The Channel Tunnel is a 50.46-kilometre railway tunnel running beneath the English Channel and connecting Folkestone in the United Kingdom with Coquelles in northern France, with about 37.9 kilometres of its length under the sea. It consists of two single-track rail tunnels and one service tunnel running between them. The tunnel opened on 6 May 1994, in a ceremony attended by Queen Elizabeth II and French President Francois Mitterrand. It remains the only fixed transport link between Great Britain and the European mainland and is the longest undersea tunnel in the world.
Facts
SignificanceThe tunnel has the longest underwater section of any tunnel in the world, at 37.9 km (23.5 miles), reaching a depth of 75 m (246 ft) below sea level and runs, on average, 45 m (148 ft) below the seabed. 1 Sources
1. Channel Tunnel (Wikipedia)
Wikipedialead section, first paragraph, opening-date sentence
Opened in 1994, it remains the only fixed link between Great Britain and the European mainland.
lead section, second paragraph, sentence on underwater section length
The tunnel has the longest underwater section of any tunnel in the world, at 37.9 km (23.5 miles), reaching a depth of 75 m (246 ft) below sea level and runs, on average, 45 m (148 ft) below the seabed.
status sentence
It remains the only fixed transport link between Great Britain and the European mainland and is the longest undersea tunnel in the world.
In Group: Transport Tunnels and Highway Networks, Introduction
The Channel Tunnel (French: Tunnel sous la Manche), sometimes referred to as the Chunnel, is a 50.46-kilometre (31.35-mile) railway tunnel beneath the English Channel which connects Folkestone in the United Kingdom with Coquelles in northern France.
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