account in equal measure.

The French and English seem to have a penchant for long-term joint projects. There are more than enough examples in history: the Hundred Years' War, which they entered in 1337, lasted for 116 years, the project to create the supersonic Concorde aircraft took two decades. And one of the most ambitious construction projects of the 20th century - the Channel Tunnel - began back in 1881. Then the matter did not move beyond the station buildings, but now many people do not understand how they managed to get to the British Isles when there was no tunnel.

The British have always been and continue to be proud of their isolation from the rest of Europe. They did not switch to the euro and did not join the European Union. The English approach to integration is perfectly characterized by a story dating back to 1858. That year, the question of building a tunnel across the English Channel was first raised in the English Parliament. Hearing this, Lord Palmerston, at that time the Prime Minister of Great Britain, was indignant: “What? Do you dare ask for money for a cause whose purpose is to shorten a distance that we consider already too short?” Against this background, it seems surprising how the inhabitants of Albion decided to build a tunnel to continental Europe. However, no less striking is the tenacity with which French and English engineers proposed projects for a land connection between the two states: in the period from 1883 to 1941 alone, more than 300 (!) different projects for bridges and tunnels were presented.

Underground Cavalry

The idea of ​​establishing a land connection between the continent and the British Isles was born in the middle of the 18th century, when the University of Amiens announced a competition for the best project to connect the two states. The first real tunnel project dates back to 1802. It was developed by Albert Mathieu. The Frenchman proposed to build a tunnel at a depth of about 10 meters from the bottom of the strait for the movement of horse-drawn carriages, illuminate it with oil lamps, and use special shafts for ventilation, which were supposed to rise five meters above the surface of the water. It is known that Napoleon was familiar with Mathieu's project. Did it interest him? History stores exactly the opposite information. According to one version, the tunnel seemed like a crazy idea to Napoleon. According to another, he personally proposed to the British to connect their countries with an underground road.

International metro

With the rapid development of the railway network in England, the horse-drawn versions of the tunnel were replaced by rail ones. The main promoter of such projects was the French mining engineer Thomas de Gamon in the 19th century. It is known that the Frenchman was so fanatical about connecting the continent with the island that he spent more than 30 years carefully studying seven alternative projects. Among them was such an extravagant connection option as a giant bridge resting on bulk islands. In 1860, the new project for the de Gamon tunnel was approved by Napoleon III and Queen Victoria, but the Frenchman’s dream did not come true - construction did not come to fruition.

In the 1870s, relations between the French and the British warmed sharply. After the defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, the French invited the British to unite to counter a new strong enemy - the German Kaiser. Neighbors began to re-develop the tunnel project.

Victorian engineers achieved great success in tunneling. In 1843, they were the first in the world to construct a tunnel under the Thames with a tunneling shield, and then gained enormous experience in this area during the construction of the world's first London Underground. Therefore, technically, building a tunnel under the English Channel did not pose a big problem. In 1881, two tunneling shields of the company were launched towards each other. Beaumont & English" - the most powerful and technically advanced at that time. In the first year, approximately 2 km of track was dug on both sides: it was expected that the underground meeting of workers would take place in five years. However, in 1883, construction of the Channel Tunnel was stopped. English politicians and journalists increasingly made statements that the tunnel would be a wonderful gift for their potential enemy - in the event of a conflict, the French could easily attack Britain through the tunnel. Until the Second World War, all projects for tunnels or bridges across the English Channel met with severe resistance from the British government. Attitudes towards the project changed only in the mid-1950s.

The tunnel is not so scary...

When the Second World War ended, it became clear that with the advent of new modes of transport and weapons, the tunnel no longer posed a real threat to British defense. This was publicly announced by the UK Ministry of Defense in 1955. Meanwhile, commodity exchange between the island and the continent increased steadily. Therefore, in the summer of 1957, an Anglo-French research group was formed to find out whether it was necessary to connect the two states and, if so, how. By the early 1960s, two alternatives were competing - the tunnel project and the bridge project. According to the first project, it was planned to build a complex railway tunnel under the bottom of the strait, consisting of two working hoses and a service one between them. This project was in competition with the giant bridge project, which was warmly supported by the heads of metallurgical concerns. In the end, the underground project won, but the approval process was delayed. After construction of the tunnel began in 1974, financing problems arose. A year later the project was suspended.

The topic of the tunnel was returned to again only in 1984, when the governments of the two countries announced an open tender for a project that would connect the UK with France. In the fall of 1985, four independent development groups proposed their options.

The most extravagant project was Europont— a 52-kilometer bridge with spans suspended on Kevlar threads. The project was quickly rejected as too expensive and based on as yet untested technology. Another project - Euroroute— proposed a complex system of bridges and tunnels with support points on specially built artificial islands.

Project Channel Expressway It was a two-level tunnel with rail and road connections. Both of these projects were preferred Eurotunnel- the cheapest and easiest to build alternative, which was based on the tunnel concept of the 1970s. According to preliminary calculations of the developers, the implementation of the project Eurotunnel was valued at £5 billion.

However, this amount also seemed too high for the governments of both European countries: in January 1986, Margaret Thatcher and Francois Mitterrand jointly announced that they considered the project too expensive to spend taxpayers' money on.

Rails vs freeway

Project Channel Expressway lost to the project Eurotunnel not only because of the higher cost. It was decided that driving a car through a 50-kilometer tunnel would require a lot of physical and mental stress from drivers, which could lead to stressful situations and accidents. In addition, a more effective solution required the issue of cleaning the tunnel from exhaust gases. The most preferable option is the transportation of cars on electric train platforms.

But such a statement did not mean that the project was postponed again. A way out of the situation was found. We decided to organize an open joint stock company " Eurotunnel", the initial capital of which was to be provided by construction companies with the support of private banks (without state support). The newly formed company had to independently find money for the construction of the tunnel, including through the sale of its shares. As a token of gratitude, she received the right to manage the structure for 55 years. At the end of this period, the tunnel in working order should be handed over to the governments of France and Great Britain.

New story

The further fate of the Channel Tunnel is well known. On December 15, 1987, the first tunneling shield went into operation - it was digging a service tunnel with a diameter of 4.8 m. Then more powerful tunneling machines joined in, digging two main tunnels with a diameter of 7.6 m each. In total, deep in the tunnel, 11 shields worked simultaneously almost without interruption. Three French and three English shields moved towards each other under the bottom of the English Channel. Three more were digging a tunnel deep into the island towards the British terminal, and two were drilling three tunnels towards the French terminal. A 39 km tunnel was dug directly at the bottom of the sea, and its total length was 51 km.

A laser positioning system was used to ensure that both ends met at the same location. Thanks to her, workers from England and France met at the intended point on December 1, 1990, at a depth of 40 m from the bottom of the strait. The error was only 358 mm horizontally and 58 mm vertically. By the way, English and French drillers did the last meters of the tunnel manually - using picks and shovels.

The Eurotunnel was inaugurated by Queen Elizabeth II and François Mitterrand on May 6, 1994. One of humanity's longest projects was completed in just seven years. 13 thousand workers and engineers took part in its creation, and about 10 billion pounds sterling was spent on construction (taking into account inflation, almost twice as much as originally expected). The dream of Tomé de Gamon and hundreds of other project supporters has finally come true!

The grandiose project of the twentieth century has not yet justified itself financially: only in April 2008 the company “ Eurotunnel» announced annual profits for the first time since its inception. A child that has been gestated for a long time, it seems, also has a long payoff...

Illustrations for the article provided by the company Eurotunnel.

English Channel Bridge

This is what the magazine “Science and Life” wrote about the next project of a bridge across the English Channel in No. 1 for 1890.

Without exaggeration, this century can be called the century of gigantic structures, one of which was the Eiffel Tower at the Paris Exhibition. Now a new, even more grandiose and important structure is being prepared - a bridge across the English Channel, dividing France from England. This bridge will be 28 kilometers long (almost the same number of miles).

The question of connecting England with France by bridge or tunnel has arisen for a long time. In 1873, the issue of a Channel Tunnel was seriously raised. All necessary studies have been carried out; the feasibility of the enterprise was fully proven; its benefit for both countries was undoubted; There were also capitalists who provided money for the implementation of the enterprise. The underwater tunnel project, however, failed due to political considerations. Since the ground forces of England are insignificant, there was a fear that troops could be landed through the tunnel to England. Now a project has arisen to connect England with France not under water, but over water through a bridge of unheard-of size.

In England, a company was formed with huge capital " Channel Bridge" Two famous English engineers took on the technical side of the matter: John Fowler ( Fowler) and Benjamin Becker ( Baker) and two famous French ones: Mr. Schneider and Mr. Gersan ( Hersent), managing one of the largest mechanical factories in the world in Creusot. These four engineers carried out all the necessary research and have already developed a detailed design for a bridge across the English Channel.

The bridge is supposed to be built at the narrowest point of the strait, between Gris-Nez(from France) and Foxton (from England). The distance between these two points in a straight line is less than 28 kilometers; but the bridge will make a slight curve to take advantage of two existing shallows (Varnska and Kolbarska banks). On these shallows the sea depth is only 6-7 meters, which will significantly reduce the cost of building abutment towers. The greatest depth of the sea in this direction is 55 meters (27 fathoms) at low tide.

Thus, it is necessary: ​​1) to build abutments (hereinafter we will call them towers due to their extraordinary size) at great depths; 2) raise the bridge itself so that the largest sea vessels can pass under it. According to the preliminary draft ( Arant-Projet), builders think of achieving it this way.

The towers (abutments) of the bridge will be made of granite with steel fasteners. You can get an idea of ​​the size of these towers from the fact that the largest of them (at a depth of 55 meters) will have a base area of ​​1604 square meters. Only steel will be used throughout due to its strength. To build the towers, 76,000 tons of steel and 4 million cubic meters of granite will be required. The superstructure of the bridge will also require another 772,000 tons of steel. The total cost of construction is estimated at 860 million francs, but could reach a billion.

The construction of the towers is carried out using iron caissons, from granite blocks held together with steel ties and cement. The stonework rises above the surface of the water by 21 meters at low tide and 14 meters at high tide (the English Channel level fluctuates by 7 meters). Therefore, at a depth of 55 meters, the masonry would be 76 meters high, assuming that the masonry starts directly on the seabed.

The stone towers will each be topped by two steel towers. The latter will be held together by huge steel beams and have a height of 40 meters. The rails will lie another 11 meters higher, so that trains will run at an altitude of 72 meters (about 35 1/2 fathoms) from the surface of the sea (at low tide). But the steel cover goes above the level of the rails by another 54 meters. Thus, the main tower, placed at a depth of 55 meters, will have a total height of 181 meters (90 fathoms), including 76 meters of masonry. The bridge spans in deep places will be alternately 500 and 300 meters; at smaller ones of 350 and 200 meters, also alternately; finally, near the coast the spans will alternate at 250-100 meters. Flights of 500 meters (half a mile) are more difficult than the Eiffel Tower. But technology has made such enormous strides in recent years that the feasibility of this grandiose project is quite and undoubtedly possible.

In recent months, this object has again appeared in the news reports of news agencies. For thousands of refugees who left their historical homeland in search of new happiness, it became an indispensable part of the largely insurmountable road to the promised land. In 1994, the Channel Tunnel officially opened, connecting Great Britain to continental Europe. The long-awaited super-project, which began to be talked about back in the 19th century, has finally come true. Why now, 21 years later, is everyone talking about him with greater disappointment? Onliner.by tells how, after decades of overcoming mutual mistrust, a major infrastructure project of the 1980s turned into a source of headaches for European powers.

In 1802, mining engineer Albert Mathieu-Favier sent a letter to the first consul of the French Republic, Napoleon Bonaparte. In the document, the inventor proposed a project to the future emperor that would surely take his breath away: to connect France and Great Britain with a tunnel. For an era when courtly monarchs in wigs were shocked by the revolutionary rampage of a crowd intoxicated with blood, it was truly something amazing, although now Mathieu-Favier’s project looks naive. The engineer proposed digging a tunnel under the English Channel, through which horse-drawn carriages could cross the strait in the future. Ventilation was carried out through pipes brought to the surface of the water, and the object had to be illuminated by oil lamps.

Of course, nothing came of this then. Relations between France and Great Britain during this period could hardly be called friendly, and in May 1803 another war began between the countries.

The next attempt was made half a century later. In 1857, another Frenchman, Thomas de Gamond, presented his project for a tunnel across the strait. His scheme was fundamentally different from the proposal of the beginning of the century. By this time, steam locomotives were already plowing the expanses of Europe with all their might, and the Gamond Tunnel was originally designed for railway traffic: the era of horse-drawn carriages was fading into history.

The double-track structure was illuminated with gas lanterns, and the problem of ventilation, especially relevant when using steam locomotives, was solved with the help of an artificial island created approximately halfway along the track. An international port was also established here.

The British Prime Minister Viscount Palmerston was outraged by the French proposal. "What? Do you still dare to ask for money for a cause whose purpose is to shorten a distance that we consider already too short?”- said the lord, thereby identifying the main problem facing the project. The question was not at all about technological problems (humanity has already learned to build tunnels, although not so long) and not even about financing. British politicians continued to view the kingdom's geographic isolation as its most important strategic advantage over its neighbors, and the possible Channel Tunnel as a direct and present threat to this.

And yet, after just over a decade, the first practical steps towards the construction of the facility that haunted the engineers were finally taken. The impetus for this was the potential common enemy that appeared between Great Britain and France. Germany finally united into a single state and quickly became a powerful player in pan-European politics. In the early 1870s, France lost the war and was interested in a serious ally, for which the United Kingdom became a natural candidate.

In 1880, specialists began constructing test tunnels on both sides of the strait, and for this they already used the first steam drilling machines, the predecessors of modern tunnel-boring shields. In three years, they managed to dig almost four kilometers, and although it never got to the underwater part itself, this experience confirmed the fundamental possibility of constructing such an object.

Geopolitics again prevented the continuation of work. By 1883, France was again facing Great Britain in the African colonies. New concerns have emerged in British society regarding the use of the tunnel under construction in a potential conflict with the continent. Engineers immediately proposed to provide a special mechanism for flooding the facility in its design, but politicians were inexorable: construction was frozen again, this time for almost a century.

Due to the overly turbulent events of the first half of the 20th century, another return to the old theme occurred in the mid-1970s, but the economic crisis that hit Europe delayed practical implementation until 1987. During this time, government officials and engineers finally agreed on two fundamental things: firstly, 185 years after the idea appeared, they said a decisive “yes” to it, and secondly, they decided on the final design of the facility.

Four options were seriously considered, each of which was supposed to perform the same function - to unite the island and the continent with convenient transport links. The first (and most expensive) project was the Eurobridge, an amazing structure that was, in fact, a multi-level automobile overpass enclosed in a pipe, suspended on cables at a height of 70 meters above the surface of the English Channel. The estimated cost of the structure was £5.9 billion.

The second option was the so-called Euroroute (“Europath” or “Euroroute”), a set of several bridges and tunnels connecting artificial islands poured into the strait. In addition to the high budget (£5 billion), such a scheme also created big problems for shipping.

The third proposal, called the Channel Expressway, would build one large tunnel to alternate between cars and trains. It was much cheaper (“only” £2 billion), but would certainly have caused serious logistical problems associated with the separation of rail and road traffic.

Finally, the fourth project turned out to be the very option that combined relative ease of implementation with a budget acceptable to the interested states. According to the concept, called the "Eurotunnel", three separate tunnels were supposed to be built across the English Channel. The two main ones (7.6 meters in diameter) were designed for railway traffic. Between them there is a so-called “communication tunnel” with a diameter of 4.8 meters and intended for maintenance of the entire facility and evacuation of passengers in case of emergency.

Every 375 meters, the main tunnels were connected to special service passages, and air ducts were laid over the entire system, reducing the pressure during the passage of high-speed trains and eliminating the “piston effect” that arose.

The length of the structure was 51 kilometers, 39 of which were underwater under the English Channel. A couple of sidings were also built underground, allowing trains to change direction if necessary.

Construction work was significantly facilitated and made cheaper by the relatively favorable geological conditions in which the excavation was carried out. Almost along its entire length, the Eurotunnel is located in a chalk layer, which, on the one hand, was relatively soft, on the other - stable, and on the third - in itself provided good waterproofing. At the same time, as many as 11 tunnel boring shields were working at the construction complex, which made it possible to complete the drilling work quite quickly. The excavation began in December 1987, and exactly three years later, on December 1, 1990, the British were able to shake hands with the French at a depth of 40 meters from the bottom of the English Channel.

During this period, the builders had 8 million cubic meters of rock at their disposal. The French preferred to mix their half with water and pour the resulting pulp back into the strait, while the British managed the soil a little more economically. They built an artificial cape off their coast, on which they formed Samphire Hoe Park. Now more than 100 thousand people come annually to see the flora and fauna of the “traditional chalk meadow”.

Of course, the actual tunneling was only part of the large-scale work. Large cargo-passenger station complexes were erected at both exits from the facility - English and French. The creation of them and various engineering networks took another three and a half years. The grand opening of the Eurotunnel took place only in May 1994, two years later than planned. 13 thousand miners, engineers and other specialists coped with the task that once amazed Napoleon I in seven years.

What someone dreamed about and what someone feared has come true. Passenger trains began running between London on the one hand and Paris and Brussels on the other. It became possible to get from the British capital to the French capital in just 2 hours and 15 minutes. There was no longer any need to transfer to a ferry and fight seasickness, although surprisingly the ferry industry did not die with the launch of the Eurotunnel: the traffic, passenger and cargo, turned out to be too large, and the tunnel’s capacity was not unlimited.

The Eurotunnel is used by four types of trains. Primarily these are high-speed passenger TGV Eurostars, running between London St. Pancras Station, Paris Gare du Nord and Midi/Zuid station in Brussels with several intermediate stops. In the tunnel, such a train travels at a speed of 160 km/h, covering it in 20 minutes, and on the surface, thanks to modern infrastructure, its speed reaches 300 km/h.

In addition to the TGV Eurostar and regular freight trains, passenger and freight Eurotunnel Shuttles operate on the Eurotunnel line. The former are designed to transport cars, vans and buses in closed cars between station terminals at the exits, the latter - trucks in open cars. At the same time, in passenger “shuttles” people do not get out of their cars.

The celebration of the delivery of the long-awaited project quickly ended. The boring and largely disappointing everyday life of its operation began. In the first year, Groupe Eurotunnel shareholders and management expected to transport about 16 million passengers. The reality turned out to be much more prosaic: only 3 million people used the company’s services. Subsequently, this figure gradually increased, but last year Eurostar and Eurotunnel Shuttle trains carried only 10.4 million passengers.

At the same time, the facility cost £4.65 billion, an amount that turned out to be 80% higher than estimated. Eurotunnel was able to report its first annual profit only 14 years after the start of its work: in 2008, the joint-stock company announced a net profit of $1.6 million, and that was thanks to the restructuring of its debts. Subsequently, profitable years continued to alternate with unprofitable ones, but in any case, there is no question of the structure’s payback in the foreseeable future. In fact, from the point of view of financial indicators, Eurotunnel has become. However, the strategic importance of the object is difficult to overestimate.

Channel Tunnel, FRANCE

The Channel Tunnel is also called the Euro Tunnel. The Channel Rail service runs between Cheriton near Folkestone, Kent, and Coquelles, near Calais. The tunnel is one of the greatest civil engineering projects of the 20th century. It has a design capacity of 600 trains per day in each direction.

The length of the Channel Tunnel is 50 km, of which 39 km is underwater, which includes two railway tunnels and one service tunnel. The two railway tunnels have a diameter of 7.6 m, the central tunnel has a diameter of 4.8 m, which is used for maintenance and ventilation, and, if necessary, the evacuation of passengers in case of emergency. There are also several track switches that switch trains from one rail to another as needed.

The depth of the tunnels is 45 m below sea level. The total number of railway tracks is 195 kilometers, of which 45 kilometers pass through the territory of Great Britain, and 50 km are laid through the territory of France. Traveling from one end to the other takes about 30 minutes.

History of the Channel Tunnel

The Channel Tunnel is one of the largest privately funded engineering projects in history.
French mining engineer Albert Mathieu envisioned building the Channel Tunnel as early as 1802. Many other schemes and projects have appeared over the years. In 1875, the Channel Tunnel, conceived by British engineer John Hawkshaw, was given the green light to build the tunnel by the British and French governments. And in 1881, a new Act gave his rival William the right to implement his own project.

In 1882, the British Parliament banned the use of the tunnel, mainly on national security grounds. And in 1922, the Construction Law allowing it was again adopted, but was soon banned again. In 1960, an alliance of British and French companies began to build the Channel Tunnel. Work stopped in January 1975 after the 740-meter long tunnel was completed. In the 1980s, construction companies began work again, but the project was soon abandoned. In November 1984, the Governments of two countries, France and Great Britain, decided to support the resumption of construction. Construction resumed in April 1985.
In October 1987, the company's shares began to be listed on the stock market.

The tunnel, which cost nearly $16 billion in US dollars, has more than doubled its original cost. The Channel Tunnel was officially opened by Elisabeth II of Great Britain and French President François Mitterrand during a ceremony on May 6, 1994. Almost 7 million passengers are transported through the tunnel every year. In its first six years of operation, the tunnel saw 112 million passengers use its service.

This is not a simple story of the Channel Tunnel. But still, it was built, if you are in the UK or France, don’t forget to admire it and take a ride in the tunnel.