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The History of Eurostar
The idea of a road tunnel between England and France was first suggested to Napoleon in 1802. It was not until nearly two centuries later that the dream became reality when digging began on the Channel Tunnel or "Chunnel" as it was known in its construction period. The $15 billion link, one of Europe's biggest infrastructure projects to date, was officially opened by President Mitterand of France and HRH Queen Elizabeth II of England, in 1994.
The tunnel consists of 3 interconnected tubes: 1 rail track each way plus 1 service
tunnel. Its length is 31 miles, of which 23 miles are underwater. Its average
depth is 150 feet under the seabed.
| Did You Know? |
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The American Society of Civil Engineers has declared the tunnel to be one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. |
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The tunnel consists of 3 interconnected tubes: 1 rail track each way plus 1 service tunnel. |
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95 miles of tunnels were dug by a workforce of nearly 13,000 |
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The volume of rubble removed from the tunnel is three times greater than that of the Cheops Pyramid in Egypt. |
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Its length is 31 miles, of which 23 miles are underwater. |
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Its average depth is 150 feet under the seabed. |
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Only 20 minutes of the Eurostar journey takes place in the tunnel. |
| And The Future...... |
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On November 14th 2007 Great Britain's 1st Highspeed line (HS1) will open, allowing Eurostar trains to travel on dedicated trains in the UK. |
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In 2007 the second section of the new UK high-speed rail line will open. |
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St Pancras International will become Eurostar’s new London home and create a high-speed link to the Continent from the heart of the city. |
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The completion of the UK high-speed line will further reduce journey times and open up international rail services to anyone living north of London. |
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Fastest London-Paris journey time will be 2 hours 15 minutes and London-Brussels 1 hour 53 minutes |
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