Channel Tunnel
The tunnel created a fixed rail link between Great Britain and mainland Europe. It represents international technical cooperation, while also showing how infrastructure becomes intertwined with borders, trade and politics.
Photo: Billy69150 (voir les conditions d'utilisation / see licensing below) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Facts
- Place
- Folkestone, United Kingdom (British tunnel portal)
- Civilisation / patron
- British-French cooperation and international construction consortia
- Built
- 1988 – 1994
- Status
- Still standing
- Seven Wonders of the Modern World (ASCE)
History
The Channel Tunnel links the United Kingdom and France with two rail tunnels and a separate service tunnel. Tunnel-boring machines worked from both coasts through chalk beneath the Channel. The link opened in 1994 and carries passenger trains, freight trains and shuttle trains transporting road vehicles. Fire safety, maintenance and border procedures remain important parts of daily operation.
More from: Modern era
Sources: Wikipedia — Kanaaltunnel