Folkestone - Eurotunnel History

In 1957 the group Tunnel sous la Manche Study Group was formed to discuss the proposals for a tunnel under the English Channel consisting of two railways tunnels and a smaller service tunnel. In 1973 the proposals were put into action and a small ammount of construction took place, however due to financial complications with the then-government the plans had to be shelved.

In 1984 these proposals were again given serious consideration, this time with a joint push from both the British and French governments for a private firm to undertake the project. At the time four proposals were put forward for the Anglo-French link including two variations of railway tunnel, a road tunnel and a very ambitious project for a bridge spanning the English Channel! The design that was chosen was the railway solution that was very similar to the proposal made back in 1973.

The announcement that the tunnel would be constructed was made on the 20th January 1986 and gave way to the signing of the Franco-British Channel Fixed Link Treaty which was signed in Canterbury, Kent. This deal was ratified in 1987.

The route chosen took the tunnel from Folkestone to Calais and was not actually the shortest possible route under the English Channel. The design called for the tunnel to follow a single chalk stratum and was overall deeper than the previous tunnel digging.

The construction of the Channel Tunnel took over seven years and involved more than 13,000 workers. Digging took place at either side of the channel using lasers to pinpoint exactly the direction to take, ensuring the two tunnels would meet exactly in the same place. The digging was made by large boring machines named TBM's that drilled as well as removed waste whilst simultaneously lining the freshly cut rock with concrete to ensure collapse did not occur. When the two ends of the tunnel met the French TBM was dismantled whilst the British one was diverted into the rock, sealed in concrete and abandoned.

The two ends of the service tunnel met on December 1st 1990 and was heavily covered by the media with a ceremony taking place in the tunnel. The two main tunnels met on May 22nd 1991 and June 28th 1991. Over the next three years the tunnel was equipped with all the necessary furnishings and facilities and was completed in 1994.

The funding for the construction came from a consortium of ten construction companies and five banks spanning the two countries and continues to this day to provide a fast and efficient service from Britain to France.