The idea to connect continental Europe and Foggy Albion has long been in the air. More precisely, already in the middle of the eighteenth century, at the official level, they began to talk about such a possibility. Finally, the University of Amiens announced a competition for the best tunnel design. It was won by a certain Nicola Desmarais, whose manuscript on the union of England with France deserved the first prize. But so far it was only a theory.

From theory to practice

It was only at the beginning of the nineteenth century that the engineer Albert Mathieu-Favier made a proposal for a tunnel that could be dug 10 meters below the seabed of the strait. Teams were chosen to carry out the work. The issue of lighting was proposed to be solved with the help of oil lamps, and for air exchange it was supposed to make air ducts located above 5 meters above sea level.

But this project remained on paper for almost 32 more years. In 1832, seven more proposals appeared from the French side of the engineer Aimé Thomé de Gamont. One of them received the approval of the French side. It was up to England. Only in 1876 did the parliaments on both sides give permission for construction, which began on both sides in 1881.

However, due to the deterioration of relations between countries, construction had to be stopped for more than 100 years. Only in the 80s, England and France resumed plans for construction and announced a tender.

He won the project "Euro Tunnel", which gave maximum manufacturability at minimum cost. Construction itself began in 1987, when nine tunneling shields set to work. Each of them was about 200 meters long with eight-meter rotors and tungsten carbide cutters. In total, three tunnels were laid (two main and one service), as well as a separate land tunnel.

More than 8 thousand workers and 5 thousand engineers of the two countries took part in the project. Construction and decoration was completed in 1994.

To date

Currently, the Eurotunnel is a two-row railway tunnel with a total length of 51 kilometers, where 39 are in the English Channel itself.

Interesting, but not always it was used for its intended purpose. For example, if you climb into or hide in a truck, you can become an illegal refugee migrant from one country to another. By at least, in the twentieth century it was. Now it is somewhat more difficult, since there is listening equipment in the tunnel that helps to detect people in the containers.

During the years of operation, 5 major accidents occurred in the tunnel, which did not entail human sacrifice. And the tunnel itself and the company serving it were on the verge of bankruptcy twice, but everything was safely resolved

To date, about 10 million people annually use the opportunity to get from London to Paris in 2.5 hours.

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. Even calculations were carried out on the subject of what is preferable: a bridge or a tunnel. Napoleon Bonaparte intended to start building, but some historical circumstances prevented this. The real tunnel under the Channel was put into operation only at the end of the twentieth century. Apart from preliminary preparation, the construction work itself took about seven years.

Tunnel under the Channel. Characteristic

There were many building projects. The one that was eventually chosen turned out to be optimal both technically and economically. The length of the tunnel under the Channel is 51 kilometers, 39 of them are located directly under the strait itself. A railway tunnel operating in both directions at the same time. Provides the passage of both freight and passenger trains. A significant part of the cargo turnover is the traffic of cars on open platforms. The Channel Tunnel allows you to get from London to Paris or back in just over two hours. At the same time, it takes from twenty minutes to half an hour to overcome the tunnel itself.

The movement is carried out in accordance with the English rules: in the left-hand mode. the entire distance of the path allows the composition to develop a sufficiently high speed. The most amazing thing is that the grand tunnel under the Channel is not 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 are moving in opposite directions. And between them is laid a third, smaller diameter. Every 375 meters it has access to the main highways. The middle tunnel performs maintenance and repair functions. 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. arose several times over the two decades of the tunnel's operation, but the system managed to prove its reliability during its operation.

Eurotunnel - (French tunnel sous la Manche, English Channel Tunnel or simply EuroTunnel) - railway tunnel, about 51 km long, of which 39 km pass under the English Channel. The structure, opened on May 6, 1994, was declared by the American Society of Civil Engineers (American Society of Civil Engineers) one of the seven wonders of the world of our time.

The Channel Tunnel links Folkestone, Kent in England with Coquelles near Calais in northern France under the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. The lowest point is 75 m. The Channel Tunnel has the longest section under the sea in the world. Overall, the largest is the Seikan Tunnel in Japan, 53.85 kilometers long and 240 meters deep. High-speed passenger trains Eurostar (Eurostar) run through the tunnel, as well as ro-ro - the world's largest international freight trains.

The idea of ​​creating a tunnel appeared in 1802, but the first real project was proposed a century and a half later, the construction began in 1988, and it was opened only in 1994. total cost outpaced expectations by 80%, in addition, concessionaires from Eurotunnel (Eurotunnel) overestimated the potential traffic, and therefore faced financial difficulties. Fires interrupted the operation of the tunnel several times. Illegal immigrants and adventurers used this tunnel to enter the UK, forming a queue next to the Sangatte refugee camp, which had to be closed in 2002.

Proposals for the creation of communication lines across the English Channel date back to Albert Metier's plan of 1802, according to which carriages were to move along an artificial bridge under the canal. For 150 years, the British government blocked all initiatives of this kind. In 1974, the French and British governments began building the tunnel at both ends, but the project was halted by the British government due to financial problems. In 1985, the French and British governments paved the way for new attempt. Eurotunnel, a group of 10 construction companies and 5 banks, received the right to build the tunnel, or rather, to continue the implementation of the 1974 project. Work began in 1988 and was completed in 1994. At 1985 prices The entire project cost £4,650m (£10,153 adjusted for inflation in 2007) and was 80% over budget. At the height of the construction, 15,000 people were involved in the work at a time, on the salary of which it took about £ 3 million daily. Ten workers, including eight Britons, were killed during construction between 1987 and 1993, most in the first months.

The tunnel is used by three services: Eurotunnel Shuttle (originally Le Shuttle), ro-ro, including cargo; Eurostar passenger trains; and freight trains.

Eurotunnel's estimate of traffic was overstated, so the group of companies experienced some financial difficulties. In 1996, 2006 and 2008 freight trains have caused several fires by closing the tunnel on certain time, although no one was seriously injured in any of the incidents. Five years after opening financial position remained almost unchanged, and therefore it was difficult to make any changes to the design. In 1996, the American Society of Civil Engineers, with the participation of Popular Mechanics, named the tunnel one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World.

Suggestions and attempts

In 1955, arguments about the need to protect the country seemed irrelevant due to the development of air vehicles. The British and French governments supported technical and geological research.

Construction work began on both banks of the canal in 1974, two tunnels were provided, one of them service, where suburban wagons could travel. In January 1975, to the disappointment of the French partners, the British government closed the project. The fact is that the Labor Party came to power with doubts about entering the EU, the growing cost of the project (up to 200%) and problems in the national economy. By that time, the British company TBM was ready to go, and the Ministry of Transport (Ministry of Transport) - to finance 300 experimental meters. However, representatives of the British side soon abandoned this short tunnel.

In 1979, the "Mouse-hole Project" was proposed to the Conservative Party, which came to power in the UK. Its concept is the only railway tunnel with a service tunnel, but no exit terminals. The British government has stated that it is not interested in this project, but Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher said that if this project is private, there will be no questions. In 1981, British and French leaders Margaret Thatcher and François Mitterrand agreed to set up a working group on a private project and in April 1985 went through the process of reviewing the scheme for the future tunnel. The following were submitted for consideration:

• Railway plan based on the 1975 design of the Channel Tunnel Group / France-Manche, abbreviated CTG/F-M
• Eurobridge (Eurobridge) - a bridge 4.5 km long in the form of a pipe
• Euroroute - a tunnel 21 km long between artificial islands, which, in turn, were planned to be reached by bridges
• Channel Expressway - a wide tunnel with ventilation towers in the middle of the channel.

The protesters formed a company called Flexilink. In 1975, no protest campaign was organized, one of the largest railway companies, Sealink / Sealink, acted as the state owner. Flexilink continued opposition actions in 1986-1987. In the same time, public opinion unanimously supported the project, but security issues, in particular, various incidents, caused fear, which led to the reduction of the list of candidates to work on the project to a single CTG / F-M company.

Organization

The Channel Tunnel Group includes two banks and five construction companies, its French counterpart, France-Manche, three banks and five construction companies. The role of banks is to advise on financing and secure loans. On July 2, 1985, the groups merged as Channel Tunnel Group/France-Manche (CTG/F-M). Their design was based on plans from 1975 and also covered the environmental side of the project.

The construction and decoration were carried out entirely by the ten construction companies of the CTG/F-M group. The French terminal and section to Sungate were developed by five French construction companies, united in the GIE Transmanche Construction group. The English Terminal and the section to Shakespeare's Rock were realized by five English construction companies as part of the Trunkslink Joint Venture. The two partners were linked by the TransManche Link (TML), a Franco-English organization. The Maître d'Oeuvre is an engineering company hired by Eurotunnel to oversee the progress of the project and report to governments and banks.

In France, with a long tradition of investing in infrastructure, the project was widely approved and in April 1987 the French National Assembly funded the project, followed by the Senate in June 1987. In the UK, select committees studied the proposal outside of Westminster, in Kent. In February 1987, the Channel Tunnel project passed its third reading and was approved by 94 votes to 22 against. The Channel Tunnel Act became UK law in July. The BOOT project of the Channel Tunnel has been accepted. TML will build and design the tunnel, but the funding came through a separately registered entity: Eurotunnel. CTG/F-M joined Eurotunnel and signed a contract with TML; however, the British and French governments controlled the progress of the work and the level of safety of the process. British and French governments issued Eurotunnel 55- (later 65-) summer loan to pay off debt and pay dividends. A Railway Usage Agreement was signed between the Eurotunnel, British Rail and the Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Français, guaranteeing future income in exchange for the railways occupying half of the tunnel .

Private investment has reached an unprecedented scale. The original £45m raised by CTG/F-M was increased by £206m from private donations, with another £770m added after the press and television were connected, and a £5m loan was arranged by the syndicate bank. Overall, all private investment at 1985 prices was £2,600 million. By 1994, the costs at 1985 prices were £4,650, or 80% more. This was partly due to problems with increasing the level of safety and environmental requirements. The final amount exceeded the planned amount by 140%.

Progress

The Eurotunnel completed the project on time, the tunnel was opened by Queen Elisabeth II and French President François Mitterrand in Calais on May 6, 1994. The Queen passed through the tunnel in Calais on the Eurostar train, which came nose to nose with President Mitterrand's train from Paris. According to the ceremony, President Mitterrand and the Queen traveled by Le Shuttle to a similar event in Folkestone. The Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL), today called High Speed ​​1, stretches 111 km from St Pancras railway station in London to the Channel Tunnel in Folkestone in Kent. Its cost is £5.8 million. On September 16, 2003, British Prime Minister Tony Blair opened the first section of Highway 1, from Folkestone to north Kent. November 6, 2007 The Queen officially opened Expressway 1 at international station to St. Pancras, replacing the conventional rail line to Waterloo International Station. High-speed Line 1 trains run at speeds up to 300 km/h, the journey from London to Paris takes 2 hours 15 minutes, and from London to Brussels - 1 hour 51 minutes.

Usage and flights

The number of transported passengers and cargo is increasing every year. The number of cargo flights fell in 1996-1997. due to fire in November 1996 British terminal at Cheriton in West Folkestone. Terminal services are connected to the M20 motorway. The White Horse at Folkestone is the last thing passengers in England see when they board the train at Cheriton. Services offered by the tunnel:

• Eurotunnel Shuttle/Eurotunnel Shuttle (originally Le Chatelet/Le Shuttle) - road for ro-ro
• Eurostar passenger trains
• freight trains

Traffic on both cargo and passenger flights was initially overpriced, although Eurotunnel carefully calculated future fees. Although the traffic in the canal zones (near sea and air) was predicted correctly, high competition and reduced traffic led to lower revenues. AT

Volume of passenger traffic

Passenger traffic peaked at 18.4 million in 1998, then dropped to 14.9 million in 2003 and rose again to 16.1 million in 2008. When it was decided to build the tunnel, it was estimated that 15.9 million passengers would use Eurostar trains in the first year after opening. In 1995 - in the first full year Passenger numbers barely exceeded 2.9 million, reaching 7.1 million by 2000 and dropping again to 6.3 million in 2003. However, Eurostar was also limited by the lack of expressways in the UK. After the opening of Expressway 1 (originally CTRL) to London in two stages - in 2003 and 2007. traffic has increased again. In 2008, Eurostar carried 9,113,371 passengers through the Channel Tunnel, up 10% from last year, even despite the 2008 fire.

Freight traffic volume

The volume of freight traffic is unstable, in 1997 it drops sharply due to a fire on a freight train. Since then, the volume has been growing, the tunnel has proven its competitiveness with the sea. Now the volume of traffic is almost the same as the predictions of the Eurotunnel in the 1980s, however, the calculations in 1990 and 1994 turned out to be overpriced. For the first year for freight trains the volume of traffic was supposed to be 7.2 million tons, but in 1995 this figure stood at around 1.3 million tons. The maximum volume of traffic was registered in 1998 - 3.1 million tons. However, due to unresolved issues, this figure returned to 1.21 million tons in 2007, slightly adding to 2008 - 1.24 million tons. However, taking into account suburban cargo flights, one can trace a gradual and constant increase in traffic, from 6.4 million tons in 1995, to 18.4 million tons in 2003 and 19.6 million tons in 2007. Eurotunnel's subsidiary is Europort 2 (Europorte 2). In September 2006, EWS, the UK's largest rail operator, announced it was ending a £52 million Franco-English government subsidy to cover the "Minimum User Charge" of the Channel Tunnel (a subsidy of around £13,000 per train at 4,000 trains per year), freight trains will stop operating from 30 November.

Economic environment

Eurotunnel shares were issued at a price of £3.50 per share on 9 December 1987. By mid-1989, their price had risen to £11.00. Delays and excess of the planned cost of the object "dropped" the value of the shares; during demonstrations in October 1994, the share price reached its the smallest value. Eurotunnel delayed payments in September 1995 for fear of bankruptcy. In December 1997, the British and French governments extended the loan term by 34 years until 2086. A financial restructuring of the Eurotunnel in mid-1998 reduced the debt and financial burden. However, despite the restructuring, The Economist stated in 1998 that the Eurotunnel would have to increase prices, traffic and stocks to survive this period. An analysis of the costs and benefits of the Channel Tunnel showed that the British economy fared better if the Tunnel had not been built. Under the same Project, Eurotunnel was required to explore the possibility of building an additional tunnel. In December 1999, the design of the conventional and railway tunnels were presented to the British and French governments, but it was decided that the project did not meet the requirements for a second tunnel. A tripartite agreement between the UK, France and Belgium defined the boundaries and zones where representatives of other countries can perform certain duties. For greater convenience, these powers are distributed at the ends of the tunnel, for example, a French post at the British exit from the tunnel and a British post at the French. For some trains, the train itself is the control zone. The Franco-British Emergency Plan coordinates the actions of the British and French services.

fires

There were three fires in the tunnel that forced it to be closed, all of which occurred in heavy freight trains.

1996

On November 18, 1996, a fire broke out in a freight car, but no one was seriously injured. The exact cause is unknown, but the accident was not due to Eurotunnel equipment or problems with the rails; Perhaps the cause was arson. During the fire, temperatures were estimated to reach 1,000 °C (1,800 °F), the tunnel was partially damaged in a 46-meter (151-foot) section, and a 500-meter section was also damaged to some extent. All flights resumed in full six months after the fire.

2006

The tunnel was closed for several hours on 21 August 2006 when the contents of one of the freight trains caught fire.

2008

On September 11, 2008, the Channel Tunnel fire started at 13:57 GMT. The incident occurred on a freight train bound for France, 11 kilometers from the French exit of the tunnel. No one was killed, but several people were taken to the hospital with asphyxiation and minor injuries. The tunnel was closed to all traffic, with the unaffected South Tunnel reopening two days later. On February 9, 2009, the renovation was valued at €60 million.

Impact on regions

A 1996 European Commission report stated that Kent and northern Calais could experience a significant increase in traffic as a result of increased traffic in the Tunnel. In Kent, the high-speed rail is designed to solve this problem. Regional development in Kent is accelerated by the proximity of the tunnel, but limited by its proximity to London. It is the traditional industry that wins, and in general this benefit depends on the development of an international passenger station at Ashford, without which Kent would gradually find itself in the territory of a growing London. Nord-Pas-de-Calais enjoys a powerful effect due to the proximity of the tunnel, thanks to which a great leap was made in the manufacturing industry. Getting rid of congestion with projects such as the Channel Tunnel does not necessarily result in economic benefits for nearby regions, the fact that these regions have rapid transit and are actively involved in political activity, is much more important for their development. The South West of England likely benefits evolutionarily and socially from the proximity of faster and cheaper transport to mainland Europe, but this benefit is limited to parts of the region. In general, the environmental impact of the tunnel is negative. Five years after the opening of the tunnel, the impact on the economy was almost not felt, so it is difficult to associate major changes with the appearance of the tunnel.

Homeless people and immigrants

Illegal immigrants and home seekers used the tunnel to get into Britain. By 1997, the issue was gaining international press attention and the French Red Cross opened an immigrant center at Santgate in 1999 using a warehouse that existed at the time of the tunnel's construction; by 2002 it could accommodate up to 1,500 people at a time, most of them trying to get into the UK. On the one hand, most of them came from Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran, but Africa and Eastern Europe. Most of those who arrived here traveled by freight train, and the rest by Eurostar trains. Although the tunnel was guarded and it was believed that it was impossible to get there, emigrants even jumped from bridges onto moving trains. In several cases, people were injured during their journey through the tunnel; others hid among the equipment, causing delays and sometimes even repairs. Eurotunnel said it was losing £5m a month due to these issues. Dozens of emigrants died trying to get through the tunnel. In 2001 and 2002 in the course of several demonstrations, groups of emigrants broke into Sagate (up to 550 in December 2001), they attacked the fences and tried to force their way through. Immigrants also arrived as Eurostar passengers, but without identity papers. Local authorities in France and the UK have called for the closure of the Sungate, and the Eurotunnel has received orders twice. Great Britain accused France of insufficient protection of the Sungate, and France accused the UK of insufficiently strict laws for immigrants. This caused other problems, including the detention of journalists. In 2002, after the European Commission failed to tell France that it was violating EU rules by allowing free transport of goods, and citing delays and closures as the result of insufficient security, a double fence was built at a cost of £5 million, reducing the number of emigrants from 250 a week almost to zero. Other measures include CCTV cameras and increased police patrols. In late 2002, the Sungate Center closed after the UK agreed to take in some of the migrants.

Engineering

The service tunnel uses the Service Tunnel Transport System (STTS) and Light Service Tunnel Vehicles (LADOGS). The fire department was separate aspect for criticism. Between the Beussingue and Castle Hill entrances, the tunnel is 50.5 km (31 miles) long, 3.3 km underground on the French side, 9.3 km underground on the British side and 37 .9 km underwater. Thus, the Channel Tunnel is the second railway tunnel in the world, after the Seikan Tunnel in Japan, but the Channel is still the longest underwater section. The average depth is 45 meters from the bottom of the sea. On the British side, out of 5 million cubic meters (6.5*106 cubic yards) of excavated earth, 1 million cubic meters was used in the construction of the terminal, the rest was taken to Shakespeare's Rock behind the dam, occupying 30 hectares of land. Subsequently, this land was used for the Samphire Hoe Country Park. The environmental situation did not pose any risks to the project, and subsequent studies of safety, noise levels and air pollution were generally positive. However, on ecological situation influenced by the high-speed line from the tunnel to London.

Research

Measurements of the depth of the strait by Tomé de Gamond in 1833-1867. showed that the maximum figure is 55 meters, and below are geological layers. Exploration continued for many years with 166 offshore and 70 land boreholes and 4,000 km of seabed explored. Research was undertaken in 1958-1959, 1964-1965, 1972-1974. and 1986-1988 Research in 1958-1959 required the involvement of a subway and a bridge, as well as a dug section, this entire area was being explored. At this time, offshore geological surveys for engineering projects were just in their infancy, there were no seismic instruments. Research 1964-1965 was concentrated in the north on the English coast at Dover Bay, 70 boreholes were drilled in rock-hard ground south of Dover Bay. After preliminary results and difficulties with access, an area slightly to the south was explored in 1972-1973, where it was decided to lay a tunnel. Other information came as part of this study as well, until it was closed in 1975. On the French side, a large shaft was made at Sungate with several galleries. On the English side at Shakespeare's Rock, the government allowed a tunnel 250 meters in diameter to be dug out of 4.5 meters. The modern tunnel was designed in exactly the same way as they tried to do in 1975. During the study in 1986-1997. it was found that 85% of the total soil is chalk and limestone. For this, geophysical techniques from the oil industry were used.

Geology

Successful implementation of the canal tunnel project required a solid understanding of the geology and topography, as well as proven building materials to finish the tunnel from the inside. Geological research mainly in the Cretaceous layer, partly on the spurs of the mountains in Weldon and Boulogne. The following characteristics were given:

• According to the observations of Vestegan in 1698, the slopes on both are represented by chalk rocks without significant changes.
• The slopes are composed of four geological layers, marine sedimentary rocks that settled 90-100 million years ago; the upper and middle chalk layers above the lower chalk layer and finally waterproof alumina. Sand layer and glauconite limestone were found between the chalk layer and clay.
• A 25-30 meter chalk limestone layer (craie bleue in French) at the bottom of the chalk layer has been found to be the best site for tunneling. Chalk contains 30-40% clay, which makes it waterproof and at the same time easy to excavate and strong without unnecessary support structures. Ideally, the tunnel would have been built at a depth of 15 meters from the chalk limestone layer, allowing water to flow out of the openings and providing smallest number joints, but above the clay layer the pressure on the tunnel could increase, and they were also afraid of high humidity and bad smell. On the English side of the canal the slope is about 5°, but on the French side it is 20°. Small offsets are present on both sides. On the English side, the displacements are small, no more than a meter. But on the French side, they reach up to 15 meters, to the anticlinal folds. These offsets are limited in width and are filled with calcium, pyrite, and clay. Increasing slope and some defects have limited the choice of path on the French side. To avoid inclusions of other soils, using special equipment, they searched for places with chalky limestone soil. On the French side, especially near the coast, the chalk was harder and finer than on the English side. Therefore, different techniques were used on different banks.

No significant risks were identified during the studies, however, the underwater valley of Fosse Dangaered and Castle Hill were to be affected. In 1964-1965. the geophysical study of Fosse Dangered showed that the valley is 80 meters long and is located 500 meters to the south, approximately in the middle of the channel. A 1986 study showed that underground rivers pass through the place where the tunnel was planned, so it was moved as far down and north as possible. The English terminal was to take place on Castle Hill, which consists of chalk beds, glauconic limestone and alluvial heavy clay. This area was fortified with buttresses and drained galleries. The service tunnels were pilot projects before the laying of the main tunnels, in order to know in advance the geology, areas of broken rocks and wet zones. Research samples were taken in the service tunnels, including from above, below and to the side of it.

Tunnel

Typical tunnel with service tunnel between two main railways. The junction of two railway tunnels shown in the diagram is represented by the piston needed to control the pressure that changes due to the movement of trains. The tunnel between England and France was the largest project apart from the Seikan Tunnel in Japan. The most serious risk faced by any underwater tunnel- the proximity of water and its pressure on the surface of the tunnel. The English Channel Tunnel had its own problem: since it was mainly private companies and entrepreneurs who invested in the project, it was necessary to implement it as soon as possible and pay off the lenders. The aim was to build: two railway tunnels with a diameter of 7.6 meters, 30 meters apart, 50 km long; service tunnel with a diameter of 4.8 meters between the two main tunnels; pairs of perpendicular tunnels with a diameter of 3.3 meters, linking the railway tunnels with the service tunnel in an area of ​​375 meters; auxiliary 2-meter pistons connecting railway tunnels every 250 meters; two underwater caves connected with railway tunnels. The service tunnel has always been built at least 1 km faster to get familiar with the composition of the soil, the mining industry has already had to tunnel through chalk soils. Underwater intersecting caves have become serious engineering problem. French Cave was modeled after the Mount Baker Ridge Freeway Tunnel in the United States.

The British cave was connected to the service tunnel before the main one was built to avoid delays. Prefabricated segmental mounts were used in the TBM main engines, but differently on the French and English sides. The French side used neoprene mounts made of reinforced cast iron or reinforced concrete. On the English side, speed was favored, and the segments were bolted together only where the geology required it. The British tunnels used eight anchors and a key segment, while the French side used five anchors and a key segment. On the French side, a 55-meter shaft in Sungate with a diameter of 75 meters was used for descent. On the English side, this site was located 140 meters below the top of Shakespeare's Rock, where the New Austrian Tunneling Method (NATM) was first used. On the English side, the underground tunnels were from Shakespeare's Rock, as well as the underwater ones, and not from Folkestone. The platform at the base of the cliff was not large enough, so the excavated earth was placed behind a reinforced concrete dam, but on the condition that the chalky soils be transferred to a closed lagoon to avoid spraying them. Due to limited space, the prefabricated factory was located on the Isle of Grain in the Thames Estuary. On the French side, due to the insufficient water resistance of the soil, TBMs were used to put pressure on the post.

The TBMs were hidden for the first 5 kilometers, then they were exposed and rested on chalky limestone soil. This minimized pressure on the base of the tunnel and maximized flood safety. Such actions on the French side required the deployment of five TBMs: two main sea vehicles, one main land vehicle (the engines allowed the vehicle to advance 3 km in one direction, then change it and continue in the other direction using a different engine) and two vehicles in the service tunnel.

Not so long ago on European continent an underwater tunnel appeared between France and England, with total length 51 kilometers, of which 39 kilometers are under water. There are two branches in this tunnel. railway tracks. This building is considered the longest on the continent of Europe. Today, residents of not only two neighboring countries, but residents of the entire planet can get from the territory continental Europe immediately to the good old England. The travel time of the train through the underwater part of the structure will take no more than twenty minutes, it will take a maximum of thirty-five minutes, and the entire tunnel under the English Channel will be traversed by the train. The entire journey from Paris to London will take no more than two hours and fifteen minutes. The grand opening of the constructed structure took place on May 6, 1994.

This railway Eurotunnel occupies the third position in the world ranking. The Gotthard tunnel is considered the longest tunnel; its length parameters are fifty-seven kilometers one hundred meters. On the second line of this indicator is the Seikan construction, with a length equal to fifty-three kilometers eight hundred meters. And yet, the French and the British do not want to give up the palm, noting that the underwater part of the tunnel under the English Channel is larger compared to the Seikan construction, because the length of its underwater part is twenty-three kilometers three hundred meters.

Creation idea

The first ideas and first projects for the construction of a tunnel under the English Channel appeared at the end of the eighteenth - at the beginning of the nineteenth century. The Nord-Pas-de-Calais region was proposed as the construction site.

The French engineer Albert Mathieu-Favier in 1802 came up with the idea of ​​building such a structure. In his project, the Channel Tunnel was to be lit by oil lamps. Traveling and business people were offered horse-drawn carriages as transport. The project provided for the creation of ventilation in the form of vents going to the sea surface. The price of such a structure at that time was equal to one million pounds sterling. In the twenty-first century, in 2005, this amount would already be equal to sixty-six million four hundred thousand pounds sterling.

When the battles died down, and a peace treaty was concluded between the two states France and England, Napoleon Bonaparte invited England to get acquainted with this project. However, due to the resumption of military battles on the territory of the European continent, the project was not implemented. The Eurotunnel of that time did not appear. Moreover, in the British Parliament, Lord Palmerston's indignation knew no bounds. He spoke in English briefly and sternly: “There is no point in spending money by directing it to reduce the distance from the neighboring state, because it is already very short.”

Half a century passed, and with the advent of 1856, another French engineer, Thomas de Gamond, proposed another project to create a tunnel under the English Channel, with the laying of railway tracks. Thus, France and England would become much closer. And if the French side approved this project, then on the shores of foggy Albion they continued to doubt the advisability of building such a structure. In this peak situation, Gamond manages to find an ally in the person of the British mining engineer Peter Barlow. Subsequently, sixteen years later, Barlow, together with his colleague Sir John Hawkshaw, began raising funds to ensure the construction of the cofferdam.

Three years later, in 1875, Peter William Barlow proposed a new project for the construction of a tunnel under the English Channel, which was based on the idea of ​​laying large-diameter steel pipes at the bottom of the strait, inside of which the very much-desired tunnel was to be located. But this project remained only on paper. At the same time, while engineer Barlow is building the first subway line in his country, it will be the first branch not only in the UK, but also on a global scale.

The idea of ​​building a tunnel structure continues to hover within the walls of the parliaments of the two states. As a result of paperwork, the decision of the English and French parliaments on the construction of the tunnel is born. But the whole project is not being implemented yet due to lack of financial support. A year later, the project begins to be implemented.

Throughout 1881, geological exploration was carried out. With the appearance of two drilling machines of the English-Beaumont brand at the end of October of the same year, the construction of the structure comes to life. Drilling is carried out from two sides. On the French coast - this is a place near the city of Sangatt, on the British coast, this place is chosen near the city of Dover in the town of Shakespeare Cliff.

The work had been going on for several months, when the idea began to soar again in the British government and in Parliament that the construction of the tunnel would not contribute to the full security of the country, and enemy troops could easily penetrate into the territory of Great Britain. As a result, on March 18, 1883, the construction freezes for an indefinite period. From the start of management construction works, the French dug a tunnel 1829 meters long, the British managed to overcome a great distance, which was equal to two thousand twenty-six meters.

The next attempt to build a tunnel structure was made in 1922. Drilling was carried out near the city of Folkestone. Having overcome one hundred and twenty-eight meters, the construction is again frozen, this time the reason was political considerations.

After the Second World War, the French and the British are returning to the realization of the idea of ​​​​building a European tunnel. Starting from 1957, a formed group of specialists began to work to find the best option for the construction of such a long-awaited structure. It took a group of specialists three years to give their recommendations on the creation of two main tunnels and one service tunnel, which was supposed to be located between the two main structures.

Construction

Another thirteen years passed, and in 1973 the project received universal approval and was put into operation. The next financial proceedings lead to another stop of construction work in 1975. By that time, a tunnel had been dug in a test format, its length was only two hundred and fifty meters.

Nine years later, the governments of the two powers come to the conclusion that such a grandiose construction cannot be done without attracting private capital. For consideration and discussion after publications in 1986, four options for this unique project were proposed to specialists and financial magnates. Oddly enough, but the most acceptable option was exactly the one that had the greatest similarity with the project, dated 1973. Progress in the discussion was viewed naked eye. It took only twenty-three days for government officials and financial tycoons to sign an agreement on the creation of a tunnel near the city of Canterbury on February 12, 1986. True, it was ratified only in 1987.

it latest project provided for the connection of two cities, with English side- this is a place near the city of Folkestone, and on the French coast - this is the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe city of Calais. The approved option gave the go-ahead for the construction of the long way compared to other options considered. Since the most malleable Cretaceous geological soil layer was located in these places, but the future Eurotunnel had to run at a greater depth, this recess mark was equal to fifty meters from the bottom of the English Channel. At the same time, the northern part of the structure was supposed to be higher than the southern part of the tunnel. Therefore, the French mine went to a depth of sixty meters, and the value of the diameter was fifty meters.

The work of the first tunneling shield for horizontal excavation began on 12/15/1987. A year later, on the last day of February, the creation of the so-called French double begins. This work consisted in drilling a tunnel for household needs and in case of unforeseen circumstances in a diameter of 4.8 meters. For digging the two main branches of the structure, the most powerful technique of that time, with the use of roadheaders, providing the laying of paths through the rocks of the soil. The diameter of each of the main tunnels reached a value equal to 7.6 meters.

In the area of ​​the tunnel depth, eleven shields were simultaneously and continuously operated. Of this number of shields, three units worked on laying the tunnel, moving from the Shakespeare Cliff point towards the British terminal, this is already in the Folkestone area. Three other units of shields moved in the direction of the sea, diving under the English Channel. Three French shields worked in the opposite direction, starting their journey from the mining area, near the town of Sangate. Two units of shields dug into the ground rock of three tunnels, keeping the direction inland, and from there the direction went to the terminal area, near Calais.

The operation of these machines made it possible to simultaneously strengthen the tunnel walls with concrete segments. Thus, a covering formation of the tunnel shaft with one and a half meter rings was achieved. The creation of one such ring, on average, took no more than fifty minutes of time.

Models of British cars covered a distance of one hundred and fifty meters in a day. French cars covered a path of only one hundred and ten meters. The forty-meter difference was due to various design features of the machines and different conditions for stem drilling. In order to ensure the final result of the meeting of the broken shafts in the place determined by the project, a laser positioning system was used. So high and precise technical support works, allowed to make a meeting in a precisely planned place. It took place on December 1, 1990, where the depth of the tunnel shaft from the torrential bottom was forty meters. The size of the errors had small values: in the vertical - 5.8 centimeters, and in the horizontal - 35.8 centimeters. The French workers managed to dig sixty-nine kilometers of tunnel shafts, and the British dug eighty-four kilometers of tunnel shafts. The last meters of broken trunks were given by the hard work of diggers, because the trunks were already broken through by hand through the use of shovels and picks. After the docking of the main tunnels took place, the French dismantled their equipment and removed it from the trunks, the British took their tunneling shields under their own power to the parking lot in the area of ​​​​the underground depot.

During the work period, to ensure the exact direction of the machines, the operator reviewed computer screens and video monitors. All tunneling work was provided by satellite observatories, which made direct calculations, ensuring high accuracy of the path being laid. The use of narrow drills ensured the probing of lime clay samples, which in general managed to achieve an accuracy of direction one hundred and fifty meters ahead. The application of a laser beam in the direction of the combine photosensitive point provided assistance to the driver in choosing the correct direction.

In the tunnel shafts, at a distance of eight kilometers from the coastline of each of the two countries, through the use of tunneling machines, additional interchanges were created. If necessary, they can be used to transfer trains to the neighboring tunnel.

Brigade sinkers, using small-sized equipment, created additional crossings during the construction period, with the help of which it was possible to get into the service tunnel. Crossings are created along the entire length of the main tunnels every three hundred and seventy-five meters.

The arch, located above the service shaft, served for the canals. designed to carry out pressure reduction in the two main tunnels.

For the entire period of construction work, about eight million cubic meters of natural rock were selected. Each country participating in the construction disposed of the extracted land wealth at its own discretion. The builders of Great Britain, through the use of their part of the rock on their native coast, managed to wash up a whole artificial cape, which now bears the name of the great English playwright William Shakespeare. On this territory, with an area of ​​0.362 kilometers, a park zone was laid out. The French side took a simple path, but without benefit to society, they took and eroded the extracted soil with water, and subsequently all the resulting pulp was sent into the depths of the sea.

It took no more than seven years to implement such a grandiose project, which was discussed, thought about, fought and broken spears for almost two centuries. The tunnel between England and France was created by the hands of thirteen thousand working people and engineers. A lot of people gathered at the solemn event on the occasion of the start of operation of the longest tunnel on the European continent, opened by representatives of the participating countries represented by French President Francois Mitterrand and Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain.

The meaning of the tunnel

Today, four trains work in the Channel Tunnel. This is about high speed trains type "TGV Eurostar", which run along the route: from the Brussels station Midi Zuid, then the Paris station of Gare du Nord North Station and further to the English station point in London St. Pancras, making intermediate stops at the station points of Lille, Calais and Ashford.

The maximum speed of such express trains develops up to three hundred kilometers per hour. When passing the tunnel part of the path, it decreases to one hundred and sixty kilometers per hour. On this line, from the French side, shuttle trains of the Eurotunnel Shuttle type are involved, which can carry not only cars, but also vans and large passenger buses between Folkestone and Sangatta. Using a special system of loading operations, the car entrance to the wagon yard takes only eight minutes. Passengers do not move anywhere, but remain inside their transport. Freight trains of the Eurotunnel Shuttle, which are an open wagon platform, also operate on the line. Freight transport is delivered to them, drivers of large trucks follow locally in a separate wagon. Such train sets can deliver cargo to or any other cargo. In freight trains, traction is provided by the operation of British Rail Class-92 electric locomotives.

The Eurotunnel is of importance primarily for the society of the countries participating in the construction of this facility. We are talking about the same notorious traffic jams. They have become much smaller. With regard to economic benefits, and the availability of development potential, these two factors have a significant positive impact, first of all, on the nearest regions. The English southwestern part of the territory has an evolutionary and social advantage, since their land has fast, profitable and cheap transportation. But again, all this applies only to the population living in the nearest administrative units adjacent to the transport artery. As in everything that surrounds us, the significance of this building has its own negative phenomena, starting with environmental issues.

After a five-year operational period, the first results were summed up. They looked disappointing in the economic aspect, because, as such, there was no benefit. The British were tougher in their conclusions, making a disappointing statement that the British economy would have performed better if the Channel Tunnel did not exist at all. Some experts went even further, saying that the payback of the constructed structure will be exceeded only after a whole millennium.

Incidents

As for the rest of the negative, it is enough too. And above all, this is due to the unsolvable problems of illegal immigrants, who use the possibilities of the transport artery in any case to get to the shores of foggy Albion. Most of of this unorganized people enters the territory of the UK, making their way to the sites of freight trains. There were cases when bright personalities from the immigrant environment showed a kind of master class, jumping from a bridge onto a passing train. Not all such somersaults ended happily, there were victims. Some representatives of the emigrant environment managed to get into the wagon areas and hide in the skerries of the transported equipment. Such actions led to delays in trains, to a violation of the train schedule. In some cases, unplanned repairs were required. For a month, such extraordinary expenses were collected in an amount equal to five million euros. Several dozen emigrants managed to get into the interior of the main tunnel, where they died.

In the end, the French side went to additional expenses in the amount of 5,000,000 €, installing a double fence and video cameras of the CCTV type, as well as appointing reinforced police patrols.

The Channel Tunnel's security system was tested eight times in the artificial creation of real emergencies by specific perpetrators.

The first incident began on 11/18/1996, it was necessary to eliminate the consequences of a fire that happened in a tunnel aboard a shuttle train carrying trucks. Thirty-four drivers of vehicles were rescued from the burning train, delivering them to the service tunnel. The medical staff of the ambulances took out eight people who had severe burns. The remaining passengers were evacuated by using another train set going in the opposite direction. Fire brigades fought the fire for several hours under conditions of low water pressure in the fire main, overcoming the effects of strong ventilation drafts and the presence of high temperatures.

The consequences of such a fire were as follows; there were serious damages on the two-hundred-meter length of the tunnel. The same number of meters of the length of the tunnel shaft had partial damage. In some tunnel sections, burnt concrete rings were found, to a depth equal to fifty millimeters. The locomotive and some of the last carriages were taken out of service.

All the victims were provided with the necessary assistance, they were fully restored to working capacity. The design features of the tunnel shafts and the well-coordinated work of the security services of Great Britain and France made it possible to do without casualties.

After three days, the Eurotunnel again gave green light freight trains in only one of the tunnels. The full resumption of the movement of passenger trains occurred two weeks later.

10.10. 2001 there is a sudden stop of the train in the middle of the tunnel. As a consequence, in such emergencies, panic occurs in the passenger environment, especially among those people who are prone to the manifestation of bouts of claustrophobia. The evacuation of the passenger flow was carried out through the transitions of the service tunnel, after a five-hour wait and uncertainty.

On August 21, 2006, one of the trucks, which was transported on the platform of a shuttle train, caught fire. The transport movement of the tunnel shafts was suspended for an indefinite period.

The next force majeure event occurs on September 11, 2008. On the French side of the tunnel part, one of the wagons of a freight train en route to France from the English coast ignites. The train was transported trucks. The driver's staff consisted of thirty-two people, all managed to be evacuated. Fourteen drivers required hospitalization due to minor injuries and carbon monoxide poisoning. The fire in the tunnel raged throughout the night and the next morning. On the territory of the UK, in the town of Kent, huge traffic jams occurred, as the road was blocked by police to exclude the possibility of a close approach to the tunnel entrance of vehicles.

Traffic on two tunnel shafts was restored after 134 days.

On December 18, 2009, there was a sudden failure of one of the systems, in particular, the tunnel power supply. This force majeure happened due to a sharp temperature drop, which resulted in heavy snowfall in the northern part of french territory. Five trains stopped in the tunnel belly.

Experts found that such a stop became possible due to the unavailability of trains to work in winter period time. There was no proper level of protection for conductive lines and undercar space. Carrying out annual maintenance of all trainsets was not enough for the operation of trains in winter, cold conditions with low temperatures.

On 07.01.2010 there is a sudden stop of the passenger train "Eurostar", on board of which there are two hundred and sixty passengers. The train followed the Brussels-London route. For two hours the train stood in a tunnel shaft under the English Channel. A team of specialists was sent to the place where the train stood along with an auxiliary locomotive. The faulty train set was towed away by a sent locomotive. In the conclusion of the experts, the reason for the sudden stop was named - it was melted snow on the tunnel section of the track. Snow was in the compartments of electrical equipment. After entering the tunnel, he simply melted away.

On March 27, 2014, a fire started in a building near the entrance to the tunnel on the British coast. Train traffic is stopped. All four Eurostar trains returned to their station departure points: Brussels, Paris and London. The cause of the fire was a lightning strike. None of the people were hurt.

On January 17, 2015, smoke begins to pour from the bowels of one of the tunnel shafts, the movement of trains is suspended.

The cause of the fire in the tunnel under the English Channel was a truck on fire. The fire broke out in the tunnel part, near the entrance to it from the French side.

The passengers were evacuated in a timely manner. There were no casualties. The trains returned to the stations of the station departure points.

This case was already the fourth in a row, starting from the beginning of the operational period of the Eurotunnel, when a truck caught fire on a freight train platform.

The total cost of building the Channel Tunnel is an impressive figure of £10000000000, taking into account all inflationary costs.

Finance

As for the financial side of the operation of the Eurotunnel, the costs have not yet paid off. The first payment of dividends to shareholders was made based on the results of work in 2009.

A year later, Eurostar's losses amounted to 58,000,000 €. The main reason is the global financial crisis.

According to the results of the company's work in 2011, a profit of 11,000,000 € was received. During the period of the mentioned year, 19,000,000 people were transported. The value of one Eurostar share on the stock market rose to 6.53 €. The amount of dividends per share was 0.08 €.

American society civil engineers (English) declared the Eurotunnel one of the seven wonders of the world of modern times.

Encyclopedic YouTube

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✪ Superstructures. Tunnel under the English Channel.

✪ Channel Tunnel / Construction Zone / Documentary / National Geographic

✪ 09.07.10 Eurotunnel is one of the greatest buildings of the 20th century

✪ TOP 5 LARGEST RAILWAY TUNNELS IN THE WORLD

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History of occurrence

The idea of ​​building a tunnel under the English Channel arose at the end of the 18th - beginning of the 19th century in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region.

According to the project, the tunnel was supposed to connect two cities - Calais on the French side and Folkestone on the English side (this path is not the shortest possible). It was supposed to dig in an easily pliable Cretaceous geological layer, so the tunnel had to run deeper than planned - about 50 meters below the bottom of the strait, and the southern part should run deeper than the northern one. Because of this, the French first had to build a shaft 50 m in diameter and 60 m deep to reach the sandstone.

Construction

In the depths of the tunnel, 11 shields worked almost without interruption at the same time. Three of them tunneled from Shakespeare Cliff towards the British Terminal, just past Folkestone. Three others moved towards the sea under the English Channel towards the three French shields, which started from the mine in Sangat. And the two remaining tunneling shields drilled three tunnels inland from there to the terminal at Kokel, near Calais.

During operation, these machines simultaneously strengthened the walls with concrete segments, forming one and a half meter rings covering the tunnel shaft. Each ring took an average of 50 minutes to install. British cars averaged about 150 meters per week, while French cars - 110 due to various designs machines and conditions for drilling. In order for both ends to meet in the same place, a laser positioning system was used. Thanks to this system, both sides met at the designated point on December 1 at a depth of 40 m from the bottom of the strait. The error was 0.358 m horizontally and 0.058 m vertically. In total, the British side completed 84 km of the tunnel, and the French side - 69 km. The last meters of the tunnel were made by British and French drillers by hand - with the help of picks and shovels. After that, the main tunnels were connected and the British tunneling shields were taken to the underground depots, and the French ones were dismantled and removed from the tunnel.

To guide the machines, the operator looked at computer screens and video monitors. Before the tunnel work began, satellite observatories helped to calculate the exact path in all details. Narrow drills were used to probe samples of calcareous clay, showing in which direction to move more than 150 meters. A laser beam directed at a light-sensitive point on the combine helped the driver to choose the right direction.

At six or eight kilometers from the coast, tunneling machines built crossings under the English Channel, along which, when necessary, trains could be transferred from one tunnel to another. Every 375 meters, tunneling teams equipped with small-sized equipment laid transitions to connect the main tunnels with service ones.

In the arch above the service tunnel, pressure relief channels were installed that connected the two main tunnels.

During the construction period, 8 million cubic meters of rock were removed (a cube with a face size of 200 m). Each side disposed of its part in its own way. The French simply mixed the earth with water and brought the resulting pulp back into the sea. And from the rock taken out by the British, an artificial cape of Shakespeare with an area of ​​90 acres (0.36 sq. km) was formed on the British coast, on which a park was subsequently arranged.

The project was completed in seven years by 13,000 workers and engineers.

Safety system

The Eurotunnel consists of three tunnels - two main tunnels with rail tracks for trains traveling north and south, and one small service tunnel. The service tunnel every 375 meters has passages connecting it with the main ones. It is designed for access to the main tunnels for service personnel and emergency evacuation of people in case of danger.

Every 250 meters, both main tunnels are interconnected by a special ventilation system located on top of the service tunnel. This airlock system negates the piston effect of moving trains by distributing airflow into the adjacent tunnel.

All three tunnels have two interchanges, allowing trains to move freely between the tunnels.

The movement of trains is left-hand, as on the rest of the railways in France and Great Britain.

Transport system

TGV line built for Eurotunnel LGV Nord Europe, thanks to which you can get from Paris to London in 2 hours and 15 minutes.

The train tunnel itself is overcome by Eurostar in 20 minutes, and Shuttle - in 35 minutes.

Four types of trains operate on the Eurotunnel line:

accidents

The Eurotunnel safety system was tested eight times in real emergencies.

November 18, 1996

All victims subsequently fully recovered. There were no casualties, mainly due to the design of the tunnel and well-coordinated work security services of France and Great Britain.

The Eurotunnel was reopened three days later on 21 November. Only one tunnel worked and only for freight trains - safety rules forbade passenger transportation during emergency situations. They were only renewed on 4 December. Fully Eurotunnel began to work from January 7 .

October 10, 2001

One of the trains suddenly stopped in the middle of the tunnel. There was panic among the passengers, many were subject to bouts of claustrophobia. People spent about five hours underground until they were evacuated through a service tunnel.

August 21, 2006

One of the trucks transported by the shuttle train caught fire. Traffic through the tunnel was suspended for several hours.

September 11, 2008

There was a fire in the French section of the tunnel - in one of the wagons of a freight train en route from the UK to France. The train was transporting trucks. There were 32 people in it - mostly drivers accompanying their cars. All people were evacuated. As a result of the fire, 14 people were hospitalized, who were poisoned by carbon monoxide or received minor injuries during the evacuation. The tunnel continued to burn all night and even in the morning. In the UK, Kent was hit by huge traffic jams as police closed roads to prevent vehicles from approaching the tunnel entrances.

After this accident, traffic in the tunnel was fully restored only on February 23, 2009.

December 18, 2009

Due to the failure of the tunnel's power supply system as a result of a sharp temperature drop and snowfall in northern France, five trains stood in the tunnel.

The breakdowns occurred due to the fact that the trains were not ready for operation in winter conditions, they did not have enough protection for the conductive lines and undercarriage space. Eurostar noted that all trains undergo annual maintenance, taking into account cold weather, but the measures taken were not enough.

January 7, 2010

A Eurostar passenger train with 260 passengers en route from Brussels to London was stuck in the Channel Tunnel for two hours. Brigades of specialists were sent to the train, as well as an auxiliary locomotive that took the faulty train in tow. Representatives of the company Eurotunnel said that the reason for the breakdown of the train was snow. He got into the compartments with the electrical equipment of the train, and melted after entering the tunnel.

March 27, 2014

The movement of trains through the tunnel was interrupted due to a fire in a building located next to the entrance to the tunnel on the British side. Four Eurostar trains were returned to their departure points in London, Paris and Brussels. The cause of the incident was a lightning strike. There were no casualties.

January 17, 2015

Smoke is pouring out of the Eurotunnel, train traffic has been suspended.

The movement of trains on the tunnel under the English Channel, connecting the UK and France, was stopped because of a truck on fire. The fire broke out in a tunnel near the French entrance.

The passengers of the train, which was at that time in the tunnel, were evacuated due to smoke. There were no casualties. All the trains that entered the line were returned to the stations.

This was the fourth time since the beginning of the operation of the Eurotunnel that it was closed due to trucks on the train platform catching fire.

Illegal immigrants

The tunnel has become a relatively easy way for illegal immigrants to enter the UK, where social politics favored by visiting foreigners.

On the night of July 28-29, 2015, about two thousand immigrants tried to illegally enter the UK from France through a tunnel. This incident was the largest attempt by illegal migrants to cross the English Channel in order to illegally enter the UK. According to TASS [