Channel Tunnel, France. Hundred-year construction project Length of the channel tunnel

The idea of ​​connecting Great Britain with the continental part of Europe with the help of a single engineering structure has visited the best minds on both sides of the strait for several centuries. Calculations were even made to determine which was preferable: a bridge or a tunnel. Napoleon Bonaparte intended to begin construction, but some historical circumstances prevented this. The actual Channel Tunnel was only put into operation at the end of the twentieth century. Not counting preliminary preparations, the actual construction work took about seven years.

Channel Tunnel. Characteristic

There were many construction projects. The one that was ultimately chosen turned out to be optimal both technically and economically. The length of the Channel tunnel is 51 kilometers, of which 39 are located directly under the strait itself. A railway tunnel operating in both directions simultaneously. Ensures the passage of both freight and passenger trains. A significant part of the cargo turnover is made up of passenger car traffic on open platforms. The Channel Tunnel allows you to get from London to Paris or back in just over two hours. It takes from twenty minutes to half an hour to overcome the tunnel itself.

Driving is carried out in accordance with English rules: on the left. the entire distance of the journey allows the train to develop a sufficiently high speed. The most surprising thing is that the grandiose Channel Tunnel is not at all the largest in the world. It is inferior to the Japanese Seikan and the Swiss

Some technical details

In fact, the Eurotunnel, as it is often called, consists of three parallel underground structures. Two of them carry traffic in opposite directions. And between them there is a third one, of smaller diameter. Every 375 meters it has exits to the main highways. The middle tunnel performs the functions of technical support and repair. It also allows you to establish stable ventilation throughout the entire underground space and avoid the so-called piston effect - high air pressure in front of a moving locomotive. In addition, it is designed to ensure the safety of all transport communications. In the event of an emergency, passengers must be evacuated along it. occurred several times over the two decades of operation of the tunnel, but the system managed to prove its reliability during its operation.

The North and South tunnels were completed on May 22, 1991 and June 28, 1991, respectively. Equipment installation work followed. On May 6, 1994, Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain and French President François Mitterrand officially opened the tunnel.

The Eurotunnel is a complex engineering structure, including two circular track tunnels with an internal diameter of 7.6 meters, located at a distance of 30 meters from each other, and a service tunnel with a diameter of 4.8 meters located between them.

The journey from Paris to London takes two hours and 15 minutes, and from Brussels to London two hours. Moreover, the train stays in the tunnel itself for no more than 35 minutes. Eurostar has carried more than 150 million passengers since 1994, and passenger numbers have been growing steadily over the past decade.

In 2014, 10.4 million passengers used Eurostar services.

The European Union has approved the takeover of Eurostar by the French railway operator SNCF. Once the deal is completed, SNCF will have to allow competing firms to fly the same routes.

The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources

I would like to immediately apologize for the quality of the photos. Most of the photos were taken from a tinted bus window. Believe me, it is very difficult to achieve good quality and natural color rendition in such conditions.

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1. You need to go to the bus station 30 minutes before the bus departure to check your documents, tickets, and visas. This is all done when boarding the bus:

2. Departure for London at 11.00. The photo shows two MegaBus buses. Which neighbor leaves 30 minutes earlier to Amsterdam:

3. While there is time, I walked 200 meters from the station to rent a high-rise Hyatt hotel:

4. Let's take a look at our route. Google says 5 hours. Well, yes, plus we also have a tunnel and stops:

5. Let's go. River Sena:

6. We leave Paris. Many people don’t know that Auchan is a French chain:

7. My GoPro will record the entire journey. At the end of this post you will see a video:

8. Fields. It's already spring in France:

9. Small villages and fields again:

10. There are a lot of wind turbines. In general, this is very developed in Europe. The wind rose allows you to:

11. Look how well-groomed everything is:

12. Beauty:

13. Some houses resemble castles:

15. Views from the bridge:

17. Here is the bridge itself:

18. We approach the town of Boulogne-sur-Mer:

21. A lighthouse on the English Channel is already visible on the horizon:

22. We entered the city. Houses:

23. To us on A16 (Calais):

24. But first we have a short stop:

25. The driver changes here. I suspect this has something to do with driving on the left in England:

26. And we had a little time to take a few shots in the area:

27. We stood right where the buses are loaded onto the ferries. Here is the overpass:

If I had traveled by night bus, this is where our bus would be loaded onto the cross-Channel ferry. The daytime bus goes through the Eurotunnel.

29. I don’t know what kind of building this is. Reminded me of a military pillbox:

30. We entered Calais. We approach the French border:

31. On the left side of the board you can see the departure time for the Eurotunnel (more on that later):

32. We get on the bus and drive literally 500 meters. UK Border Post:

Everything is more serious here. The procedure is no different from entry control at any English airport. You need to fill out a migration card, answer the questions How are mr. Putin? related to the purpose of the visit and timing in the UK. After this, an entry stamp is placed.

Now the Eurotunnel. It is interesting to read its history and structure on Wikipedia. Personally, I had no idea that the Channel Tunnel was built only for trains. It turns out that if you are driving a car or bus through a tunnel, then the transport is loaded onto special closed railway platforms and you move on them in the tunnel.

33. Here is a satellite image of the railway junction in Calais (France). On the English side of the English Channel there is a similar knot:

34. Descent to the platform and railway platform on the left:

35. A bus with tourists enters the platform:

36. And in such a cozy atmosphere we move along the bottom of the English Channel for 39 km (25 minutes):

It's amazing that there is cell service. I immediately start posting photos on

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 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 of the 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 took 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 receives 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 total, 350 electric locomotives pass through the tunnel per day, which makes 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.

After many centuries of mistrust, which at times led to military conflicts, the French and English were finally united... by a common dislike of seasickness. The waters that have separated Britain from France for the past 8,000 years have been very capricious and have often made ferry crossings an ordeal for passengers.

However, the unshakable belief of the British Empire in the need to preserve this semblance of a giant fortress moat until recently forced travelers to choose the air route or swim, painfully hanging overboard. Britain's accession to the European Union marked the beginning of a new relationship between old rival neighbors. In an effort to overcome all obstacles on the path to unity, the countries began to develop a project that would forever link their shores. Various proposals were received: construction of a tunnel, a bridge, a combination of both. In the end the tunnel won.

The main argument in favor of this decision was information received from geologists. They found that underwater the two countries were already connected by a layer of chalk-marl rock. This soft limestone rock was ideal for tunnel construction: it is quite easy to mine, has high natural stability and water resistance. Many wells drilled at the bottom of the English Channel and advanced acoustic sounding technology have given geologists the opportunity to obtain fairly accurate data about the underwater relief of the strait and the geological structure of its bottom. Using this information, engineers decided on the tunnel route.

To better control traffic flow, as well as avoid the huge ventilation problems that would inevitably arise in a 39-kilometer road tunnel, engineers opted for a rail tunnel. Now, instead of a ferry, cars and trucks board special freight trains that transport them to the other side of the strait. Regardless of the weather, the crossing from terminal to terminal takes 35 minutes, of which only 26 will be spent in the tunnel. Another train called the Eurostar transports passengers from central London to the center of either Paris or Brussels in just over three hours.

One of the greatest structures of the 20th century, the Channel Tunnel, is actually a complex system consisting of three “galleries” that run parallel to each other. Trains travel from England to France through the northern tunnel, and back through the southern tunnel. Between them there is a narrow technical tunnel, the main function of which is to provide access to the working tunnels for routine repairs. It is also intended for the evacuation of passengers. Increased air pressure is maintained in the technical tunnel to prevent smoke or flames from entering if there is a fire in one of the main tunnels.

All three tunnels are interconnected by small passages located along the entire length of the structure at a distance of approximately 365 meters from each other. Two transport tunnels are connected to each other every 244 meters by airlocks. Thanks to the locks, the air pressure that arises under the pressure of the moving train is neutralized: the air in front of the train, without causing any harm to the train, flows through them into another transport tunnel. This reduces the so-called piston effect.

By this time, tunneling was carried out using special drilling rigs - tunnel boring complexes, or TPK. These are almost fully automated devices, a modern high-tech version of the Greathead shield. By punching a tunnel, the TPK leaves behind an almost completed structure - a cylindrical tunnel lined with concrete. In front of each TPK there is a working installation. It consists of a rotating rotor that literally “cuts” the rock.

The rotor is forcefully pressed against the face surface by a ring of hydraulic cylinders, which also direct its movement. Directly behind the drill head there are hydraulic spacer cylinders. They press giant spacer plates against the walls, against which they push the cylinders and rotor away. Behind the working unit there is a control panel, from where the TPK operator monitors the progress of the drill head. Thanks to the laser navigation system, the complex absolutely adheres to the given direction.

The largest TPK rotor has a diameter of about 9 meters and rotates at a speed of two to three revolutions per minute. The rotor is reinforced with chisel-shaped pointed teeth, or attachments with steel discs, or a combination thereof. Rotating, the rotor cuts out concentric circles in the lime-chalk rock. At a certain depth, the cut rock cracks and splits. The broken pieces fall onto the conveyor, which transfers the waste rock to the trolleys already waiting for it at the tail of the tunneling complex

The last element of the TPK that needs to be mentioned is the mechanical lining stacker.

He installs lining segments on the tunnel walls. Behind the working TPK, a technical staff stretches 240 meters. It delivers lining segments, transports waste rock, supplies fresh air, water, electricity, providing workers with everything they need “on the job.”

So, the construction of the Channel Tunnel began with the construction of entrance shafts on both sides of the strait. Eleven TPKs and other equipment were lowered into them. After assembly, six TPKs, three each from England and France, began their journey under the strait in the hope of meeting safely under the water in the middle of the strait. The remaining five worked on land, designing the entrance areas of the future tunnel. The builders first planned to break through a technical tunnel - it was supposed to become a kind of “advanced landing force” in the overall system.

However, even with an arsenal of ultra-modern technical means, when breaking through the Eurotunnel, not everything went according to plan. Let's start with the fact that English TPKs were designed to work only in “dry” faces. Needless to say, when somewhere in the middle of the excavation the face began to flood with salt water entering through cracks in the rock, the builders had a very difficult time. The TPK on the British side of the working tunnel had to be stopped. Engineers urgently decided how to stop the flow of water. As a result, they built something like a giant concrete “umbrella”, which prevented the tunnel from flooding. It took months to pump cement slurry into the resulting cracks. The tunnel ceiling above the TPC was then dismantled and covered with steel panels and a thin layer of shotcrete was applied to them. Only after this did work on the English side continue.

All three tunnels are covered with a circular concrete lining consisting of individual segments. The segment that “closes” each ring is smaller in size than the others and has a wedge shape. This form subtly reminds us that this modern design belongs to the oldest family of arches. Most of the lining segments are cast from reinforced concrete, with the exception of those installed in the transition tunnels and air vents - they are made of cast iron.

In October 1990, when the two parts of the technical tunnel under construction were separated by just over 90 meters, the TPK was stopped. To make sure that both halves of the tunnel were in line, a probe hole with a diameter of 5 centimeters was drilled on the English side. When she reached the “French” part of the tunnel, a narrow connecting corridor was cut between them by hand. It was then expanded to the required diameter using small mining machines. Six months later, the main tunnels were connected. The work ended in a very interesting operation from a technical point of view. Instead of spending effort and money on dismantling and extracting their drill heads to the surface, English engineers simply directed them down, and the mechanisms themselves dug their final refuge. When the drilling equipment disappeared into the ground and the resulting depressions were filled with concrete, French TPKs passed above them into the English part of the tunnels.

When constructing any tunnel - especially if we are talking about a giant 50 kilometers long - one must carefully plan how the waste soil will be extracted and disposed of. The far-sighted British built a huge dam for these purposes, enclosing several sea lagoons not far from the entrance shafts of the tunnel. The spent soil was lifted up and poured into these lakes. Once dried, they increased the territory of Great Britain by several hundred square meters. The French were less fortunate - they had to deal with much more soil. They mixed it with water and pumped it into a lake located 2.5 kilometers from the shore. When the lake dried up, the resulting plot of land was sown with grass. The area of ​​the country, alas, remained the same, but one green corner became larger.

To ensure uninterrupted train movement 24 hours a day, even if part of the route had to be temporarily closed, two intersecting crossings were built in the main tunnels, they are also called passing chambers. They are located approximately a third of the way from each bank. Thanks to them, the train can always bypass the blocked section through another tunnel, and at the next junction return to the original track. This, of course, slows down the movement somewhat, but under any circumstances, except for the most extreme cases, the Channel Tunnel will work!

The patrol cells were built very large - about 150 meters long, 20 meters wide and 15 meters high each. To strengthen their structure, the rock around the siding chambers was reinforced with shotcrete and 4-6-meter steel rods - anchor bolts.

During the construction of the chambers, workers installed measuring instruments in the chalk rock to monitor the condition of the soil. If a problem was discovered, the thickness of the skin or the length of the anchor bolts was increased. During construction work, communication with the cameras was carried out through a technical tunnel: all the necessary materials and equipment were delivered through it and waste soil was removed.

Massive shutters were installed in the completed traveling cameras. They must prevent the spread of fire in the event of a fire; they are also used to independently supply air to each of the tunnels. The gates open only when the siding needs to be used.

After all the tunnels were completely punched, work continued for another two years. Workers installed miles of cables for security systems, signaling, lighting and pumping equipment. Two pipes were installed through which cooled water was constantly supplied to reduce the air temperature in the tunnel, which increased due to the movement of high-speed trains. All equipment, including the trains themselves, has been tested many times.

By the end of 1993, construction of the Eurotunnel was completed. And in May of the following year, this most expensive engineering facility in the history of mankind began to operate.

David McAuley. How it was built: from bridges to skyscrapers.