View source for Channel Tunnel

{{Short description|Undersea rail tunnel linking France to UK}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2014}}
{{Infobox tunnel
|image = TGV_TMST_3011-2_-_Sortie_Tunnel_sous_la_Manche_à_Coquelles.jpg
|caption =
|line =
|map = {{maplink |type=line |frame=yes |plain=yes |frame-align=center |zoom=8}}
|location = [[English Channel]] ([[Strait of Dover]])
|coordinates = {{coord|51.0125|1.5041|display=inline,title|dim:50km_region:GB_type:landmark}}
|system =
|status = Active
|start = [[Folkestone]], [[Kent]], England,<br />({{Coord|51.0971|N|1.1558|E|name=Folkestone Portal}})
|end = [[Coquelles]], [[Pas-de-Calais]], [[Hauts-de-France]], France<br />({{Coord|50.9228|N|1.7804|E|name=Coquelles Portal}})
|stations =
|opened = {{plain list|
* {{start date and age|1994|05|06|df=y}} (tunnel)
* 1 June 1994 (freight)
* 14 November 1994 (passenger service)
}}
|owner = [[Getlink]]
|operator = {{plain list|
* [[DB Cargo UK]]
* [[Eurostar]]
* [[Getlink]]
}}
|character = Passenger trains, freight trains, vehicle shuttle trains
|linelength = {{convert|50.46|km|2|abbr=in}}
|tracklength =
|notrack = 2 [[single track (rail)|single track]] tunnels<br />1 service tunnel
|gauge = {{RailGauge|sg|allk=on}}
|el = {{25 kV 50 Hz|conductor=overhead}}, 5.87&nbsp;m <ref>{{cite book|title=The Channel Tunnel: Transport systems, Volume 4|volume=108|issue=2|author=Institution of Civil Engineers (Great Britain)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rqiB8R1iCZoC|publisher=Thomas Telford|year=1995|page=22|isbn=9780727720245}}</ref>
|speed = {{cvt|160|km/h}} (safety restriction)<br /> {{cvt|200|km/h}} (design<!-- possible by track geometry -->)<ref>{{cite book|title=The Channel Tunnel: Terminals|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZuKO5CY4udEC|year=1993|publisher=Thomas Telford|isbn=978-0-7277-1939-3}}</ref>
|hielevation =
|lowelevation =
}}
{{Channel Tunnel RDT}}

The '''Channel Tunnel''' ({{langx|fr|Tunnel sous la Manche}}), sometimes referred to by the [[Portmanteau|portmanteau]] '''Chunnel''',<ref name="BBC openingceremony"/><ref name="chunnel_name">{{Cite news |last=Baraniuk |first=Chris |date=23 August 2017 |title=The Channel Tunnel that was never built |work=[[BBC]] |url=https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20170823-the-channel-tunnel-that-never-was-built |access-date=21 July 2022}}</ref> is a {{convert|50.46|km|mi|adj=on|abbr=off}} undersea railway tunnel, opened in 1994, that connects [[Folkestone]] ([[Kent]], England) with [[Coquelles]] ([[Pas-de-Calais]], France) beneath the [[English Channel]] at the [[Strait of Dover]]. It is the only fixed link between the island of [[Great Britain]] and the European mainland. 

At its lowest point, the tunnel is {{Convert|75|m|abbr=off}} below the sea bed and {{Convert|115|m|abbr=off}} below sea level.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ferryto.co.uk/ports/Folkestone.html |title=Folkestone Eurotunnel Trains |publisher=Transworld Leisure Limited |access-date=11 February 2017}}</ref><ref name="ICE p. 95"/><ref>{{cite magazine | url = http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/extreme_machines/4217338.html?series=23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517204320/http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/engineering/4217338?series=23 |archive-date=17 May 2014 |date=1 October 2009 |title = Turkey Building the World's Deepest Immersed Tube Tunnel |first=Jeff |last=Wise |magazine=[[Popular Mechanics]] }}</ref> At {{convert|37.9|km|abbr=off}}, it has the longest underwater section of any tunnel in the world and is the [[List of longest railway tunnels|third-longest railway tunnel in the world]]. While designed to accommodate trains travelling at up to {{Convert|200|km/h|abbr=off}}, for safety, trains are restricted to a top speed of {{Convert|160|km/h|abbr=off}} through the tunnel.<ref name="AE">{{cite web|url=http://www.autoevolution.com/news/the-channel-tunnel-traveling-under-the-sea-18461.html|title=The Channel Tunnel – Traveling Under the Sea|last=Dumitrache|first=Alina|date=24 March 2010|work=AutoEvolution|access-date=2 August 2014}}</ref> The tunnel is owned and operated by [[Getlink]], formerly Groupe Eurotunnel.

The tunnel carries high-speed [[Eurostar]] passenger trains, [[LeShuttle]] services for road vehicles<ref name="Anderson Story p xvi-xvii"/> and [[Rail freight transport|freight trains]].<ref name="Chisholm"/> It connects end-to-end with [[high-speed rail]]way lines: the [[LGV Nord]] in France and [[High Speed 1]] in England. In 2017, Eurostar trains carried 10.3{{nbsp}}million passengers, freight trains transported {{Convert|1.2|e6t|e9lb|abbr=none}} of freight, and Shuttle trains moved 10.4{{nbsp}}million passengers, 2.6{{nbsp}}million cars, 51,000 coaches, and 1.6{{nbsp}}million [[heavy goods vehicles]] carrying {{Convert|21.3|e6t|e9lb|abbr=none}} of freight.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.getlinkgroup.com/uk/group/operations/traffic-figures/ | title=Traffic figures|access-date=11 July 2018 | publisher=GetLink Group }}</ref> That compares with 11.7{{nbsp}}million passengers, 2.2{{nbsp}}million cars, and 2.6{{nbsp}}million heavy goods vehicles transported by sea through the [[Port of Dover]].<ref name=stats>{{cite web | url=http://www.doverport.co.uk/about/performance/ | title=About/Performance | publisher=Port of Dover | access-date=11 July 2018 | archive-date=12 April 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220412195700/https://www.doverport.co.uk/about/performance/ | url-status=dead }}</ref>

Plans to build a cross-Channel tunnel were proposed as early as 1802,{{sfn|Whiteside|1962|p=17}}<ref>{{cite news | url = http://library.thinkquest.org/5983/pages/chunnel.htm | title = The Channel Tunnel | publisher=library.thinkquest.org | access-date =19 July 2009 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071212192247/http://library.thinkquest.org/5983/pages/chunnel.htm | archive-date= 12 December 2007 }}</ref> but British political and media criticism motivated by fears of compromising national security had disrupted attempts to build one.<ref name="Wilson pp. 14–21"/> An early unsuccessful attempt was made in the late 19th century, on the English side, "in the hope of forcing the hand of the English Government".<ref>{{cite book|title=Paddy at Home ("Chez Paddy")|publisher=[[Chapman & Hall]] Covent Garden, London|edition=2nd|date=1887}}</ref> The eventual successful project, organised by [[Getlink|Eurotunnel]], began construction in 1988 and opened in 1994. Estimated to cost £5.5 billion in 1985,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a276860.pdf |title=The Channel Tunnel – A Case Study |first=Leslie Allen |last=Veditz |publisher=The Industrial College of the Armed Forces, National Defense University |location=Fort McNair, Washington, D.C., U.S. |page=8 |access-date=9 December 2016 |archive-date=21 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221053024/http://dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a276860.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> it was at the time the most expensive construction project ever proposed. The cost finally amounted to £4.65 billion (equivalent to £{{Inflation|UK|4.65|1994|r=1}}&nbsp;billion in {{Inflation/year|UK}}).<ref name="Flyvbjerg p. 12"/> A cost-benefit analysis of the tunnel indicated that there were few effects on the wider economy and few developments associated with the project and that the British economy would have been better off if it had not been constructed.<ref name="Anguera 2006"/><ref name="Flyvbjerg"/>

Since its opening, the tunnel has experienced occasional mechanical problems. Both fires and cold weather have temporarily disrupted its operation.<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2008/sep/12/transport.channeltunnel1 | title = Channel tunnel fire worst in service's history | work=The Guardian | access-date = 21 February 2014 | date = 12 September 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8421875.stm | title = Thousands freed from Channel Tunnel after trains fail | work=BBC News | access-date = 21 February 2014 | date = 19 December 2009 }}</ref> Since at least 1997, aggregations of [[migrants around Calais]] seeking entry to the United Kingdom, such as through the tunnel, have prompted deterrence and countermeasures.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/7171985.stm | title = Four men caught in Channel Tunnel | work=BBC News | access-date = 19 July 2009 | date = 4 January 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2002/may/23/immigration.immigrationandpublicservices1 | title = Sangatte refugee camp |work=The Guardian |location=UK | access-date =19 July 2009 | date=23 May 2002}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/11904605/French-Channel-Tunnel-train-drivers-haunted-by-migrant-deaths.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/11904605/French-Channel-Tunnel-train-drivers-haunted-by-migrant-deaths.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=French Channel Tunnel train drivers 'haunted' by migrant deaths|date=1 October 2015|access-date=18 January 2017|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

== History ==

=== Earlier proposals ===
{{quote box
| title = Key dates
| align = right
| width = 25%
| quote = 
* '''1802''': Albert Mathieu put forward a cross-Channel tunnel proposal.
* '''1875''': The Channel Tunnel Company Ltd<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/sites/c/channel_tunnel_1880_attempt/index.shtml |title=Subterranea Britannica: Channel Tunnel – 1880 attempt |publisher=subbrit.org |access-date=19 July 2009}}</ref> began preliminary trials
* '''1882''': The Abbot's Cliff heading had reached {{convert|897|yd}} and that at Shakespeare Cliff was {{convert|2040|yd}} in length
* '''January 1975''': A UK–France government-backed scheme, which started in 1974, was cancelled
* '''February 1986''': The [[Treaty of Canterbury (1986)|Treaty of Canterbury]] was signed, allowing the project to proceed
* '''June 1988''': First tunnelling commenced in France
* '''December 1988''': UK [[Tunnel boring machine|TBM]] commenced operation
* '''December 1990''': Service tunnel broke through under the Channel
* '''May 1994''': Tunnel formally opened by Queen [[Elizabeth II]] and [[François Mitterrand|President Mitterrand]]
* '''June 1994''': Freight trains commenced operations
* '''November 1994''': Passenger trains commenced operation
* '''November 1996''': Fire in a heavy goods vehicle (HGV) shuttle severely damaged the tunnel
* '''November 2007''': [[High Speed 1]], linking London to the tunnel, opened
* '''September 2008''': Another fire in an HGV shuttle severely damaged the tunnel
* '''December 2009''': Eurostar trains stranded in the tunnel due to melting snow affecting the trains' electrical hardware
* '''November 2011''': First commercial freight service run on [[High Speed 1]]

}}
In 1802, Albert Mathieu-Favier, a French mining engineer, proposed a tunnel under the English Channel, with illumination from oil lamps, horse-drawn coaches, and an artificial island positioned mid-Channel for changing horses.{{sfn|Whiteside|1962|p=17}} His design envisaged a bored two-level tunnel with the top tunnel used for transport and the bottom one for [[groundwater]] flows.<ref>{{cite web|title=Channel Tunnel History|url=http://www.eurotunnelgroup.com/uk/the-channel-tunnel/history/|publisher=[[Getlink|Eurotunnel]]|access-date=7 June 2017|archive-date=22 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120722224731/http://www.eurotunnelgroup.com/uk/the-channel-tunnel/history/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 1839, [[Aimé Thomé de Gamond]], a Frenchman, performed the first geological and hydrographical surveys on the Channel between Calais and Dover. He explored several schemes and, in 1856, presented a proposal to [[Napoleon III]] for a mined railway tunnel from Cap [[Gris-Nez]] to [[East Wear Bay|East Wear Point]] with a port/airshaft on the [[Varne Bank|Varne sandbank]]{{sfn|Whiteside|1962|pp=18–23}}<ref>{{cite book |last=Wilson |first=Keith |date= January 1994|title=Channel Tunnel Visions, 1850-1945 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AnU5bZT7gRMC&pg=PA6 |location=London |publisher=Hambledon Press |page=6 |isbn=978-1852851323 }}</ref> at a cost of 170&nbsp;million [[French franc|francs]], or less than £7&nbsp;million.<ref name="NY Times 1866">{{cite news |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1866/08/07/83456856.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200605163617/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1866/08/07/83456856.pdf |archive-date=5 June 2020 |url-status=live |title=The Proposed Tunnel Between England and France |work=The New York Times |date=7 August 1866 |access-date=3 January 2008 }}</ref>
[[File:AlbertMathieuFavierPlanOfCoachServiceThroughtTheChanneltunnel.png|thumb|Albert Mathieu-Favier's plans for a coach service through the channel as of 1802 containing huge ventilation chimneys.]]

[[File:Channel Tunnel 1856 idea from Gamond 1a.png|thumb|[[Aimé Thomé de Gamond|Thomé de Gamond]]'s plan of 1856 for a cross-Channel link, with a port/airshaft on the [[Varne Bank|Varne sandbank]] mid-Channel]]

In 1865, a deputation led by [[George Ward Hunt]] proposed the idea of a tunnel to the [[Chancellor of the Exchequer]] of the day, [[William Ewart Gladstone]].<ref name="William Gladstone 1888">{{cite book|last=Gladstone |first=William |author-link=William Ewart Gladstone|editor=A. W. Hutton & H. J. Cohen|title=The Speeches of the Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone on Home Rule, Criminal Law, Welsh And Irish Nationality, National Debt and the Queen's Reign|series=The Speeches And Public Addresses of the Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone, M.P. |volume=X|date=1902 |publisher=Methuen And Company|location=London |chapter=[[s:The Channel Tunnel (Gladstone)|The Channel Tunnel]]}}</ref>

In 1866, [[Henry Marc Brunel]] made a survey of the floor of the Strait of Dover. By his results, he proved that the floor was composed of chalk, like the adjoining cliffs, and thus a tunnel was feasible.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Donovan |first=Desmond T. |date=February 1967 |title=Henry Marc Brunel: The first submarine geological survey and the invention of the gravity corer |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/0025322767900655 |journal=Marine Geology|volume=5 |issue=1 |pages=5–14 |doi=10.1016/0025-3227(67)90065-5|bibcode=1967MGeol...5....5D |url-access=subscription }}</ref> For this survey, he invented the [[Box corer|gravity corer]], which is still used in geology.

Around 1866, William Low and Sir [[John Hawkshaw]] promoted tunnel ideas,<ref>{{cite book | last = Beaumont | first = Martin | title = Sir John Hawkshaw 1811-1891 | publisher = The Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Society www.lyrs.org.uk | year = 2015 | pages = 126–129 | isbn = 978-0-9559467-7-6 }}</ref> but apart from preliminary geological studies,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article8842035 |title=Things Worth Recording about Steam Navigation |newspaper=[[The Mercury (Hobart)|The Mercury]] |location=Hobart, Tas. |date=9 October 1866 |access-date=26 April 2014 |page=3 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> none were implemented.

An official Anglo-French protocol was established in 1876 for a cross-Channel railway tunnel.
[[File:LionCannotFaceTheCrowingOfCock.png|thumb|American cartoon (c. 1885) depicting fears of the Channel Tunnel: One of the strongest opponents of the Channel Tunnel, [[Garnet Wolseley, 1st Viscount Wolseley|General Wolseley]] riding on the fleeing lion.]]
In 1881, British railway entrepreneur Sir [[Edward Watkin]] and [[Alexandre Lavalley]], a French [[Suez Canal Company|Suez Canal contractor]], were in the Anglo-French Submarine Railway Company that conducted exploratory work on both sides of the Channel.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6ok9AQAAIAAJ|title=Scientific American, "The English Channel Tunnel"|date=30 October 1880|publisher=Munn & Company|pages=279}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zoE9AQAAIAAJ&q=rosenberger|title=Scientific American|date=25 March 1882|publisher=Munn & Company|pages=185}}</ref> From June 1882 to March 1883, the British [[tunnel boring machine]] tunnelled, through chalk, a total of {{Cvt|1840|m|ft|0}},{{sfn|Hemphill|2013}} while Lavalley used a similar machine to drill {{Cvt|1669|m|ft|0}} from [[Sangatte]] on the French side.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Wilson |first1=Jeremy |last2=Spick |first2=Jérôme |title=Eurotunnel: The Illustrated Journey |date=1994 |publisher=Harper Collins |location=New York, NY, USA |isbn=0-00-255539-5 |pages=14–21}}</ref> However, the cross-Channel tunnel project was abandoned in 1883, despite this success, after fears raised by the British military that an underwater tunnel might be used as an invasion route.{{sfn|Hemphill|2013}}<ref>Terry Gourvish, ''The Official History of Britain and the Channel Tunnel'' (Abington, England: Routledge, 2006), Chapter 1, § 2: The commercial possibilities:  Lord Richard Grosvenor, Sir Edward Watkin and the 'Manchester to Paris Railroad'.</ref> Nevertheless, in 1883, this TBM was used to bore a railway ventilation tunnel—{{cvt|7|ft}} in diameter and {{cvt|6750|ft}} long—between [[Birkenhead]] and [[Liverpool]], England, through sandstone under the [[River Mersey|Mersey River]].{{sfn|West|1988|p=248}} These early works were encountered more than a century later during the project [[TransManche Link]] (TML).

A 1907 film, ''[[Tunnelling the English Channel]]'' by pioneer filmmaker [[Georges Méliès]],<ref name=MM>{{citation|last1=Malthête|first1=Jacques|last2=Mannoni|first2=Laurent|title=L'oeuvre de Georges Méliès|year=2008|location=Paris|publisher=Éditions de La Martinière|isbn=9782732437323|page=219}}</ref> depicts King [[Edward VII]] and President [[Armand Fallières]] dreaming of building a tunnel under the [[English Channel]].

In 1919, during the [[Paris Peace Conference, 1919|Paris Peace Conference]], British prime minister [[David Lloyd George]] repeatedly brought up the idea of a Channel tunnel as a way of reassuring France about British willingness to defend against another German attack. The French did not take the idea seriously, and nothing came of the proposal.<ref>{{cite book |last=MacMillan |first=Margaret |title=Paris 1919 |url=https://archive.org/details/paris1919sixmont00macm |url-access=registration |publisher=Random House |year=2002 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/paris1919sixmont00macm/page/174 174], 194|isbn=9780375508264 }}</ref>

In the 1920s, [[Winston Churchill]] advocated for the Channel Tunnel, using that exact name in his essay "Should Strategists Veto The Tunnel?" It was published on 27 July 1924 in the ''[[Sunday Dispatch|Weekly Dispatch]]'', and argued vehemently against the idea that the tunnel could be used by a Continental enemy in an invasion of Britain. Churchill expressed his enthusiasm for the project again in an article for the ''[[Daily Mail]]'' on 12 February 1936, "Why Not A Channel Tunnel?"<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Collected Essays of Sir Winston Churchill, Vol I, Churchill at War|last=Churchill|first=Winston|publisher=Library of Imperial History|year=1976|isbn=0903988429|edition=Centenary|pages=260–264 and 357–359}}</ref>

There was another proposal in 1929, but nothing came of this discussion and the idea was abandoned. Proponents estimated the construction cost at US$150{{nbsp}}million. The engineers had addressed the concerns of both nations' military leaders by designing two [[infiltration basin|sump]]s – one near the coast of each country – that could be flooded at will to block the tunnel, but this did not appease the military, or dispel concerns about hordes of tourists who would disrupt English life.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wN4DAAAAMBAJ&q=Popular+Science+1930+plane+%22Popular+Mechanics%22&pg=PA767 |title=New Plan for Channel Tunnel |magazine=Popular Mechanics |date=May 1929 |pages=767–768  |access-date=23 October 2017}}</ref>

A British film from [[Gaumont British|Gaumont Studios]], ''[[The Tunnel (1935 film)|The Tunnel]]'' (also known as ''TransAtlantic Tunnel''), was released in 1935 as a science-fiction project concerning the creation of a transatlantic tunnel. It referred briefly to its protagonist, a Mr. McAllan, as having completed a British Channel tunnel successfully in 1940, five years into the future of the film's release.

Military fears continued during [[World War II]]. After the [[fall of France|surrender of France]], as Britain prepared for an [[British anti-invasion preparations of World War II|expected German invasion]], a [[Royal Navy]] officer in the [[Directorate of Miscellaneous Weapons Development]] calculated that Hitler could use [[Forced labour under German rule during World War II|slave labour]] to build two Channel tunnels in 18 months. The estimate caused rumours that Germany had already begun digging.<ref name="breuer">{{cite book |title=The Spy Who Spent the War in Bed: And Other Bizarre Tales from World War II |publisher=Wiley |last=Breuer |first=William B. |year=2003 |location=Hoboken, New Jersey |page=[https://archive.org/details/spywhospentwarin0000breu/page/40 40] |isbn=0-471-26739-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/spywhospentwarin0000breu/page/40 }}</ref>

By 1955, defence arguments had become less relevant due to the dominance of air power, and both the British and French governments supported technical and geological surveys. In 1958 the 1881 workings were cleared in preparation for a £100,000 geological survey by the Channel Tunnel Study Group. 30% of the funding came from Channel Tunnel Co Ltd, the largest shareholder of which was the [[British Transport Commission]], as successor to the [[South Eastern Railway, UK|South Eastern Railway]].<ref>''Railway Magazine'' November 1958 p. 805</ref> A detailed geological survey was carried out in 1964 and 1965.<ref name="halcrow-film-1964–65">{{cite web |title=Channel Tunnel Site Investigation – 1964 |publisher=Halcrow Group |date=13 July 2011 |url=http://www.halcrow.com/Who-we-are/film_archive/Channel-Tunnel-site-investigation-film/ |access-date=26 July 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111001065054/http://www.halcrow.com/Who-we-are/film_archive/Channel-Tunnel-site-investigation-film/ |archive-date=1 October 2011 }}  Online presentation of a 1964–65 film documentary of a geological survey of the Channel, with a brief summary.</ref>

Although the two countries agreed to build a tunnel in 1964, the phase 1 initial studies and signing of a second agreement to cover phase 2 took until 1973.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|title = Illustrated London News|year = 1975}}</ref> The plan described a government-funded project to create two tunnels to accommodate car shuttle wagons on either side of a service tunnel. Construction started on both sides of the Channel in 1974.

On 20 January 1975, to the dismay of their French partners, the then-governing Labour Party in Britain cancelled the project due to uncertainty about the UK's membership of the [[European Economic Community]], doubling cost estimates amid the general economic crisis at the time.{{citation needed|date=July 2023}} By this time the British tunnel boring machine was ready and the Ministry of Transport had performed a {{convert|300|m|abbr=on}} experimental drive.<ref name="Wilson pp. 14–21" /> (This short tunnel, named Adit A1, was eventually reused as the starting and access point for tunnelling operations from the British side, and remains an access point to the service tunnel.) The cancellation costs were estimated at £17{{nbsp}}million.<ref name=":0" /> On the French side, a tunnel-boring machine had been installed underground in a stub tunnel. It lay there for 14 years until 1988, when it was sold, dismantled, refurbished and shipped to Turkey, where it was used to drive the Moda tunnel for the Istanbul Sewerage Scheme.

=== Initiation of project ===
{{see also|Premiership of Margaret Thatcher#Channel Tunnel}}
In 1979, the "Mouse-hole Project" was suggested when the Conservatives came to power in Britain. The concept was a single-track rail tunnel with a service tunnel but without shuttle terminals. The British government took no interest in funding the project, but British Prime Minister [[Margaret Thatcher]] did not object to a privately funded project, although she said she assumed it would be for cars rather than trains. In 1981, Thatcher and French president [[François Mitterrand]] agreed to establish a working group to evaluate a privately funded project. In June 1982 the Franco-British study group favoured a twin tunnel to accommodate conventional trains and a vehicle shuttle service. In April 1985 promoters were invited to submit scheme proposals. Four submissions were shortlisted:
* Channel Tunnel, a rail proposal based on the 1975 scheme presented by Channel Tunnel Group/France–Manche (CTG/F–M).
* Eurobridge, a {{convert|35|km|adj=on|abbr=in}} [[suspension bridge]] with a series of {{convert|5|km|adj=on|abbr=in}} spans with a roadway in an enclosed tube.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zhjOPdmyz1wC&pg=PA18|department=Across the Channel by 2020?|title=The five cross-Channel contenders|magazine=[[New Scientist]]|access-date=12 October 2019|publisher=Reed Business Information|date=2 May 1985|page=18|first=Mick|last=Hamer}}{{Dead link|date=November 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
* Euroroute, a {{convert|21|km|adj=on|abbr=in}} tunnel between artificial islands approached by bridges.
* Channel Expressway, a set of large-diameter road tunnels with mid-Channel ventilation towers.<ref name="Wilson pp. 14–21"/>

The cross-Channel ferry industry protested using the name "Flexilink". In 1975 there was no campaign protesting a fixed link, with one of the largest ferry operators ([[Sealink]]) being state-owned. Flexilink continued rousing opposition throughout 1986 and 1987.<ref name="Wilson pp. 14–21"/> Public opinion strongly favoured a drive-through tunnel, but concerns about ventilation, accident management and driver mesmerisation resulted in the only shortlisted rail submission, CTG/F-M, being awarded the project in January 1986.<ref name="Wilson pp. 14–21">Wilson pp. 14–21</ref> Reasons given for the selection included that it caused least disruption to shipping in the Channel and least environmental disruption, was the best protected against terrorism, and was the most likely to attract sufficient private finance.{{sfn|Foreign & Commonwealth Office|1994|p=5}}

=== Arrangement ===
[[File:Channel Tunnel project relations flow chart 1.svg|thumb|A block diagram describing the organisation structure used on the project. Eurotunnel is the central organisation for construction and operation (via a concession) of the tunnel.]]

The British ''Channel Tunnel Group'' consisted of two banks and five construction companies, while their French counterparts, ''France–Manche'', consisted of three banks and five construction companies. The banks' role was to advise on financing and secure loan commitments. On 2 July 1985, the groups formed Channel Tunnel Group/France–Manche (CTG/F–M). Their submission to the British and French governments was drawn from the 1975 project, including 11&nbsp;volumes and a substantial environmental impact statement.<ref name="Wilson pp. 14–21"/>

The Anglo-French Treaty on the Channel Tunnel was signed by both governments in [[Canterbury Cathedral]]. The [[Treaty of Canterbury (1986)]] prepared the Concession for the construction and operation of the Fixed Link by privately owned companies and outlined arbitration methods to be used in the event of disputes. It established the Intergovernmental Commission (IGC), responsible for monitoring all matters associated with the Tunnel's construction and operation on behalf of the British and French governments, and a Safety Authority to advise the IGC. It drew a [[France–UK border|land frontier between the two countries]] in the middle of the Channel tunnel—the first of its kind.<ref name=autogenerated1>Eurotunnel 2005 Annual Review, accessed on 10 December 2007 {{cite web |url=http://ww1.eurotunnel.com/NR/rdonlyres/D8313D6F-2EAB-4FA7-85DB-8A822E0E3A3E/0/UK_2_partie_RA2005.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=10 December 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080530173047/http://ww1.eurotunnel.com/NR/rdonlyres/D8313D6F-2EAB-4FA7-85DB-8A822E0E3A3E/0/UK_2_partie_RA2005.pdf |archive-date=30 May 2008 }}</ref><ref>BBC Inside Out – South East: Monday 14 October 2002, accessed on 11 December 2007 http://www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/southeast/series1/channel-tunnel.shtml</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Treaty concerning the construction and operation by private concessionaires of a channel fixed link. Signed at Canterbury on 12 February 1986|url=https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/UNTS/Volume%201497/volume-1497-I-25792-English.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221010/https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/UNTS/Volume%201497/volume-1497-I-25792-English.pdf |archive-date=10 October 2022 |url-status=live|editor=United Nations}}</ref>

Design and construction were done by the ten construction companies in the CTG/F-M group. The French terminal and boring from Sangatte were done by the five French construction companies in the joint venture group ''GIE Transmanche Construction''. The English Terminal and boring from Shakespeare Cliff were done by the five British construction companies in the ''Translink Joint Venture''. The two partnerships were linked by a bi-national project organisation, [[TransManche Link]] (TML).<ref name="Wilson pp. 14–21"/> The ''Maître d'Oeuvre'' was a supervisory engineering body employed by Eurotunnel under the terms of the concession that monitored the project and reported to the governments and banks.<ref name="Kirkland pp.10–11">Kirkland pp. 10–11</ref>

In France, with its long tradition of infrastructure investment, the project had widespread approval. The French National Assembly approved it unanimously in April 1987, and after a public inquiry, the Senate approved it unanimously in June. In Britain, select committees examined the proposal, making history by holding hearings away from Westminster, in Kent. In February 1987, the third reading of the Channel Tunnel Bill took place in the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]], and passed by 94&nbsp;votes to 22. The [[Channel Tunnel Act 1987|Channel Tunnel Act]] gained [[Royal assent]] and passed into law in July.<ref name="Wilson pp. 14–21"/> Parliamentary support for the project came partly from provincial members of Parliament on the basis of promises of [[regional Eurostar]] through train services that never materialised; the promises were repeated in 1996 when the contract for construction of the [[Channel Tunnel Rail Link]] was awarded.<ref>{{cite web |title=Parliamentary note on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link |url=http://www.parliament.uk/commons/lib/research/briefings/snbt-00070.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100423162022/http://www.parliament.uk/commons/lib/research/briefings/snbt-00070.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=23 April 2010 |publisher=[[House of Commons Library]] |access-date=5 April 2010}}</ref>

=== Cost ===
The tunnel is a build-own-operate-transfer ([[BOOT]]) project with a concession.<ref name="Flyvbjerg p. 96/97">Flyvbjerg et al. pp.&nbsp;96–97</ref> TML would design and build the tunnel, but financing was through a separate legal entity, Eurotunnel. Eurotunnel absorbed CTG/F-M and signed a construction contract with TML, but the British and French governments controlled final engineering and safety decisions, now managed by the [[Channel Tunnel Safety Authority]]. The British and French governments gave Eurotunnel a 55-year operating concession (from 1987; extended by 10 years to 65 years in 1993){{sfn|Foreign & Commonwealth Office|1994|p=5}} to repay loans and pay dividends. A Railway Usage Agreement was signed between Eurotunnel, [[British Rail]] and [[SNCF]] guaranteeing future revenue in exchange for the railways obtaining half of the tunnel's capacity.

Private funding for such a complex infrastructure project was of unprecedented scale. Initial equity of £45&nbsp;million was raised by CTG/F-M, increased by £206&nbsp;million private institutional placement, £770&nbsp;million was raised in a public share offer that included press and television advertisements, a syndicated bank loan and [[letter of credit]] arranged £5&nbsp;billion.<ref name="Wilson pp. 14–21"/> Privately financed, the total investment costs at 1985 prices were £2.6&nbsp;billion. At the 1994 completion actual costs were, in 1985 prices, £4.65&nbsp;billion: an 80% [[cost overrun]].<ref name="Flyvbjerg p. 12">Flyvbjerg et al. p. 12</ref> The cost overrun was partly due to enhanced safety, security, and environmental demands.<ref name="Flyvbjerg p. 96/97"/> Financing costs were 140% higher than forecast.<ref name="Flyvbjerg p. 3">Flyvbjerg et al. p. 3</ref>

=== Construction ===
[[File:A déli pajzs a keresztezőkamrában.jpg|thumb|One of the southern tunnel boring machines]]
Working from both the English and French sides of the Channel, eleven [[tunnel boring machine]]s (TBMs) cut through chalk [[marl]] to construct two rail tunnels and a service tunnel. The vehicle shuttle terminals are at [[Cheriton, Kent|Cheriton]] (part of [[Folkestone]]) and Coquelles, and are connected to the English [[M20 motorway|M20]] and French [[A16 motorway (France)|A16]] motorways respectively.

Tunnelling commenced in 1988, and the tunnel began operating in 1994.<ref name="BBConthisday">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/1/newsid_2516000/2516473.stm |title=On this day: Tunnel links UK and Europe |work=BBC News |access-date=19 July 2009 |date=1 December 1990}}</ref> At the peak of construction 15,000&nbsp;people were employed with daily expenditure over £3&nbsp;million.<ref name="Anderson Story p xvi-xvii">Anderson, pp. xvi–xvii</ref> Ten workers, eight of them British, were killed during construction between 1987 and 1993, most in the first few months of boring.<ref name="Harlow">{{cite news |first=John |last=Harlow |title=Phantom Trains Wreak Havoc in Channel Tunnel |work=The Times |location=UK |date=2 April 1995}}</ref><ref name="ingenious 1">{{cite web |url=http://www.ingenious.org.uk/Read/Identity/RailwaysandIdentity/Navvies/ |title=Navvies |date=11 March 2008 |publisher=ingenious |access-date=19 July 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090727195547/http://www.ingenious.org.uk/Read/Identity/RailwaysandIdentity/Navvies/ |archive-date=27 July 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/thirteen-workers-die-as-safety-standards-are-ignored-in-race-to-build-olympic-sites-558698.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081204174908/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/thirteen-workers-die-as-safety-standards-are-ignored-in-race-to-build-olympic-sites-558698.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=4 December 2008 |title=Thirteen workers die as safety standards are ignored in race to build Olympic sites |work=The Independent |location=UK |access-date=26 September 2008 |date=3 April 2004}}</ref>

=== Completion ===

[[File:319008 at Sandling.jpg|thumb|right|[[British Rail Class 319|Class 319]] EMUs ran excursions into the tunnel from [[Sandling railway station]] on 7 May 1994, the first passenger trains to go through the Channel Tunnel.]]

A {{Cvt|50|mm||}} diameter pilot hole allowed the service tunnel to break through without ceremony on 30 October 1990.<ref name="WashPost">{{cite news |title=Britain and France Link Up-at Last |first=Glenn |last=Frankel |newspaper=The Washington Post|date=31 October 1990}}</ref> On 1 December 1990, Englishman Graham Fagg and Frenchman Phillippe Cozette broke through the service tunnel with the media watching.<ref name="Evening Mail birthday">{{cite news |title=Chunnel birthday |work=Evening Mail |publisher=Birmingham Post & Mail Ltd |date=2 December 2000}}</ref> Eurotunnel completed the tunnel on time.<ref name="Flyvbjerg p. 96/97"/> (A [[BBC TV]] television commentator called Graham Fagg "the first man to cross the Channel by land [[Last Glacial Period#Deglaciation|for 8000 years]]".) The two tunnelling efforts met each other with an offset of only {{Cvt|36.2|cm||}}. A [[Paddington Bear]] soft toy was chosen by British tunnellers as the first item to pass through to their French counterparts when the two sides met.<ref>{{cite news |date=4 October 2016 |title=Paddington Bear: 13 things you didn't know |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/film-news/10777912/Paddington-Bear-13-things-you-didnt-know.html |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/film-news/10777912/Paddington-Bear-13-things-you-didnt-know.html |archive-date=12 January 2022}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

The tunnel was officially opened, one year later than originally planned, by the French president [[François Mitterrand]] and Queen [[Elizabeth II]], at a ceremony in [[Calais]] on 6 May 1994. The Queen travelled through the tunnel to Calais on a [[Eurostar]] train, which stopped nose to nose with the train that carried President Mitterrand from Paris.<ref name="BBC openingceremony">{{cite news |title=On This Day – 1994: President and Queen open Chunnel |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/6/newsid_2511000/2511653.stm |work=BBC News |date=6 May 1994 |access-date=12 January 2008}}</ref> After the ceremony, President Mitterrand and the Queen travelled on [[Eurotunnel Shuttle|Le Shuttle]] to a similar ceremony in [[Folkestone]].<ref name="BBC openingceremony"/> A full public service did not start for several months. The first freight train, however, ran on 1 June 1994 and carried [[Rover Group|Rover]] and [[Mini]] cars being exported to Italy.

The Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL), now called [[High Speed 1]], runs {{convert|69|mi|km|0|}} from [[St Pancras railway station]] in London to the tunnel portal at Folkestone in Kent. It cost £5.8&nbsp;billion. On 16 September 2003 the prime minister, [[Tony Blair]], opened the first section of High Speed 1, from Folkestone to north Kent. On 6 November 2007, the Queen officially opened High Speed 1 and St Pancras International station,<ref name="High-speed Newswire">{{cite news |first=Peter |last=Woodman |title=High-speed Rail Link Finally Completed |work=Press Association National Newswire |date=14 November 2007}}</ref> replacing the original slower link to [[Waterloo International railway station]]. High Speed 1 trains travel at up to {{convert|300|km/h|mph|0|abbr=on}}, the journey from London to Paris taking 2&nbsp;hours 15&nbsp;minutes, to Brussels 1&nbsp;hour 51&nbsp;minutes.<ref name="NewsAsia High Speed 1">{{cite news |title=New high-speed rail line opens to link Britain to Europe |publisher=Channel NewsAsia |date=15 November 2007}}</ref>

In 1994, the [[American Society of Civil Engineers]] elected the tunnel as one of the seven modern [[Wonders of the World]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.asce.org/People-and-Projects/Projects/Seven-Wonders/Seven-Wonders/ |title=Seven Wonders |publisher=American Society of Civil Engineers |access-date=7 October 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121026093022/http://www.asce.org/People-and-Projects/Projects/Seven-Wonders/Seven-Wonders/ |archive-date=26 October 2012 }}
</ref> In 1995, the American magazine ''[[Popular Mechanics]]'' published the results.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Pope |first=Gregory T. |title=The seven wonders of the modern world |newspaper=Popular Mechanics |pages=48–56 |date=December 1995 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O2YEAAAAMBAJ&q=itaipu&pg=PA52 }}</ref>

==Opening dates==
The opening was phased for various services offered as the Channel Tunnel Safety Authority, the IGC, gave permission for various services to begin at several dates over the period 1994/1995 but start-up dates were a few days later.<ref name="rail-253">{{cite magazine|page=15|magazine=[[Rail Magazine]]|issue=253|first=Barrie|last=Hughes}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+Channel Tunnel start of traffic dates
!Traffic flow
!data-sort-type=date| Start of service
|-
| HGV lorry shuttles||19 May 1994<ref name="rail-228">{{cite magazine|page=8,16|magazine=[[Rail Magazine]]|issue=228|first=Barrie|last=Hughes}}</ref>
|-
| Freight || 1 June 1994<ref name="rail-228"/>
|-
| Eurostar passenger || 14 November 1994<ref name="rail-240">{{cite magazine|page=16|magazine=[[Rail Magazine]]|issue=240|first=Barrie|last=Hughes}}</ref>
|-
| Car shuttles || 22 December 1994<ref name="rail-243">{{cite magazine|page=6|magazine=[[Rail Magazine]]|issue=243|first=Barrie|last=Hughes}}</ref>
|-
| Coach shuttles || 26 June 1995<ref name="rail-257">{{cite magazine|page=16|magazine=[[Rail Magazine]]|issue=257|first=Barrie|last=Hughes}}</ref>
|-
| Bicycle service || 10 August 1995<ref name="rail-260">{{cite magazine|page=19|magazine=[[Rail Magazine]]|issue=260}}</ref>
|-
| Motorcycle service || 31 August 1995<ref name="rail-262">{{cite magazine|page=14|magazine=[[Rail Magazine]]|issue=262}}</ref>
|-
| Caravan/campervan service || 30 September 1995<ref name="rail-262"/>
|}

== Engineering ==
[[File:Channel Tunnel NRM.jpg|thumb|upright|The Channel Tunnel exhibit at the [[National Railway Museum]] in [[York]], England, showing the circular cross section of the tunnel with the [[overhead line]] powering a [[British Rail Class 373|Eurostar train]]. Also visible is the segmented tunnel lining.]]

Site investigation undertaken in the 20 years before construction confirmed earlier speculations that a tunnel could be bored through a chalk [[marl]] stratum. The chalk marl is conducive to tunnelling, with impermeability, ease of excavation and strength. The chalk marl runs along the entire length of the English side of the tunnel, but on the French side a length of {{convert|5|km|mi|abbr=in}} has variable and difficult geology. The tunnel consists of three bores: two {{cvt|7.6|m|ftin||adj=on}} diameter rail tunnels, {{cvt|30|m|ft|0}} apart, {{convert|50|km|mi|0|abbr=in}} in length with a {{cvt|4.8|m|ftin||adj=on}} diameter service tunnel in between. The three bores are connected by cross-passages and piston relief ducts. 

The service tunnel was used as a pilot tunnel, boring ahead of the main tunnels to determine the conditions. English access was provided at Shakespeare Cliff and French access from a shaft at Sangatte. The French side used five [[tunnel boring machine]]s (TBMs), and the English side six. The service tunnel uses Service Tunnel Transport System (STTS) and Light Service Tunnel Vehicles (LADOGS). Fire safety was a critical design issue.

Between the portals at Beussingue and [[Castle Hill, Folkestone|Castle Hill]] the tunnel is {{convert|50.5|km|mi|0|abbr=in}} long, with {{convert|3.3|km|mi|0|abbr=in}} under land on the French side and {{convert|9.3|km|mi|0|abbr=in}} on the UK side, and {{convert|37.9|km|mi|0|abbr=in}} under sea.<ref name="ICE p. 95">Institute of Civil Engineers p. 95{{inconsistent|reason=The book has only 65 pages: please verify the source.}}</ref> It is the third-longest rail tunnel in the world, behind the [[Gotthard Base Tunnel]] in Switzerland and the [[Seikan Tunnel]] in Japan, but with the longest under-sea section.<ref name="Daily Post 2006">{{cite news | first = Jane | last = Gilbert | title = 'Chunnel' workers link France and Britain |work=The Daily Post (New Zealand) | publisher=APN NZ Ltd | date = 1 December 2006 }}</ref> The average depth is {{cvt|45|m|ft|0}} below the seabed.<ref name="Kirkland pp.13">Kirkland p. 13</ref> On the UK side, of the expected {{cvt|5|e6m3|e6cuyd|lk=on}} of spoil approximately {{cvt|1|e6m3|e6cuyd}} was used for fill at the terminal site, and the remainder was deposited at Lower Shakespeare Cliff behind a seawall, [[land reclamation|reclaiming]] {{convert|74|acre|ha|0|abbr=off}}<ref name="Anderson Story p xvi-xvii"/> of land.<ref name="ICE p. 208">Institute of Civil Engineers p. 208</ref> This land was then made into the [[Samphire Hoe]] Country Park. Environmental assessment did not identify any major risks for the project, and further studies into safety, noise, and air pollution were overall positive. However, environmental objections were raised concerning a high-speed link to London.<ref name="Flyvbjerg p. 51">Flyvbjerg et al. p. 51</ref>

=== Geology ===
[[File:Channel Tunnel geological profile 1.svg|thumb|Geological profile along the tunnel as constructed. For most of its length the tunnel bores through a chalk [[marl]] stratum (layer).]]

Successful tunnelling required a sound understanding of topography and geology and the selection of the best rock strata through which to dig. The geology of this site generally consists of northeasterly dipping [[Cretaceous]] strata, part of the northern limb of the Wealden-Boulonnais dome. It has:
* Continuous chalk in the cliffs on either side of the Channel, with no major faulting, as observed by [[Verstegan]] in 1605.
* Four geological [[stratum|strata]], marine sediments laid down 90–100&nbsp;million years ago; [[pervious]] Upper and Middle Chalk above slightly pervious Lower Chalk and finally impermeable [[Gault Clay]]. There is a sandy stratum of [[Glauconitic marl]] (tortia), between the chalk marl and the gault clay.
* A {{cvt|25–30|m|ft||adj=on}} layer of chalk marl (French: ''craie bleue'') in the lower third of the lower chalk appeared to present the best tunnelling medium. The chalk has a clay content of 30–40% providing impermeability to groundwater yet relatively easy excavation with strength allowing minimal support. Ideally, the tunnel would be bored in the bottom {{cvt|15|m|ft|0}} of the chalk marl, allowing water inflow from fractures and joints to be minimised, but above the gault clay that would increase stress on the tunnel lining and swell and soften when wet.<ref name="Eng Geol">{{cite book | title = Engineering Geology of the Channel Tunnel | editor = Harris, C.S. | year = 1996 | publisher=Thomas Telford | location = London | isbn = 0-7277-2045-7 | page = 57 |display-editors=etal}}</ref>

On the English side, the stratum [[Strike and dip|dip]] is less than 5°; on the French side, this increases to 20°. Jointing and faulting are present on both sides. On the English side, only minor faults of displacement less than {{cvt|2|m|ftin|}} exist; on the French side, displacements of up to {{cvt|15|m|ft|}} are present owing to the Quenocs [[anticline|anticlinal]] [[fold (geology)|fold]]. The faults are of limited width, filled with calcite, pyrite and remolded clay. The increased dip and faulting restricted the selection of routes on the French side. To avoid confusion, microfossil assemblages were used to classify the chalk marl. On the French side, particularly near the coast, the chalk was harder, more brittle and more fractured than on the English side. This led to the adoption of different tunnelling techniques on the two sides.<ref name="Kirkland geol pp.21–50"/>

The Quaternary undersea valley Fosse Dangeard, and [[Castle Hill, Folkestone|Castle Hill]] landslip at the English portal, caused concerns. Identified by the 1964–1965 geophysical survey, the Fosse Dangeard is an infilled valley system extending {{cvt|80|m|ft|0}} below the seabed, {{cvt|500|m|ft|0}} south of the tunnel route in mid-channel. A 1986 survey showed that a tributary crossed the path of the tunnel, and so the tunnel route was made as far north and deep as possible. The English terminal had to be located in the Castle Hill landslip, which consists of displaced and tipping blocks of lower chalk, glauconitic marl and gault debris. Thus the area was stabilised by buttressing and inserting drainage [[adit]]s.<ref name="Kirkland geol pp.21–50"/> The service tunnel acted as a pilot preceding the main ones, so that the geology, areas of crushed rock, and zones of high water inflow could be predicted. Exploratory probing was done in the service tunnel, in the form of extensive forward probing, vertical downward probes and sideways probing.<ref name="Kirkland geol pp.21–50">Kirkland pp. 21–50</ref>

=== Site investigation ===
Marine soundings and samplings were made by Thomé de Gamond in 1833–67, establishing the seabed depth at a maximum of {{cvt|55|m}} and the continuity of geological strata (layers). Surveying continued for many years, with 166&nbsp;marine and 70&nbsp;land-deep boreholes being drilled and more than 4,000{{nbsp}}line{{nbsp}}kilometres of the marine geophysical survey completed.<ref name="Kirkland geol pp.22–26"/> Surveys were undertaken in 1958–1959, 1964–1965, 1972–1974 and 1986–1988.

The surveying in 1958–1959 catered for [[immersed tube]] and bridge designs, as well as a bored tunnel, and thus a wide area was investigated. At that time, marine geophysics surveying for engineering projects was in its infancy, with poor positioning and resolution from seismic profiling. The 1964–1965 surveys concentrated on a northerly route that left the English coast at Dover harbour; using 70&nbsp;boreholes, an area of deeply weathered rock with high [[permeability (earth sciences)|permeability]] was located just south of Dover harbour.<ref name="Kirkland geol pp.22–26"/>

Given the previous survey results and access constraints, a more southerly route was investigated in the 1972–1973 survey, and the route was confirmed to be feasible. Information for the tunnelling project also came from work before the 1975 cancellation. On the French side at Sangatte, a deep shaft with [[adit]]s was made. On the English side at Shakespeare Cliff, the government allowed {{cvt|250|m|ft|0}} of {{cvt|4.5|m|ft|0|adj=on}} diameter tunnel to be driven. The actual tunnel alignment, method of excavation and support were essentially the same as the 1975 attempt. In the 1986–1987 survey, previous findings were reinforced, and the characteristics of the gault clay and the tunnelling medium (chalk marl that made up 85% of the route) were investigated. Geophysical techniques from the oil industry were employed.<ref name="Kirkland geol pp.22–26">Kirkland pp. 22–26</ref>

=== Tunnelling ===
[[File:Eurotunnel schema (empty service).svg|thumb|Typical cross section, with the service tunnel between the two rail tunnels; shown linking the rail tunnels is a piston relief duct, necessary to manage changes in air pressure caused by the very fast movement of trains.]]

Tunnelling was a major engineering challenge; the only precedent was the undersea [[Seikan Tunnel]] in [[Japan]], which opened in 1988. A serious health and safety risk with building tunnels under water is major water inflow due to the high [[hydrostatics|hydrostatic pressure]] from the sea above, under weak ground conditions. The tunnel also had the challenge of timescale: being privately funded, an early financial return was paramount.

The objective was to construct two {{cvt|7.6|m|ft|0|adj=mid|-diameter}} rail tunnels, {{cvt|30|m|ft|0}} apart, {{convert|50|km|mi|0|abbr=in}} in length; a {{convert|4.8|m|ft|0|adj=mid|-diameter}} service tunnel between the two main ones; pairs of {{cvt|3.3|m|ftin||adj=mid|}}-diameter cross-passages linking the rail tunnels to the service tunnel at {{cvt|375|m|ft|0|adj=on}} spacing; piston relief ducts {{cvt|2|m|ftin|}} in diameter connecting the rail tunnels {{cvt|250|m|ft|0}} apart; two undersea crossover caverns to connect the rail tunnels,<ref name="Kirkland pp.63–128">Kirkland pp. 63–128</ref> with the service tunnel always preceding the main ones by at least {{cvt|1|km|mi|1|abbr=in}} to ascertain the ground conditions. There was plenty of experience with excavating through chalk in the mining industry, while the undersea crossover caverns were a complex engineering problem. The French one was based on the [[Mount Baker Tunnel|Mount Baker Ridge]] freeway tunnel in [[Seattle]]; the UK cavern was dug from the service tunnel ahead of the main ones, to avoid delay.
[[File:Channel Tunnel service road midpoint.jpg|thumb|Midpoint of the tunnel as seen from the service road]]
Precast segmental linings in the main [[tunnel boring machine]] (TBM) drives were used, but two different solutions were used. On the French side, neoprene and grout sealed bolted linings made of cast iron or high-strength reinforced concrete were used; on the English side, the main requirement was for speed, so bolting of cast-iron lining segments was only done in areas of poor geology. In the UK rail tunnels, eight lining segments plus a key segment were used; in the French side, five segments plus a key.<ref name="Wilson p.38">Wilson p. 38</ref> On the French side, a {{cvt|55|m|ft||adj=on}} diameter {{cvt|75|m|ft|0|adj=on}} deep grout-curtained shaft at Sangatte was used for access. On the English side, a marshalling area was {{cvt|140|m|ft|0}} below the top of Shakespeare Cliff, the [[New Austrian Tunnelling method]] (NATM) was first applied in the chalk marl here. On the English side, the land tunnels were driven from Shakespeare Cliff—the same place as the marine tunnels—not from Folkestone. The platform at the base of the cliff was not large enough for all of the drives and, despite environmental objections, tunnel spoil was placed behind a reinforced concrete seawall, on condition of placing the chalk in an enclosed lagoon, to avoid wide dispersal of chalk fines.{{clarify|date=November 2024}} Owing to limited space, the precast lining factory was on the [[Isle of Grain]] in the Thames estuary,<ref name="Kirkland pp.63–128"/> which used Scottish granite aggregate delivered by ship from the [[Foster Yeoman]] coastal super quarry at [[Glensanda]] in [[Loch Linnhe]] on the west coast of Scotland.

[[File:TML construction locos.jpg|thumb|2 Hunslet 900 mm gauge battery locomotives for Trans Manche Link construction trains]]
On the French side, owing to the greater permeability to water, earth pressure balance TBMs with open and closed modes were used. The TBMs were used in the closed mode for the first {{convert|5|km|mi|0|abbr=in}}, but then operated as open, boring through the chalk marl stratum.<ref name="Kirkland pp.63–128"/> This minimised the impact to the ground, allowed high water pressures to be withstood and also alleviated the need to grout ahead of the tunnel. The French effort required five TBMs: two main marine machines, one mainland machine (the short land drives of {{convert|3|km|0|abbr=in}} allowed one TBM to complete the first drive then reverse direction and complete the other), and two service tunnel machines. 

On the English side, the simpler geology allowed faster open-faced TBMs.<ref name="Kirkland geol pp.29">Kirkland p. 29</ref> Six machines were used; all commenced digging from Shakespeare Cliff, three marine-bound and three for the land tunnels.<ref name="Kirkland pp.63–128"/> Towards the completion of the undersea drives, the UK TBMs were driven steeply downwards and buried clear of the tunnel. These buried TBMs were then used to provide an [[earth (electricity)|electrical earth]]. The French TBMs then completed the tunnel and were dismantled.<ref name="Wilson p. 44">Wilson p. 44</ref> A {{convert|900|mm|0|abbr=on}} gauge railway was used on the English side during construction.<ref name="Kirkland pp.117–128">Kirkland pp. 117–128</ref>

In contrast to the English machines, which were given technical names, the French tunnelling machines were all named after women: Brigitte, Europa, Catherine, Virginie, Pascaline, Séverine.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Tempest|first=Rone|date=1 May 1990|title=Documentary : From France to England--Underground : Come with us down inside the $12-billion Channel Tunnel, where diggers have died and progress is measured in inches. When it's finished, Britain will no longer be an island nation.|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-05-01-wr-260-story.html|url-status=live|access-date=22 November 2021|website=Los Angeles Times|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211122222042/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-05-01-wr-260-story.html |archive-date=22 November 2021 }}</ref>

After the tunnelling, one machine was on display at the side of the M20 motorway in [[Folkestone]] until [[Getlink|Eurotunnel]] sold it on eBay for £39,999 to a scrap metal merchant.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.eurotunnel.com/build/ |title=How the Channel Tunnel was Built |publisher=Eurotunnel Le Shuttle |access-date=23 October 2017}}</ref> Another machine (T4 "Virginie") still survives on the French side, adjacent to Junction 41 on the [[A16 autoroute|A16]], in the middle of the D243E3/D243E4 roundabout. On it are the words "hommage aux bâtisseurs du tunnel", meaning "tribute to the builders of the tunnel".

=== Tunnel boring machines ===
The eleven tunnel boring machines were designed and manufactured through a joint venture between the Robbins Company of [[Kent, Washington]], United States; [[Markham & Co.]] of [[Chesterfield, Derbyshire|Chesterfield]], England; and [[Kawasaki Heavy Industries]] of Japan.<ref>{{cite news |last=Horvitz |first=Paul |date=6 October 1987 |title=Powerful Machines Readied for Channel Tunnel |page=C1 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/10/06/science/powerful-machines-readied-for-channel-tunnel.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=10 November 2020}}</ref> The TBMs for the service tunnels and main tunnels on the UK side were designed and manufactured by [[James Howden]] & Company Ltd, Scotland.<ref name="hollingum-1993">{{cite journal|title=Howden Tunnel-boring Machine|first=Jack|last=Hollingum|journal=Industrial Robot|issn=0143-991X|oclc=473369390|date=1 June 1993|publisher=[[MCB UP Ltd]]|doi=10.1108/eb004595|volume=20|number=6|pages=33‒36|quote=This tunnel-boring machine (TBM), built by James Howden at [[Renfrew]], uses the main bearing retrieved from one of the service tunnel-boring machines from the Channel Tunnel. Howden built two of the machines for the main tunnels as well as two machines for the service tunnel in the Channel Tunnel project.}}</ref>

=== Railway design ===
[[File:ETunnelhoch.jpg|thumb|upright|Interior of the [[Eurotunnel Shuttle]], used to carry motor vehicles through the Channel Tunnel. These are the largest railway wagons in the world.<ref name="Anderson Story p xvi-xvii"/> ]]

====Loading gauge====

The [[loading gauge]] height is {{convert|5.75|m|ftin|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://intra.kth.se/polopoly_fs/1.273361.1397150299!/Menu/general/column-content/attachment/Fran-Scan%20(G2%20PC%20450)%20-%20A%20Hi-Cube%20Intermodal%20Corridor%20to%20Link%20Britain,%20France%20and%20Scandinavia%20-%20KTH%20Boysen%202011-11-30%20rev%201930.pdf |title= Fran-Scan (G2, P/C 450) – A Hi-Cube Intermodal Corridor to Link the UK, France and Scandinavia |last= Boysen |first= Hans |year= 2011 |department= Department of Transport Science Royal Institute of Technology |publisher= KTH Railway Group, Center for research and education in railway technology |page= 16 |access-date= 8 February 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190209124034/https://intra.kth.se/polopoly_fs/1.273361.1397150299!/Menu/general/column-content/attachment/Fran-Scan%20(G2%20PC%20450)%20-%20A%20Hi-Cube%20Intermodal%20Corridor%20to%20Link%20Britain,%20France%20and%20Scandinavia%20-%20KTH%20Boysen%202011-11-30%20rev%201930.pdf |archive-date= 9 February 2019 |url-status= dead }}</ref>

==== Communications ====
There are three communication systems:<ref name="Kirkland pp.129–132">Kirkland pp. 129–132</ref>
* Concession radio – for the tunnel operator's personnel and vehicles within the concession area (terminals, tunnels, coastal shafts)
* Track-to-train radio – secure speech and data between trains and the railway control centre
* Shuttle internal radio – communication among shuttle crew, and to passengers over car radios

==== Power supply ====
Power is delivered to the locomotives via an [[overhead line]] at [[25 kV AC railway electrification|{{nowrap|25 kV 50 Hz}}]]<ref name="Kirkland pp.134–148">Kirkland pp. 134–148</ref><ref name="wiki_railelectric">Article: Railway electric traction 9 August 2009</ref> with a normal overhead clearance of {{cvt|6.03|m|ftin|frac=2}}.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.getlinkgroup.com/content/uploads/2019/09/Eurotunnel-network-statement-2020.pdf#page=12 |title= Eurotunnel Fixed Link Usage Annual Statement – 2020 Working Timetable – |year= 2018 |page= 12 |access-date= 3 May 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210504060210/https://www.getlinkgroup.com/content/uploads/2019/09/Eurotunnel-network-statement-2020.pdf#page=12 |archive-date= 4 May 2021 |url-status= dead }}</ref> All tunnel services run on electricity, shared equally from English and French sources. There are two substations fed at 400 kV at each terminal, but in an emergency, the tunnel's lighting (about 20,000 light fittings) and the plant can be powered solely from either England or France.{{sfn|Foreign & Commonwealth Office|1994|p=9}}

The traditional railway south of London uses a 750&nbsp;V&nbsp;DC [[third rail]] to deliver electricity, but since the opening of [[High Speed 1]] there is no longer any need for tunnel trains to use it. High Speed 1, the tunnel and the [[LGV Nord]] all have power provided via overhead catenary at 25&nbsp;kV&nbsp;50&nbsp;Hz AC. The railways on "classic" lines in Belgium are also electrified by overhead wires, but at 3,000&nbsp;V&nbsp;DC.<ref name="wiki_railelectric"/>

==== Signalling ====
A cab signalling system gives information directly to train drivers on a display. There is a [[train protection system]] that stops the train if the speed exceeds that indicated on the in-cab display. [[Transmission Voie-Machine|TVM430]], as used on [[LGV Nord]] and [[High Speed 1]], is used in the tunnel.<ref name="Kirkland pp.149–155">Kirkland pp. 149–155</ref> The TVM signalling is interconnected with the signalling on the high-speed lines on either side, allowing trains to enter and exit the tunnel system without stopping. The maximum speed is {{Cvt|160|km/h}}.<ref name="wiki_de-eurotunnel">Article-de: Eurotunnel#Betrieb 9 August 2009</ref>

Signalling in the tunnel is coordinated from a control centre at the Folkestone terminal. A backup facility at the Calais terminal is staffed at all times and can take over all operations in the event of a breakdown or emergency.

==== Track system ====
Conventional ballasted tunnel track was ruled out owing to the difficulty of maintenance and lack of stability and precision. The Sonneville International Corporation's track system was chosen because it was reliable and also cost-effective. The type of track used is known as Low Vibration Track (LVT), which is held in place by gravity and friction. Reinforced concrete blocks of {{Convert|100|kg|abbr=on}} support the rails every {{convert|60|cm||1|abbr=on}} and are held by {{convert|12|mm||2|abbr=on}} thick closed-cell polymer foam pads placed at the bottom of rubber boots. The latter separates the blocks' mass movements from the concrete. The track provides extra overhead clearance for larger trains.<ref name="bonnett782">Bonnett 2005, p. 78</ref> UIC60 (60&nbsp;kg/m) rails of 900A grade rest on {{convert|6|mm|4=2|abbr=on}} rail pads, which fit the RN/Sonneville bolted dual leaf-springs. The rails, LVT-blocks and their boots with pads were assembled outside the tunnel, in a fully automated process developed by the LVT inventor, Roger Sonneville. About 334,000 Sonneville blocks were made on the Sangatte site.

Maintenance activities are less than projected. The rails had initially been ground on a yearly basis or after approximately 100MGT of traffic. Maintenance is facilitated by the existence of two tunnel junctions or crossover facilities, allowing for two-way operation in each of the six tunnel segments, and providing safe access for maintenance of one isolated tunnel segment at a time. The two crossovers are the largest artificial undersea caverns ever built, at {{cvt|150|m}} long, {{cvt|10|m}} high and {{cvt|18|m}} wide. The English crossover is {{convert|8|km||abbr=in}} from Shakespeare Cliff, and the French crossover is {{convert|12|km||abbr=in}} from Sangatte.{{sfn|Foreign & Commonwealth Office|1994|p=14}}

==== Ventilation, cooling and drainage ====
The ventilation system maintains greater air pressure in the service tunnel than in the rail tunnels, so that in the event of a fire, smoke does not enter the service tunnel from the rail tunnels. There is a normal ventilating system and a supplementary system. Twin fans are mounted in vertical shafts where digging for the tunnel began, on both sides of the channel: two in [[Sangatte]], France, and two more at [[Shakespeare Cliff Halt railway station|Shakespeare Cliff]], UK. The normal ventilating system is connected direct to the service tunnel and provides fresh air through the cross- passages into the running tunnels, where it is dispersed by the piston effect of the train and shuttle movements. Only one fan on each side is ever running, the second being available as a backup. The supplementary ventilating system is a separate emergency system and can be used to control smoke or supply emergency air within the tunnels. On both systems, the fans are normally run on supply mode, pulling in air from the outside, but they can also be used in extraction mode to remove smoke or fumes from the tunnels.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dodge |first=Terence M. |title=Ventilating the English Channel Tunnel |url=https://www.aivc.org/sites/default/files/airbase_7421.pdf }}</ref>

Two cooling water pipes in each rail tunnel circulate chilled water to remove heat generated by the rail traffic. Pumping stations remove water in the tunnels from rain, seepage, and so on.{{sfn|Foreign & Commonwealth Office|1994|p=8}}

During the design stage of the tunnel, engineers found that its aerodynamic properties and the heat generated by high-speed trains as they passed through it would raise the temperature inside the tunnel to {{convert|50|C|F}}.<ref name="CoolingPost">{{Cite news|title=HFO chillers to cool the Channel Tunnel|date=14 September 2016|work=Cooling Post|url=https://www.coolingpost.com/world-news/hfo-chillers-to-cool-the-channel-tunnel/|accessdate=12 June 2016}}</ref> As well as making the trains "unbearably warm" for passengers, this also presented a risk of equipment failure and track distortion.<ref name=CoolingPost/> To cool the tunnel to below {{convert|35|C|F}}, engineers installed {{convert|480|km|mi|abbr=in}} of {{convert|61|cm|in|1|abbr=on}} diameter cooling pipes carrying {{convert|84|e6l|e6impgal|abbr=off}} of water. The network—Europe's largest cooling system—was supplied by eight [[York International|York Titan]] chillers running on [[Chlorodifluoromethane|R22]], a [[hydrochlorofluorocarbon]] (HCFC) refrigerant gas.<ref name=CoolingPost/><ref name="CoolingPost2">{{Cite news|title=Tunnel vision proves R1233zd efficiency|date=1 June 2018|work=Cooling Post|accessdate=12 June 2018|url=https://www.coolingpost.com/features/tunnel-vision-proves-r1233zd-efficiency/}}</ref>

Due to R22's [[ozone depletion potential]] and high [[global warming potential]], its use is being phased out in developed countries. Since 1 January 2015, it has been illegal in Europe to use HCFCs to service air-conditioning equipment; broken equipment that used HCFCs must be replaced with equipment that does not use it. In 2016, [[Trane]] was selected to provide replacement chillers for the tunnel's cooling network.<ref name=CoolingPost/> The York chillers were decommissioned and four "next generation" Trane Series E CenTraVac large-capacity (2,600&nbsp;kW to 14,000&nbsp;kW) chillers were installed—two in Sangatte, France, and two at Shakespeare Cliff, UK. The energy-efficient chillers, using [[Honeywell]]'s non-flammable, ultra-low GWP [[1-Chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene|R1233zd(E)]] refrigerant, maintain temperatures at {{convert|25|C|F}}, and in their first year of operation generated savings of 4.8{{nbsp}}[[GWh]]—approximately 33%, equating to €500,000 ($585,000)—for tunnel operator [[Getlink]].<ref name=CoolingPost2/>

=== Rolling stock ===
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="background:#f9f9f9;"
! rowspan="2" |Class
! rowspan="2" |Image
! rowspan="2" |Type
! rowspan="2" |Cars per set
! colspan="2" |Top speed
! rowspan="2" |Number
! rowspan="2" |Routes
! rowspan="2" |Built
|- style="background:#f9f9f9;"
!mph
!km/h
|-
!colspan=9| Eurotunnel
|-
| [[Eurotunnel Class 9|Class 9]]
| [[File:Folkestone Channel Tunnel car shuttle 3496.JPG|170px]]
| [[Electric locomotive]]
| rowspan="3" | Car Shuttle: 2 × 28<br> HGV Shuttle: 2 × 30 or 32
| 99
| 160
| 57
| rowspan="4" | [[Eurotunnel Folkestone Terminal|Folkestone]] to [[Eurotunnel Calais Terminal|Calais]]
| rowspan="3" | 1992–2003
|-
| [[Car shuttle train|Car Shuttle]]
| [[File:Channel Tunnel car shuttle 2010 3481.JPG|170px]]
| rowspan="3" | [[Passenger carriage]]
| 99
| 160
| 252
|-
| [[Car shuttle train|HGV Shuttle]]
| [[File:Eurotunnel Class 9705 - Sortie Tunnel sous la Manche à Coquelles.jpg|170px]]
| 99
| 160
| 430
|-
| Club car
| [[File:Navette Camions Eurotunnel.jpg|170px]]
|
|
|
|-
!colspan=9| Eurostar
|-
|[[British Rail Class 373|Class 373 <br> ''Eurostar e300'']]
|[[Image:3015 at Calais Frethun.jpg|170px]]
| rowspan="2" |[[Electric Multiple Unit|EMU]]
|2 × 18
|186
|300
|28
|[[St Pancras railway station|London]]–[[Gare du Nord|Paris]]<br />London–[[Brussels-South railway station|Brussels]]<br />London–[[Marne la Vallée-Chessy railway station|Marne-la-Vallée&nbsp;– Chessy]]<br />London–[[Bourg Saint Maurice]]<br>London–[[Gare de Marseille-Saint-Charles|Marseille Saint-Charles]]
|1992–1996
|-
|[[British Rail Class 374|Class 374 <br> ''Eurostar e320'']]
|[[File:Eurostar Class 374 on HS1.jpg|170px]]
|16
|200
|320
|17
|[[St Pancras railway station|London]]–[[Gare du Nord|Paris]]<br />London–[[Marne la Vallée-Chessy railway station|Marne-la-Vallée&nbsp;– Chessy]]<br />[[St Pancras railway station|London–]]{{stn|Amsterdam Centraal}}
|2011–2018
|-
! colspan="9" | Freight: [[DB Cargo]]
|-
|[[British Rail Class 92|Class 92]]
|[[File:Class-92-db-red-92009-dollands-moor-1.jpg|170px]]
|[[Electric locomotive]]
|1
|87
|140
|46
|Freight routes between the UK and France
|1993–1996
|-
! colspan="9" | Eurotunnel Service Locomotives
|-
|[[Eurotunnel Class 0001|Class 0001]]
|[[File:Railion 6456.jpg|170px]]
| rowspan="2" |[[Diesel locomotive]]
|1
|62
|100
|10
| rowspan="2" |Shunting
|1991–1992
|-
|[[Eurotunnel Class 0031|Class 0031]]
|
|1
|31
|50
|11
|1988 (as 900&nbsp;mm gauge locomotive);<br>1993-1994 (rebuilt as shunter)
|}

=== Rolling stock used previously ===
{| class="wikitable"
! Class
! Image
! Nickname/Nameplate
! Production
! Builder
! Note
|-
| [[SNCF Class BB 22200|SNCF Class BB 22200/British Rail Class 22]]
| [[File:BB22394-Antibes.jpg|120px]]
| Yellow Submarine
| 1976–1986
| [[Alstom]]
| Electric locomotives used in 1994/95 pending delivery of [[Eurotunnel Class 9|Class 9s]]<ref>First Revenue Earning Freight Through Tunnel ''[[The Railway Magazine]]'' issue 1120 August 1994 page 10</ref><ref>SNCF Class 222xxs bow out on RfD services ''The Railway Magazine'' issue 1136 December 1995 page 12</ref>
|-
| [[British Rail Class 319]]
| [[File:319058 - Bedford (8959164642).jpg|120px]]
|
* 319008: ''[[Cheriton, Kent|Cheriton]]''
* 319009: ''[[Coquelles]]''
| 1987
| [[York Carriage Works]]
| Electric Multiple Unit used on demonstration runs in 1993/94<ref>Naming Notes ''[[Rail (magazine)|Rail]]'' issue 224 13 April 1994 page 59</ref>
|}

== Operators ==
=== LeShuttle ===
{{Main|LeShuttle|Eurotunnel Class 9}}

Getlink operates the LeShuttle, a vehicle shuttle service, through the tunnel.

Car shuttle sets have two separate halves: single and double deck. Each half has two loading/unloading wagons and 12 carrier wagons. Eurotunnel's original order was for nine car shuttle sets.

[[Heavy goods vehicle]] (HGV) shuttle sets also have two halves, with each half containing one loading wagon, one unloading wagon and 14&nbsp;carrier wagons. There is a [[Lounge car|club car]] behind the leading locomotive, where drivers must stay during the journey. Eurotunnel originally ordered six HGV shuttle sets.

Initially 38&nbsp;LeShuttle locomotives were commissioned, with one at each end of a shuttle train.

=== Freight locomotives ===
{{See also|British Rail Class 92}}

Forty-six Class 92 locomotives for hauling freight trains and overnight passenger trains (the [[Nightstar (train)|Nightstar]] project, which was abandoned) were commissioned, running on both overhead AC and [[third rail|third-rail]] DC power. However, [[Réseau Ferré de France|RFF]] does not let these run on French railways, so there are plans to certify Alstom [[Prima II]] locomotives for use in the tunnel.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/freight/single-view/view/prima-ii-tested-in-the-channel-tunnel.html|access-date=1 October 2012|title=Prima II tested in the Channel Tunnel|work=[[Railway Gazette International]]|archive-date=15 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200815212611/https://www.railwaygazette.com/news/freight/single-view/view/prima-ii-tested-in-the-channel-tunnel.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== International passenger ===
{{Main|British Rail Class 373|British Rail Class 374}}
Thirty-one [[Eurostar]] trains, based on the [[Train à Grande Vitesse|French TGV]], built to UK [[loading gauge]] with many modifications for safety within the tunnel, were commissioned, with ownership split between British Rail, [[SNCF|French national railways]] (SNCF) and [[National Railway Company of Belgium|Belgian national railways]] (NMBS/SNCB). [[British Rail]] ordered seven more for services north of London.<ref name="Kirkland pp.175–211">Kirkland pp. 175–211</ref> Around 2010, Eurostar ordered ten trains from [[Siemens]] based on its [[Siemens Velaro|Velaro]] product. The [[British Rail Class 374|Class 374]] entered service in 2016 and has been operating through the Channel Tunnel ever since alongside the current [[British Rail Class 373|Class 373]].

Germany ([[Deutsche Bundesbahn|DB]]) tried from about 2005 to get permission to run train services to London. At the end of 2009, extensive fire-proofing requirements were dropped and DB received permission to run German [[Intercity-Express]] (ICE) test trains through the tunnel. In June 2013 DB was granted access to the tunnel, but these plans were ultimately terminated.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/passenger/single-view/view/igc-grants-deutsche-bahn-access-to-channel-tunnel.html|title = IGC grants Deutsche Bahn access to Channel Tunnel|publisher = railwaygazette.com|date = 13 June 2013|access-date = 31 August 2014|archive-date = 6 October 2014|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141006075908/http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/passenger/single-view/view/igc-grants-deutsche-bahn-access-to-channel-tunnel.html|url-status = dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.railjournal.com/index.php/high-speed/db-puts-london-%E2%80%93-frankfurt-high-speed-plans-on-ice.html|title=DB puts London – Frankfurt plans on ice|publisher=railjournal.com|date=19 February 2014|access-date=31 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150728104513/http://www.railjournal.com/index.php/high-speed/db-puts-london-%E2%80%93-frankfurt-high-speed-plans-on-ice.html|archive-date=28 July 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In October 2021, [[Renfe]], the Spanish state railway company, expressed interest in operating a cross-Channel route between Paris and London using some of their existing trains with the intention of competing with Eurostar. No details have been revealed as to which trains would be used.<ref name="High speed">{{cite magazine |last1=Clinnick |first1=Richard |title=Renfe wants to operate trains to London |url=https://www.railjournal.com/passenger/high-speed/renfe-wants-to-operate-trains-to-london/ |access-date=27 October 2021 |magazine=International Rail Journal |date=26 October 2021 |ref=IRJ}}</ref>

Between October and November 2023, three more companies expressed interest in potentially running services between London and various European cities:

*"Evolyn", a start-up company based in Spain announced plans that they intended to run services between London and Paris by 2026. The company stated that orders had been placed for the newly developed "Avelia" high speed trains built by [[Alstom]] for international operations.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Briginshaw |first1=David |title=New Eurostar competitor Evolyn plans London – Paris high-speed service |url=https://www.railjournal.com/passenger/high-speed/new-eurostar-competitor-evolyn-plans-london-paris-hs-service/ |magazine=International Rail Journal |access-date=25 October 2023}}</ref> Alstom however, noted that no firm order for any rolling stock had been placed, but that there were ongoing discussions with the start-up over potential procurements.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Evolyn trains not ordered yet, Alstom confirms |url=https://www.railwaygazette.com/high-speed/evolyn-trains-not-ordered-yet-alstom-confirms/65125.article |magazine=[[Railway Gazette International]] |access-date=27 October 2023}}</ref>
*[[Virgin Group]] founder [[Richard Branson]] had reportly hired the former managing director of [[Virgin Trains]] to initiate infrastructure talks on a potential international service to rival Eurostar running services between London, Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Walton |first1=Simon |title=Virgin Tunnel: Richard Branson could challenge Eurostar monopoly |url=https://www.railtech.com/all/2023/11/13/virgin-tunnel-richard-branson-could-challenge-eurostar-monopoly/?gdpr=deny |website=Rail Tech |date=13 November 2023 |access-date=15 November 2023}}</ref>
*Dutch start-up "Heuro" announced plans to start running services from Amsterdam to both Paris and London. Heuro is said to have officially applied for timetable slots beginning in December 2027 and is reportedly raising investment funds in Europe and the USA.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Geerts |first1=Esther |title=New Dutch player Heuro to compete with Eurostar to lower prices |url=https://www.railtech.com/all/2023/11/14/new-dutch-player-heuro-to-compete-with-eurostar-to-lower-prices/?gdpr=deny |website=Rail Tech |date=14 November 2023 |access-date=20 November 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Fender |first1=Keith |title=Competition heats up under the English Channel |url=https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/competition-heats-up-under-the-english-channel/ |magazine=[[Trains Magazine]]|access-date=27 November 2023}}</ref>

=== Service locomotives ===
[[Diesel locomotive]]s for rescue and shunting work are [[Eurotunnel Class 0001]] and [[Eurotunnel Class 0031]].

== Operation ==
The following chart presents the estimated number of passengers and tonnes of freight, respectively, annually transported through the Channel Tunnel since 1994.{{cn|date=June 2024}}
<!-- {{Graph:Chart
| width = 510
| height = 300
| xAxisTitle = Year
| xAxisAngle = -40
| x = 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017
| yAxisTitle = Passengers/tonnes
| yAxisFormat = s
| showSymbols =
| y1 = 300000, 7300000, 12900000, 14600000, 18400000, 17600000, 17000000, 16300000, 15200000, 14900000, 15100000, 15700000, 15700000, 16200000, 16100000, 16100000, 17000000, 19000000, 19900000, 20400000, 21000000, 20900000, 20600000, 20700000
| y2 = 800000, 6400000, 9500000, 6200000, 12300000, 13800000, 17600000, 18000000, 17100000, 18400000, 18500000, 18600000, 18500000, 19600000, 15400000, 11200000, 15300000, 17700000, 20200000, 19100000, 20400000, 20700000, 22300000, 22600000
| colors = blue, red
| yGrid=
}} -->
{{#chart:Channel Tunnel Traffic.chart}}

=== Usage and services ===
[[File:Channel Tunnel Terminal.jpg|thumb|The British terminal at [[Cheriton, Kent|Cheriton]] in west Folkestone. The terminal services shuttle trains that carry vehicles, and is linked to the [[M20 motorway]]]]

Transport services offered by the tunnel are as follows:
* [[Eurotunnel Shuttle|Eurotunnel Le Shuttle]] roll-on roll-off shuttle service for road vehicles and their drivers and passengers,
* [[Eurostar]] passenger trains,
* through freight trains.<ref name="Chisholm">{{cite book | title = Britain on the edge of Europe | last = Chisholm | first = Michael | year = 1995 | publisher=Routledge | location = London | isbn = 0-415-11921-9 | page = 151 }}</ref>

Both the freight and passenger traffic forecasts made before the construction of the tunnel were overestimated; in particular, Eurotunnel's commissioned forecasts were over-predictions.<ref name="Flyvbjerg p. 22"/> Although the captured share of Channel crossings was forecast correctly, high competition (especially from budget airlines which expanded rapidly in the 1990s and 2000s) and reduced tariffs led to low revenue. Overall cross-Channel traffic was overestimated.<ref name="Anguera 2006"/><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.reading.ac.uk/web/FILES/geographyandenvironmentalscience/GP172.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817202010/http://www.reading.ac.uk/web/FILES/geographyandenvironmentalscience/GP172.pdf |archive-date=17 August 2016 |url-status=live |title=The Channel Tunnel and its impact on Tourism in the United Kingdom|last=Sen|first=Soutetsu |date=February 2004|series=Geographical Paper No. 172}}</ref>

With the [[European Union]]'s liberalisation of international rail services, the tunnel and [[High Speed 1]] have been open to competition since 2010. There have been a number of [[High Speed 1#Future operations|operators interested in running trains]] through the tunnel and along High Speed 1 to London. In June 2013, after several years, [[Deutsche Bahn]] obtained a license to operate Frankfurt – London trains, not expected to run before 2016 because of delivery delays of the custom-made trains.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/single-view/view/igc-grants-deutsche-bahn-access-to-channel-tunnel.html|title=IGC grants Deutsche Bahn access to Channel Tunnel|author=DVV Media UK|work=Railway Gazette|access-date=23 June 2013|archive-date=18 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130618092937/http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/single-view/view/igc-grants-deutsche-bahn-access-to-channel-tunnel.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Plans for the service to Frankfurt seem to have been shelved in 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/london-frankfurt-cologne-train-deutsche-bahn-db-eurostar-cancelled-shelved-a8394806.html|title=Plans for UK-Germany high-speed rail services shelved due to 'significantly changed economic environment'|work=The Independent|date=16 June 2018 }}</ref>

==== Passenger traffic volumes ====
Cross-tunnel passenger traffic volumes peaked at 18.4&nbsp;million in 1998, decreased to 14.9&nbsp;million in 2003, and have increased substantially since then.<ref name="ETtraffic6yr"/>

At the time of the decision about building the tunnel, 15.9&nbsp;million passengers were predicted for Eurostar trains during the first year. In 1995, the first full year, actual numbers were a little over 2.9&nbsp;million, growing to 7.1&nbsp;million in 2000, then decreasing to 6.3&nbsp;million in 2003. Eurostar was initially limited by the lack of a high-speed connection on the British side. After the completion of High Speed 1 in two stages in 2003 and 2007, traffic increased. In 2008, Eurostar carried 9,113,371 passengers, a 10% increase over the previous year, despite traffic limitations due to the [[2008 Channel Tunnel fire]].<ref name="ETreport2008">{{cite web | url = http://www.eurotunnel.com | title = Eurotunnel 2008 traffic and revenue figures | date = 15 January 2009 | publisher=[[Getlink|Eurotunnel]] | access-date =15 January 2009 }}</ref> Eurostar passenger numbers continued to increase.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right"
!rowspan="3" | Year
!colspan="3" | Passengers transported
! colspan="2" |Shuttle service passenger vehicles
|-
! rowspan=2|Eurostar{{ref label|cross_chunnel|A|A}}<br />(''actual<br>ticket sales'')<br><ref name="ETtraffic5yr">{{cite web | url = http://www.eurotunnel.com/ukcP3Main/ukcCorporate/ukcTheGroup/ukcOperations/ukpTraffic | title = Traffic figures | publisher = Eurotunnel | access-date = 15 January 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110202134952/http://www.eurotunnel.com/ukcP3Main/ukcCorporate/ukcTheGroup/ukcOperations/ukpTraffic | archive-date = 2 February 2011 | url-status = dead }}</ref><ref name="ETtraffic1995–2002">{{cite web |url=http://www.southeast-ra.gov.uk/southeastplan/key/study_areas/initial_studies/east_kent_ashford_annex%202.xls |title=Study Report Annex 2 |pages=Table 11 |date=June 2004 |publisher=South East England Regional Assembly |access-date=21 January 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071108002324/http://www.southeast-ra.gov.uk/southeastplan/key/study_areas/initial_studies/east_kent_ashford_annex%202.xls |archive-date=8 November 2007 }}</ref>
! Passenger<br>Shuttles<ref name="Anguera 2006">{{cite journal | first=Ricard | last=Anguera |date=May 2006 | title = The Channel Tunnel – an ex post economic evaluation | journal=Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice | volume = 40 | issue = 4 | pages = 291–315 | doi = 10.1016/j.tra.2005.08.009 | bibcode=2006TRPA...40..291A }}</ref><ref name="ETtraffic5yr"/>
! Total
!Cars
!Coaches
|-
!colspan=2 style="text-align:center;"|(''estimated, millions'')
!(''car equivalent unit'')
!
|-
| align=left | '''1994'''
| ~100,000<ref name="Anguera 2006"/>
| 0.2
| 0.3
|
|
|-
| align=left | '''1995'''
| 2,920,309
| 4.4
| 7.3
|
|
|-
| align=left | '''1996'''
| 4,995,010
| 7.9
| 12.9
|
|
|-
| align=left | '''1997'''
| 6,004,268
| 8.6
| 14.6
|
|
|-
| align=left | '''1998'''
| 6,307,849
| 12.1
| 18.4
|
|
|-
| align=left | '''1999'''
| 6,593,247
| 11.0
| 17.6
|
|
|-
| align=left | '''2000'''
| 7,130,417
| 9.9
| 17.0
|
|
|-
| align=left | '''2001'''
| 6,947,135
| 9.4
| 16.3
|
|
|-
| align=left | '''2002'''
| 6,602,817
| 8.6
| 15.2
|
|
|-
| align=left | '''2003'''
| 6,314,795
| 8.6
| 14.9
|
|
|-
| align=left | '''2004'''
| 7,276,675
| 7.8
| 15.1
|
|
|-
| align=left | '''2005'''
| 7,454,497
| 8.2
| 15.7
|
|
|-
| align=left | '''2006'''
| 7,858,337
| 7.8
| 15.7
|
|
|-
| align=left | '''2007'''
| 8,260,980
| 7.9
| 16.2
|
|
|-
| align=left | '''2008'''
| 9,113,371
| 7.0
| 16.1
|
|
|-
| align=left | '''2009'''
| 9,220,233
| 6.9
| 16.1
|
|
|-
| align=left | '''2010'''
| 9,528,558
| 7.5
| 17.0
|
|
|-
| align=left | '''2011'''
| 9,679,764
| 9.3
| 19.0
|
|
|-
| align=left | '''2012'''
| 9,911,649
| 10.0
| 19.9
|
|
|-
| align=left | '''2013'''<ref name="ETtraffic6yr"/>
| 10,132,691
| 10.3
| 20.4
|
|
|-
| align=left | '''2014'''<ref name="ETtraffic6yr"/>
| 10,397,894
| 10.6
| 21.0
|
|
|-
| align=left | '''2015'''<ref name="ETtraffic6yr"/>
| 10,399,267
| 10.5
| 20.9
|
|
|-
| align=left | '''2016'''<ref name=lt>{{cite web|last1=Eurotunnel|access-date=4 March 2017|title=Traffic figures|url=http://www.eurotunnelgroup.com/uk/eurotunnel-group/operations/traffic-figures/|publisher=eurotunnelgroup.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150513113310/http://www.eurotunnelgroup.com/uk/eurotunnel-group/operations/traffic-figures/|archive-date=13 May 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| 10,011,337
| 10.6
| 20.6
|2,610,242
|53,623
|-
| align=left | '''2017'''<ref name=y17>{{cite web|last1=Eurotunnel|access-date=29 August 2018|title=Traffic figures|url=http://www.eurotunnelgroup.com/uk/eurotunnel-group/operations/traffic-figures/|publisher=eurotunnelgroup.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150513113310/http://www.eurotunnelgroup.com/uk/eurotunnel-group/operations/traffic-figures/|archive-date=13 May 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| 10,300,622
| 10.4
| 20.7
|2,595,247
|51,229
|-
|align=left |'''2018'''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.getlinkgroup.com/en/our-group/eurotunnel/activity-and-performance/|title=GetLinkGroup passenger data}}</ref>
|11,000,000
|
|
|2,660,414
|51,300
|-
|align=left |'''2019'''<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|url=https://www.getlinkgroup.com/content/uploads/2021/03/2020-universal-registration-document-getlink-se.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221010/https://www.getlinkgroup.com/content/uploads/2021/03/2020-universal-registration-document-getlink-se.pdf |archive-date=10 October 2022 |url-status=live|title=GetLink SE Universal Registratio Document 2020|year=2021}}</ref>
|11,046,608
|
|
|2,601,791
|50,268
|-
|align=left |'''2020'''<ref name=":1" />
|2,503,419
|
|
|1,399,051
|14,382
|-
|align=left |'''2021'''<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Getlink 2022 Universal Registration Document |url=https://www.getlinkgroup.com/content/uploads/2023/09/getlink-se-urd-2022_bm_s-uk.pdf}}</ref>
|1,637,687
|
|
|953,143
|7,062
|-
|align=left |'''2022'''<ref name=":2" />
|8,295,005
|
|
|2,109,920
|17,518
|-
|'''2023'''<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |url=https://www.getlinkgroup.com/content/uploads/2025/03/getlink-se-urd-2024_compressed.pdf |title=2024 Universal Registration Document for Getlink SE |date=2025-03-21}}</ref>
|10,716,419
|
|
|2,236,713
|18,130
|-
|'''2024'''<ref name=":3" />
|11,201,093
|
|
|2,187,146
|12,691
|-
| colspan="6" style="text-align:left;" |{{note label|cross_chunnel|A|A}}only passengers taking Eurostar to cross the Channel
|}

==== Freight traffic volumes ====
Freight volumes have been erratic, with a major decrease during 1997 due to a closure caused by a fire in a freight shuttle. Freight crossings increased over the period, indicating the substitutability of the tunnel by sea crossings. The tunnel has achieved a market share close to or above Eurotunnel's 1980s predictions but Eurotunnel's 1990 and 1994 predictions were overestimates.<ref>{{cite journal | url=https://journals.openedition.org/rhcf/2990?lang=en | doi=10.4000/rhcf.2990 | title=The Channel Tunnel Cost Benefit Analysis after 20 years of operations | year=2018 | last1=Anguera Camós | first1=Ricard | journal=Revue d'Histoire des Chemins de Fer | issue=48–49 | pages=233–281 | doi-access=free | url-access=subscription }}</ref>

For through freight trains, the first year prediction was 7.2&nbsp;million tonnes; the actual 1995 figure was 1.3 m tonnes.<ref name="Flyvbjerg p. 22">Flyvbjerg et al. p. 22</ref> Through freight volumes peaked in 1998 at 3.1 m tonnes. This fell back to 1.21 m tonnes in 2007, increasing slightly to 1.24 m tonnes in 2008.<ref name="ETreport2008"/> Together with that carried on freight shuttles, freight volumes have grown since opening, with 6.4 m tonnes carried in 1995, 18.4 m tonnes recorded in 2003<ref name="Anguera 2006"/> and 19.6 m tonnes in 2007.<ref name="ETtraffic5yr"/> Numbers fell back in the wake of the 2008 fire.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right"
!rowspan="2" | Year
!colspan="3" | Freight transported (''tonnes'')
! rowspan="2" |Truck transported
! rowspan="2" |Freight trains
|-
! Through<br>freight<br>trains
! Eurotunnel<br>Truck Shuttles<br /> (''{{abbr|est.|estimated}}'')<br><ref name="Anguera 2006"/><ref name="ETtraffic6yr"/><ref name="ETtraffic5yr"/>
! Total (''est.'')
|-
| align=left | '''1994'''
| 0
| 800,000
| 800,000
|
|
|-
| align=left | '''1995'''<ref name="ETtraffic1995–2002"/>
| 1,349,802
| 5,100,000
| 6,400,000
|
|
|-
| align=left | '''1996'''<ref name="ETtraffic1995–2002"/>
| 2,783,774
| 6,700,000
| 9,500,000
|
|
|-
| align=left | '''1997'''<ref name="ETtraffic1995–2002"/>
| 2,925,171
| 3,300,000
| 6,200,000
|
|
|-
| align=left | '''1998'''<ref name="ETtraffic1995–2002"/>
| 3,141,438
| 9,200,000
| 12,300,000
|
|
|-
| align=left | '''1999'''<ref name="ETtraffic1995–2002"/>
| 2,865,251
| 10,900,000
| 13,800,000
|
|
|-
| align=left | '''2000'''<ref name="ETtraffic1995–2002"/>
| 2,947,385
| 14,700,000
| 17,600,000
|
|
|-
| align=left | '''2001'''<ref name="ETtraffic1995–2002"/>
| 2,447,432
| 15,600,000
| 18,000,000
|
|
|-
| align=left | '''2002'''<ref name="ETtraffic1995–2002"/>
| 1,463,580
| 15,600,000
| 17,100,000
|
|
|-
| align=left | '''2003'''<ref name="ETtraffic2003">{{cite web | url = http://www.eurotunnel.com/ukcP3Main/ukcCorporate/ukcMediaCentre/ukcNewsReleases/ukcNews2004/ukcJanuary2004/ukpPr0401Revenue.htm | title = Eurotunnel 2003 Revenue & Traffic | date = 20 January 2004 | publisher = [[Getlink|Eurotunnel]] | access-date = 21 January 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100113123824/http://eurotunnel.com/ukcP3Main/ukcCorporate/ukcMediaCentre/ukcNewsReleases/ukcNews2004/ukcJanuary2004/ukpPr0401Revenue.htm | archive-date = 13 January 2010 | url-status = dead }}</ref>
| 1,743,686
| 16,700,000
| 18,400,000
|
|
|-
| align=left | '''2004'''<ref name="ETtraffic2005"/>
| 1,889,175
| 16,600,000
| 18,500,000
|
|
|-
| align=left | '''2005'''<ref name="ETtraffic2005">{{cite web | url = http://www.eurotunnel.com/ukcP3Main/ukcCorporate/ukcMediaCentre/ukcNewsReleases/ukcNews2006/ukcJanuary2006/ukpPr06012005TrafficAndRevenue.htm | title = Eurotunnel: 2005 Traffic and revenue figures. | date = 16 January 2006 | publisher = [[Getlink|Eurotunnel]] | access-date = 21 January 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100113125724/http://eurotunnel.com/ukcP3Main/ukcCorporate/ukcMediaCentre/ukcNewsReleases/ukcNews2006/ukcJanuary2006/ukpPr06012005TrafficAndRevenue.htm | archive-date = 13 January 2010 | url-status = dead }}</ref>
| 1,587,790
| 17,000,000
| 18,600,000
|
|
|-
| align=left | '''2006'''<ref name="ETtraffic2007"/>
| 1,569,429
| 16,900,000
| 18,500,000
|
|
|-
| align=left | '''2007'''<ref name="ETtraffic2007">{{cite web | url = http://www.eurotunnel.com/ukcP3Main/ukcCorporate/ukcMediaCentre/ukcNewsReleases/ukcNews2008/ukcJanuary2008/ukpPr0801TrafficAndRevenue2007.htm | title = Eurotunnel 2007 Traffic and Revenue figures: a remarkable year | date = 15 January 2008 | publisher = Eurotunnel | access-date = 21 January 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100113141044/http://eurotunnel.com/ukcP3Main/ukcCorporate/ukcMediaCentre/ukcNewsReleases/ukcNews2008/ukcJanuary2008/ukpPr0801TrafficAndRevenue2007.htm | archive-date = 13 January 2010 | url-status = dead }}</ref>
| 1,213,647
| 18,400,000
| 19,600,000
|
|
|-
| align=left | '''2008'''<ref name="ETtraffic2009"/>
| 1,239,445
| 14,200,000
| 15,400,000
|
|
|-
| align=left | '''2009'''<ref name="ETtraffic2009">{{cite web |url=http://www.eurotunnelgroup.com/assets-uk/media/press-releases/2010-press-releases/100120TrafficRevenueFiguresyear2009/ |title=Eurotunnel 2009 traffic and revenue figures |date=10 January 2010 |publisher=Eurotunnel |access-date=6 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807191905/http://www.eurotunnelgroup.com/assets-uk/media/press-releases/2010-press-releases/100120TrafficRevenueFiguresyear2009/ |archive-date=7 August 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| 1,181,089
| 10,000,000
| 11,200,000
|
|
|-
| align=left | '''2010'''<ref name="ETtraffic6yr">{{cite web |url=http://www.eurotunnelgroup.com/uk/eurotunnel-group/operations/traffic-figures/ |title=Traffic figures |publisher=Eurotunnel |access-date=6 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150513113310/http://www.eurotunnelgroup.com/uk/eurotunnel-group/operations/traffic-figures/ |archive-date=13 May 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="ETtraffic2010">{{cite web|url=http://www.eurotunnelgroup.com/uploadedFiles/assets-uk/Media/Press-Releases/2011-Press-Releases/110118Eurotunnel-traffic-and-revenue.pdf|title=Eurotunnel 2010 traffic and revenue figures|date=18 January 2011|publisher=Eurotunnel|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110710205037/http://www.eurotunnelgroup.com/uploadedFiles/assets-uk/Media/Press-Releases/2011-Press-Releases/110118Eurotunnel-traffic-and-revenue.pdf|archive-date=10 July 2011|access-date=6 February 2011}}</ref>
| 1,128,079
| 14,200,000
| 15,300,000
|
|
|-
| align=left | '''2011'''<ref name="ETtraffic2011">{{cite web |url=http://www.eurotunnelgroup.com/uploadedFiles/assets-uk/Media/Press-Releases/2012-Press-Releases/120130Traffic-and-Revenue-2011.pdf |title=Traffic and Revenue 2011 |publisher=Eurotunnel |access-date=21 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140807082934/http://www.eurotunnelgroup.com/uploadedFiles/assets-uk/Media/Press-Releases/2012-Press-Releases/120130Traffic-and-Revenue-2011.pdf |archive-date=7 August 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| 1,324,673
| 16,400,000
| 17,700,000
|
|
|-
| align=left | '''2012'''<ref name="ETtraffic2012">{{cite web |url=http://www.eurotunnelgroup.com/uploadedFiles/assets-uk/Media/Press-Releases/2013-Press-Releases/130123Eurotunnel-Group-2012-traffic-revenue.pdf |title=2012 revenue and traffic figures for the Eurotunnel Group |publisher=Eurotunnel |access-date=23 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150610002858/http://www.eurotunnelgroup.com/uploadedFiles/assets-uk/Media/Press-Releases/2013-Press-Releases/130123Eurotunnel-Group-2012-traffic-revenue.pdf |archive-date=10 June 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| 1,227,139
| 19,000,000
| 20,200,000
|
|
|-
| align=left | '''2013'''<ref name="ETtraffic2013">{{cite press release |url= http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20140121006898/en/Groupe-Eurotunnel-SA-UK-Regulatory-Announcement-Groupe |title=Groupe Eurotunnel SA: traffic and revenue for 2013|date=22 January 2014|access-date=2 February 2014}}</ref>
| 1,363,834
| 17,700,000
| 19,100,000
|
|
|-
| align=left | '''2014'''<ref name="ETtraffic2014">{{cite press release |url= http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150121006624/en/Groupe-Eurotunnel-SA-UK-Regulatory-Announcement-Eurotunnel |title=Eurotunnel Group 2014 Traffic and Revenue|date=22 January 2015|access-date=27 January 2015}}</ref>
| 1,648,047
| 18,700,000
| 20,350,000
|
|
|-
| align=left | '''2015'''<ref name="ETtraffic6yr"/>
| 1,420,000
| 19,300,000
| 20,720,000
|
|
|-
| align=left | '''2016'''<ref name=lt/>
| 1,040,000
| 21,300,000
| 22,340,000
|1,641,638
|1,797
|-
| align=left | '''2017'''<ref name=y17/>
| 1,220,000
| 21,300,000
| 22,550,000
|1,637,280
|2,012
|-
| align=left | '''2018'''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.santandercb.co.uk/factsheet/fta-logistics-report-2019.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221010/https://www.santandercb.co.uk/factsheet/fta-logistics-report-2019.pdf |archive-date=10 October 2022 |url-status=live|title=freight tonnes}}</ref>
|1,301,460
|
|
|1,693,462
|2,077
|-
| align=left | '''2019'''<ref name=":1" />
|1,390,303
|
|
|1,595,241
|2,144
|-
| align=left | '''2020'''<ref name=":1" />
|1,138,213
|
|
|1,451,556
|1,736
|-
| align=left | '''2021'''<ref name=":2" />
|1,041,140
|
|
|1,361,529
|1,654
|-
| align=left | '''2022'''<ref name=":2" />
|864,058
|
|
|1,446,765
|1,488
|-
|'''2023'''<ref name=":3" />
|
|
|
|1,206,754
|1,417
|-
|'''2024<ref name=":3" />'''
|
|
|
|1,198,052
|1,233
|}

Eurotunnel's freight subsidiary is [[Europorte 2]].<ref name="AFX Europorte">{{cite news | title = Eurotunnel gets backing for freight service |work=AFX | agency=Agence France-Presse | date = 28 October 2004 }}</ref> In September 2006 EWS, the UK's largest rail freight operator, announced that owing to the cessation of UK-French government subsidies of £52&nbsp;million per annum to cover the tunnel "Minimum User Charge" (a subsidy of around £13,000 per train, at a traffic level of 4,000&nbsp;trains per annum), freight trains would stop running after 30 November.<ref name="Times cash row">{{cite news |url = http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/transport/article626416.ece |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110817223821/http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/transport/article626416.ece |url-status = dead |archive-date = 17 August 2011 | title = Chunnel cash row threatens freight trains | first=Dominic | last=O'Connell |work=The Times |location=UK | date = 3 September 2006 | access-date =3 September 2006 }}</ref>

==== Economic performance ====
{{needs update|date=September 2024}}
Shares in Eurotunnel were issued at £3.50 per share on 9 December 1987. By mid-1989 their price had risen to £11.00. Delays and cost overruns resulted in the price falling; during demonstration runs in October 1994, it reached an all-time low. Eurotunnel suspended payment on its debt in September 1995 to avoid bankruptcy.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.josephcoates.com/pdf_files/268_Megaprojects_and_Risk.pdf | title = Megaprojects and Risk: An Anatomy of Ambition | publisher=josephcoates.com | access-date =19 July 2009 }}</ref> In December 1997 the British and French governments extended Eurotunnel's operating concession by 34&nbsp;years, to 2086. There was a financial restructuring of Eurotunnel in mid-1998, reducing debt and financial charges. Despite this, ''[[The Economist]]'' reported in 1998 that to break even Eurotunnel would have to increase fares, traffic and market share for sustainability.<ref name="Flyvbjerg p. 32–34">Flyvbjerg et al. pp. 32–34</ref> A cost-benefit analysis of the tunnel indicated that there were few effects on the wider economy and few developments associated with the project and that the British economy would have been better off if it had not been constructed.<ref name="Anguera 2006"/><ref name="Flyvbjerg">{{cite book |author1=Flyvbjerg, B. Buzelius |author2=N. Rothengatter, W | year = 2003 | title = Megaprojects and Risk | location = Cambridge | publisher=Cambridge University Press | pages = 68–69 | isbn = 0-521-00946-4 }}</ref>

Under the terms of the Concession, Eurotunnel was obliged to investigate a cross-Channel road tunnel. In December 1999 road and rail tunnel proposals were presented to the British and French governments, but it was stressed that there was not enough demand for a second tunnel.<ref name="Second Link Birm">{{cite news | title = Eurotunnel unveils plans for second link | work=[[Birmingham Post]] | date = 6 January 2000 }}</ref> A three-way treaty between the United Kingdom, France and Belgium governs border controls, with the establishment of ''control zones'' within which the officers of the other nation may exercise limited customs and law enforcement powers. For most purposes, these are at either end of the tunnel, with the French border controls on the UK side of the tunnel and vice versa. For some city-to-city trains, the train is a control zone.<ref name="CPS zones">{{cite web|url=http://www.cps.gov.uk/legal/section2/chapter_f.html#_Toc44570638 |title=The CPS: Channel Tunnel |access-date=11 March 2008 |work=Crown Prosecution Service |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080220234954/http://www.cps.gov.uk/legal/section2/chapter_f.html |archive-date=20 February 2008 }}</ref> A binational emergency plan coordinates UK and French emergency activities.<ref name="Kirkland pp.311">Kirkland p. 331</ref>

In 1999 Eurostar posted its first net profit, having made a loss of £925m in 1995.<ref name="BBConthisday"/> In 2005 Eurotunnel was described as being in a serious situation.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.adacte.com/economiepolitique/hollandais17062005.doc | title = Facts and figures Eurotunnel 2000-2004/Forecast 2005: Commentry and a suggestion | publisher = Adacte.com | date = June 2005 | access-date = 21 July 2009 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090731114603/http://www.adacte.com/economiepolitique/hollandais17062005.doc | archive-date = 31 July 2009 }}</ref> In 2013, operating profits rose 4{{nbsp}}percent from 2012, to £54{{nbsp}}million.<ref>{{cite web|title = Eurostar hails 'record-breaking' year as profits jump|url = https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/eurostar-hails-recordbreaking-year-as-profits-jump-9170760.html|access-date = 25 August 2015|newspaper = The Independent|date = 5 March 2014}}</ref>

==== Security ====
There is a need for full [[passport]] controls, as the tunnel acts as a border between the [[Schengen Area]] and the [[Common Travel Area]]. There are [[juxtaposed controls]], meaning that passports are checked before boarding by officials of the departing country and by officials of the destination country. These control points are only at the main Eurostar stations: French officials operate at [[St Pancras railway station|London St Pancras]], while British officials operate at [[Lille-Europe station|Lille-Europe]], [[Brussels-South railway station|Brussels-South]], [[Gare du Nord|Paris-Gare du Nord]], [[Rotterdam Centraal station|Rotterdam CS]], and [[Amsterdam Centraal station|Amsterdam CS]]. During the winter ski season, they also operate at [[Gare de Bourg-Saint-Maurice]] and [[Moûtiers-Salins-Brides-les-Bains station]]. Eurostar passengers pass through airport-style security screening. For the shuttle road-vehicle trains, there are juxtaposed passport controls before boarding the trains.

When Eurostar trains ran south of Paris such as from Marseille, there were no passport and security checks before departure, and those trains had to stop in Lille at least 30 minutes to allow all passengers to be checked. No checks are performed on board. There have been plans for services from [[Amsterdam]], [[Frankfurt]] and [[Cologne]] to London, but a major reason to cancel them was the need for a stop in Lille. Direct service from London to Amsterdam started on 4 April 2018; following the building of check-in terminals at Amsterdam and Rotterdam and the intergovernmental agreement, a direct service from the two Dutch cities to London started on 30 April 2020.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Eurostar finally launches direct service from Amsterdam to London|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/news/eurostar-direct-amsterdam-london-on-board-review/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/news/eurostar-direct-amsterdam-london-on-board-review/ |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|last=Greg Dickinson|first=Digital Content Producer|website=The Telegraph|date=4 February 2020|access-date=14 May 2020}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

== Terminals ==
{{Main|Eurotunnel Calais Terminal|Eurotunnel Folkestone Terminal}}

[[File:Chargement voiture Eurotunnel.jpg|thumb|A car is driven onto a shuttle carriage at the French terminal in [[Coquelles]]]]

The terminals' sites are at [[Cheriton, Kent|Cheriton]] (near Folkestone in the United Kingdom) and [[Coquelles]] (near Calais in France). The UK site uses the [[M20 motorway]] for access. The terminals are organised with the frontier controls juxtaposed with the entry to the system to allow travellers to go onto the motorway at the destination country immediately after leaving the shuttle.

To achieve design output at the French terminal, the shuttles accept cars on double-deck wagons; for flexibility, ramps were placed inside the shuttles to provide access to the top decks.<ref name="Kirkland pp.255–270">Kirkland pp. 255–270</ref> At Folkestone there are {{convert|20|km|mi|0|abbr=in}} of the main-line track, 45&nbsp;turnouts and eight platforms. At Calais there are {{convert|30|km|mi|0|abbr=in}} of track and 44&nbsp;turnouts. At the terminals, the shuttle trains traverse a figure eight to reduce uneven wear on the wheels.<ref name="Kirkland pp.157–174">Kirkland pp. 157–174</ref> There is a freight marshalling yard west of Cheriton at [[Dollands Moor Freight Yard]].

== Regional effect ==
A 1996 report from the [[European Commission]] predicted that [[Kent]] and [[Nord-Pas de Calais]] would have increased traffic volumes due to the general growth of cross-Channel traffic and traffic attracted by the tunnel. In Kent, a high-speed rail line to London would transfer traffic from road to rail.<ref name="EU reg impact 220-222">European Commission pp. 220–222</ref> Kent's regional development would benefit from the tunnel, but being so close to London restricts the benefits. Gains are in the traditional industries and are largely dependent on the development of [[Ashford International railway station]], without which Kent would be dependent totally on London's expansion. Nord-Pas-de-Calais enjoys a strong internal symbolic effect of the Tunnel which results in significant gains in manufacturing.<ref name="EU reg impact 248-252">European Commission pp. 248–252</ref>

The removal of a bottleneck by means like the tunnel does not necessarily induce economic gains in all adjacent regions. The image of a region being connected to European high-speed transport and active political response is more important for regional economic development. Some small-medium enterprises located in the immediate vicinity of the terminal have used the opportunity to re-brand the profile of their business with positive effects, such as ''The New Inn'' at [[Etchinghill, Kent|Etchinghill]] which was able to commercially exploit its unique selling point as being 'the closest pub to the Channel Tunnel'. Tunnel-induced regional development is small compared to general economic growth.<ref name="Fayman">{{cite journal | last = Fayman | first = Sonia |author2=Metge, Pierre |date=September 1995 | title = The regional impact of the Channel Tunnel: Qualitative and quantitative analysis |journal=European Planning Studies | volume = 3 |issue= 3 | page = 333 | doi = 10.1080/09654319508720310 | bibcode = 1995EurPS...3..333F }}</ref> The South East of England is likely to benefit developmentally and socially from faster and cheaper transport to continental Europe, but the benefits are unlikely to be distributed equally throughout the region. The overall environmental effect is almost certainly negative.<ref name="Button">{{cite journal | last = Button | first = Kenneth |date=July 1990 | title = The Channel Tunnel: The Economic Implications for the South East of England|journal=The Geographical Journal | volume = 156 |issue= 2 |pages= 187–199|doi= 10.2307/635327 | jstor = 635327 | publisher=Blackwell Publishing | bibcode = 1990GeogJ.156..187B }}</ref>

Since the opening of the tunnel, small positive effects on the wider economy have been felt, but it is difficult to identify major economic successes attributed directly to the tunnel.<ref name="Flyvbjerg p. 68/69">Flyvbjerg et al. p.&nbsp;68–69<!--Flybjerg credits this info with Roger Vickerman, "The Channel Tunnel: Methodology and Evidence" 1999--></ref> The Eurotunnel does operate profitably, offering an alternative transportation mode unaffected by poor weather.<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12213425 | publisher=BBC | title = Eurotunnel revenues boosted by shuttle demand|location=UK | access-date=18 January 2011 | date=18 January 2011}}</ref> High costs of construction did delay profitability, however, and companies involved in the tunnel's construction and operation early in operation relied on government aid to deal with the accumulated debt.<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/eurotunnel-calls-for-government-support-after-record-acircpound13bn-loss-569459.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090727220006/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/eurotunnel-calls-for-government-support-after-record-acircpound13bn-loss-569459.html | url-status = dead | archive-date = 27 July 2009 | title = Eurotunnel calls for government support after record £1.3bn loss|work=The Independent |location=UK | first=Michael | last=Harrison | date = 10 February 2004 | access-date=21 July 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/2917255/Eurotunnel-has-4bn-too-much-debt.html | title = Eurotunnel has £4bn too much debt| work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] | date = 12 January 2005 | access-date=21 July 2009 | location=London}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.theguardian.com/business/2006/feb/21/transportintheuk.politics | title = Debt-laden Channel tunnel rail link is 'nationalised'|work=The Guardian |location=UK | date = 21 February 2006 | access-date=21 July 2009 | first=Andrew | last=Clark}}</ref>

== Illegal immigration ==
{{see also|Migrants around Calais|Calais Jungle}}
{{Main article|Illegal immigration to the United Kingdom}}
[[Illegal immigration|Illegal immigrants]] and would-be [[asylum seeker]]s have used the tunnel to attempt to enter Britain. By 1997, the problem had attracted international press attention, and by 1999, the [[French Red Cross]] opened the first migrant centre at [[Sangatte]], using a [[warehouse]] once used for tunnel construction; by 2002, it housed up to 1,500&nbsp;people at a time, most of them trying to get to the UK.<ref name="Red Cross">{{cite news | url=http://www.redcross.int/EN/mag/magazine2002_2/sangatte.html | title=Sangatte: A place of hope and despair | first=Pierre | last=Kremer | work=The Magazine of the [[International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement]] | date=February 2002 | access-date=4 August 2006 | archive-date=27 February 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210227031621/http://www.redcross.int/EN/mag/magazine2002_2/sangatte.html | url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2001, most came from [[Afghanistan]], [[Iraq]], and [[Iran]], but African countries were also represented.<ref name="Strangers">{{cite news | url = https://www.theguardian.com/saturday_review/story/0,3605,595996,00.html | title = Strangers in a strange land | first=Caryl | last=Phillips |work=The Guardian |location=UK | date = 17 November 2001 | access-date =4 August 2006 }}</ref>

Eurotunnel, the company that operates the crossing, said that more than 37,000 migrants were intercepted between January and July 2015.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/30/world/europe/britain-and-france-scramble-as-channel-crossing-attempts-by-migrants-continue.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220101/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/30/world/europe/britain-and-france-scramble-as-channel-crossing-attempts-by-migrants-continue.html |archive-date=1 January 2022 |url-access=limited|title=Britain and France Scramble as Channel Becomes Choke Point in Migration Crisis|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=29 July 2015|access-date=31 July 2015}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Approximately 3,000 migrants, mainly from [[Ethiopia]], [[Eritrea]], [[Sudan]] and [[Afghanistan]], were living in the temporary camps erected in Calais at the time of an official count in July 2015.<ref name="x168">{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/jul/29/calais-one-dead-1500-migrants-storm-eurotunnel-terminal|title=Calais: man killed as migrants make 1,500 attempts to enter Eurotunnel site|last=Singapore|first=Jessica Elgot Patrick Wintour in|date=29 July 2015|work=The Guardian|access-date=7 September 2017|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> An estimated 3,000 to 5,000 migrants were waiting in Calais for a chance to get to England.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dw.com/en/more-refugees-attempt-to-reach-britain-through-channel-tunnel/a-18617292|title=More refugees attempt to reach Britain through Channel Tunnel {{!}} News {{!}} DW {{!}} 30 July 2015|last=(www.dw.com)|first=Deutsche Welle|website=DW.COM|access-date=7 September 2017}}</ref>

Britain and France operate a system of [[juxtaposed controls]] on immigration and customs, where investigations happen before travel. France is part of the [[Schengen Agreement|Schengen immigration zone]], removing border checks in normal times between most EU member states; Britain and Ireland form their own separate [[Common Travel Area]] immigration zone.

Most illegal immigrants and would-be asylum seekers who got into Britain found some way to ride a freight train. Trucks are loaded onto freight trains. In a few instances, migrants [[stowaway|stowed away]] in a liquid chocolate tanker and managed to survive, spread across several attempts.<ref>{{cite web
 | url = https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-32119449
 | title = I nearly drowned in chocolate
 | date = 31 March 2015
| first1 = Daniel Silas | last1 = Adamson
 | first2 = Mamdouh | last2 = Akbiek
 | publisher = BBC World Service
}}</ref> Although the facilities were fenced, total security was deemed impossible; migrants would even jump from bridges onto moving trains. In several incidents people were injured during the crossing; others tampered with railway equipment, causing delays and requiring repairs.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://archives.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/europe/07/31/immigration.daring/index.html | title = Desperate journeys fraught with danger | first = Avril | last = Stephens | publisher = CNN| date = 31 July 2007 | access-date = 4 August 2006 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070624230120/http://archives.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/europe/07/31/immigration.daring/index.html | archive-date = 24 June 2007 }}</ref> Eurotunnel said it was losing £5m per month because of the problem.<ref name="Notorious">{{cite news | url = http://212.58.226.40/1/hi/uk/2003977.stm | title = Europe's most notorious refugee camp |work=BBC News   | date = 12 July 2002 | access-date =5 August 2006 }} {{dead link|date=April 2015}}</ref>

In 2001 and 2002, several riots broke out at Sangatte, and groups of migrants (as many as 550 in a December 2001 incident) stormed the fences and attempted to enter ''en masse''.<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/dec/27/immigration.uk | title = Police braced for new tunnel raid | first=Paul | last=Webster |work=The Guardian |location=UK | date = 27 December 2007 | access-date =4 August 2006 }}</ref>

Other migrants seeking permanent UK settlement use the [[Eurostar]] passenger train. They may purport to be visitors (whether to be issued with a required visit visa, or deny and falsify their true intentions to obtain a maximum of 6-months-in-a-year at-port stamp); purport to be someone else whose documents they hold, or used forged or counterfeit passports.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://migration.ucdavis.edu/MN/more.php?id=1529_0_4_0 | title = UK/Ireland: Asylum (news digest) | publisher=Migration News | date = May 1998 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120515081520/http://migration.ucdavis.edu/MN/more.php?id=1529_0_4_0 | archive-date = 15 May 2012 | access-date =3 March 2015 }}</ref> Such breaches result in refusal of permission to enter the UK, effected by [[Border Force]] after such a person's identity is fully established, assuming they persist in their application to enter the UK.<ref>[https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules UK Immigration Rules] www.gov.uk (UK Government website)</ref>

Increased security measures around the tunnel have resulted in much of the migration moving to [[English Channel migrant crossings (2018–present)|small boats]] instead.

=== Diplomatic efforts ===
Local authorities in both France and the UK called for the closure of the Sangatte migrant camp, and [[Getlink|Eurotunnel]] twice sought an injunction against it.<ref name="Red Cross"/> As of 2006 the United Kingdom blamed France for allowing Sangatte to open, and France blamed both the UK for its then lax asylum rules/law, and the EU for not having a uniform immigration policy.<ref name="Notorious"/> The problem's ''[[cause célèbre]]'' nature even resulted in journalists being detained as they followed migrants onto railway property.<ref>{{cite web  | url = http://www.freemedia.at/cms/ipi/freedom_detail.html?country=/KW0001/KW0003/KW0060/&year=2001  | title = 2001 World Press Freedom Review: France  | publisher = International Press Institute  | access-date = 4 August 2006 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071024205028/http://www.freemedia.at/cms/ipi/freedom_detail.html?country=%2FKW0001%2FKW0003%2FKW0060%2F&year=2001  | archive-date = 24 October 2007 | url-status = dead  }}</ref>

In 2002, the [[European Commission]] told France that it was in breach of [[European Union]] rules on the free transfer of goods because of the delays and closures as a result of its poor security. The French government built a double fence, at a cost of £5&nbsp;million, reducing the numbers of migrants detected each week reaching Britain on goods trains from 250 to almost none.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2282306.stm | title = Sangatte asylum talks due |work=BBC News | date = 26 September 2002 | access-date =4 August 2006 }}</ref> Other measures included [[Closed-circuit television|CCTV]] cameras and increased police patrols.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/2017789.stm | title = Tunnel security to be tightened |work=BBC News | date = 31 May 2002 | access-date =4 August 2006 }}</ref> At the end of 2002, the Sangatte centre was closed after the UK agreed to absorb some migrants.<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/1408494/Blunkett-reaches-deal-to-shut-Sangatte-camp.html | title = Blunkett reaches deal to shut Sangatte camp |first1=Philip Delves |last1=Broughton |first2=Andrew |last2=Sparrow |work=The Daily Telegraph |location=UK | date = 27 September 2002 | access-date =25 February 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Calais mayor threatens to block port if UK fails to help deal with migrants  |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/sep/03/calais-mayor-threatens-block-port-uk-fails-help-migrants |work=The Guardian |agency=[[Agence France-Presse]] |date=2 September 2014 |access-date=3 March 2015}}</ref>

On 23 and 30 June 2015,<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-33249546 |title=Cross-Channel transport improving after Calais migrant chaos |work=BBC News |date=24 June 2014 |access-date=3 July 2015}}</ref> striking workers associated with [[MyFerryLink]] damaged sections of track by burning car tires, cancelling all trains and creating a backlog of vehicles. Hundreds seeking to reach Britain attempted to stow away inside and underneath transport trucks destined for the UK. Extra security measures included a £2{{nbsp}}million upgrade of detection technology, £1{{nbsp}}million extra for dog searches, and £12{{nbsp}}million (over three years) towards a joint fund with France for security surrounding the Port of Calais.

=== Illegal attempts to cross and deaths ===
In 2002, a dozen migrants died in crossing attempts.<ref name="Red Cross"/> In the two months from June to July 2015, ten migrants died near the French tunnel terminal, during a period when 1,500 attempts to evade security precautions were being made each day.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/eurotunnel-in-calais-cameron-beruft-sicherheitskabinett-ein-a-1046116.html|title=Calais: Polizei kesselt Hunderte Flüchtlinge am Eurotunnel ein|work=Der Spiegel|date=31 July 2015|language=de|access-date=31 July 2015}}</ref><ref name="x168"/>

On 6 July 2015, a migrant died while attempting to climb onto a freight train while trying to reach Britain from the French side of the Channel.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/07/migrant-dies-uk-bound-freight-shuttle-near-calais-france |title=Migrant dies on UK-bound freight train near Calais |work=The Guardian |date=7 July 2015 |access-date=7 July 2015}}</ref> The previous month an Eritrean man was killed under similar circumstances.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/26/calais-migrant-reportedly-dies-channel-tunnel-freight-train |title=Migrant reportedly dies trying to board Channel tunnel freight train |work=The Guardian |date=26 June 2015 |access-date=7 July 2015}}</ref>

During the night of 28 July 2015, one person, aged 25–30, was found dead after a night in which 1,500–2,000 migrants had attempted to enter the Eurotunnel terminal.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/fluechtlinge-wollten-durch-eurotunnel-nach-grossbritannien-a-1045745.html|title=Calais in Frankreich: 2000 Flüchtlinge in einer Nacht am Eurotunnel |work=Der Spiegel|date=29 July 2015|access-date=31 July 2015}}</ref> The body of a [[Sudan]]ese migrant was subsequently found inside the tunnel.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2015/07/channel-tunnel-migrants-sudanese-man-killed-as-thousands-storm-tunnel-from-france-to-britain.html|title=Britain, France Point Fingers Over Deadly Migrant Crisis in Channel Tunnel|work=Slate|date=30 July 2015|access-date=25 June 2022}}.</ref> On 4 August 2015, another Sudanese migrant walked nearly the entire length of one of the tunnels. He was arrested close to the British side, after having walked about {{convert|30|mi}} through the tunnel.<ref name="nyt">{{cite news |first=Dan |last=Bilefsky |title=Sudanese Migrant Tries to Reach England by Walking Length of Channel Tunnel |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/08/world/europe/channel-tunnel-sudanese-migrant.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220101/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/08/world/europe/channel-tunnel-sudanese-migrant.html |archive-date=1 January 2022 |url-access=limited |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=7 August 2015 |access-date=7 August 2015}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

== Mechanical incidents ==

=== Fires ===
{{Main|1996 Channel Tunnel fire|2008 Channel Tunnel fire}}

There have been three fires in the tunnel, all on the heavy goods vehicle (HGV) shuttles, that were significant enough to close the tunnel, as well as other minor incidents.

On 9 December 1994, during an "invitation only" testing phase, a fire broke out in a [[Ford Escort (Europe)|Ford Escort]] car while its owner was loading it onto the upper deck of a tourist shuttle. The fire started at about 10:00, with the shuttle train stationary in the Folkestone terminal, and was put out about 40 minutes later with no passenger injuries.<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.independent.co.uk/news/fire-raises-channel-tunnel-fears-1389084.html | title = Fire raises Channel Tunnel fears | first = Christian | last = Wolmar | date = 10 December 1994 | access-date =25 December 2009|work=The Independent | location=London}}</ref>

On 18 November 1996, a fire broke out on an HGV shuttle wagon in the tunnel, but nobody was hurt seriously. The exact cause is unknown,<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/documents/CTSA_ChanTun1996.pdf| publisher=Channel Tunnel Safety Authority | title = Inquiry into the fire on Heavy Goods Vehicle Shuttle 7539 on 18&nbsp;November 1996 |date = May 1997| isbn = 0-11-551931-9 | access-date=21 July 2009 }}</ref> although it was neither a Eurotunnel equipment nor rolling stock problem; it may have been due to arson of a heavy goods vehicle. It is estimated that the heart of the fire reached {{convert|1000|°C|°F|sigfig=2}}, with the tunnel severely damaged over {{cvt|46|m|ft|0|}}, with some {{cvt|500|m|ft|0|}} affected to some extent. Full operation recommenced six months after the fire.<ref name="Kirkland fire">{{cite journal|first=C. J.|last=Kirkland |year=2002 |title=The fire in the Channel Tunnel |journal=Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology |volume=17 |pages=129–132 |url=http://www.ita-aites.org/cms/fileadmin/filemounts/ovion/doc/safety/sydney/OS12.PDF |doi=10.1016/S0886-7798(02)00014-7 |issue=2 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100920093906/http://www.ita-aites.org/cms/fileadmin/filemounts/ovion/doc/safety/sydney/OS12.PDF |archive-date=20 September 2010 }}</ref>

On 21 August 2006, the tunnel was closed for several hours when a truck on an HGV shuttle train caught fire.<ref name="BBC fire">{{cite news
| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/5271784.stm | title = Lorry fire closes Channel Tunnel |work=BBC News   | date = 21 August 2006 | access-date =21 August 2006 }}</ref><ref>{{cite report|url=http://www.raib.gov.uk/cms_resources/071023_R372007_Channel_Tunnel.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221010/http://www.raib.gov.uk/cms_resources/071023_R372007_Channel_Tunnel.pdf |archive-date=10 October 2022 |url-status=live|title=Fire on HGV shuttle in the Channel Tunnel 21&nbsp;August 2006|series=Rail Accident Report|author=Rail Accident Investigation Branch|publisher=Department for Transport|date=October 2007}}</ref>

On 11 September 2008, a fire occurred in the Channel Tunnel at 13:57 GMT. The incident started on an HGV shuttle train travelling towards France.<ref name=ft1>{{cite news | url = http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ad05c7e6-8062-11dd-99a9-000077b07658.html | title = Channel tunnel fire causes further cancellations | last = Robert Wright | date = 12 September 2008 | work = Financial Times | access-date = 21 July 2009 | archive-date = 2 March 2010 | archive-url = http://wayback.vefsafn.is/wayback/20100302095554/http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ad05c7e6-8062-11dd-99a9-000077b07658.html | url-status = dead }}</ref> The event occurred {{convert|11|km|mi|abbr=in}} from the French entrance to the tunnel. No one was killed but several people were taken to hospitals suffering from smoke inhalation, and minor cuts and bruises. The tunnel was closed to all traffic, with the undamaged South Tunnel reopening for limited services two days later.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-News/Channel-Tunnel-Closed-Due-To-A-Fire/Article/200809215097705?lpos=UK%2BNews_0&lid=ARTICLE_15097705_Channel%2BTunnel%2BClosed%2BDue%2BTo%2BA%2BFire | title = Channel Tunnel Fire Evacuation | publisher=[[Sky News]] | date = 11 September 2008 | access-date =9 March 2009 }}</ref> Full service resumed on 9 February 2009<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.eurotunnel.com/ukcP3Main/ukcCorporate/ukcMediaCentre/ukcNewsReleases/ukcNews2009/ukcFebruary2009/ukpPr0902Eurotunnel-back-to-full-capacity.htm | title = Eurotunnel fully open to traffic | publisher=Eurotunnel.com | access-date =14 January 2010 }}</ref> after repairs costing €60&nbsp;million.

On 29 November 2012, the tunnel was closed for several hours after a truck on an HGV shuttle caught fire.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.itv.com/news/meridian/story/2012-11-29/fire-in-channel-tunnel/ | title=Fire in the Channel Tunnel | publisher=ITV | date=29 November 2012 | access-date=12 April 2013}}</ref>

On 17 January 2015, both tunnels were closed after a lorry fire that filled the midsection of Running Tunnel North with smoke. Eurostar cancelled all services.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-30863024 | title=Channel Tunnel closed and services hit after lorry fire | publisher=BBC | date=17 January 2015 | access-date=17 January 2015}}</ref> The shuttle train had been heading from Folkestone to Coquelles and stopped adjacent to cross-passage CP 4418 just before 12:30 UTC. 38 passengers and four members of Eurotunnel staff were evacuated into the service tunnel and transported to France in special STTS road vehicles. They were taken to the Eurotunnel Fire/Emergency Management Centre close to the French portal.<ref name="raib-2015-01-28">{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/fire-on-board-a-freight-shuttle-in-the-channel-tunnel|title=Fire on board a freight shuttle in the Channel Tunnel|publisher=Government of the United Kingdom|author=RAIB|format=press release|date=28 January 2015|access-date=28 January 2015|quote=shuttle 7340 made a controlled stop in the tunnel at cross-passage 4418}}</ref>

=== Train failures ===
On the night of 19/20 February 1996, about 1,000 passengers became trapped in the Channel Tunnel when [[Eurostar]] [[British Rail Class 373|trains]] from London broke down owing to failures of electronic circuits caused by snow and ice being deposited and then melting on the circuit boards.<ref name="1996-snow">{{cite news | url = https://www.independent.co.uk/news/wrong-kind-of-snow-in-tunnel-1320248.html | title = Wrong kind of snow in tunnel... | last = Wolmar | first = Christian | date = 22 February 1996 | work = The Independent | location = UK | access-date = 21 December 2009 | archive-date = 19 January 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120119013846/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/wrong-kind-of-snow-in-tunnel-1320248.html | url-status = dead }}</ref>

On 3 August 2007, an electrical failure lasting six hours caused passengers to be trapped in the tunnel on a shuttle.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/6929713.stm | title = Delays after Channel Tunnel fault |work=BBC News   | date = 3 August 2007 | access-date =14 January 2010 }}</ref>

On the evening of 18 December 2009, during the [[December 2009 European snowfall]], five London-bound [[Eurostar]] trains failed inside the tunnel, trapping 2,000 passengers for approximately 16 hours, during the coldest temperatures in eight years.<ref name="sky-colder">{{cite news | url = http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-News/Eurostar-Says-All-Scheduled-Services-Tomorrow-Have-Been-Cancelled/Article/200912315504284 | title = Severe Weather Brings Eurostar to a Halt | date = 19 December 2009 | access-date =19 December 2009|publisher=Sky News }}</ref> A Eurotunnel spokesperson explained that snow had evaded the train's winterisation shields,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/transport/article6963830.ece|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110612232005/http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/transport/article6963830.ece|url-status=dead|archive-date=12 June 2011|title=Eurostar blames 'fluffy' snow for weekend chaos|date=21 December 2009 |work=The Times|access-date=21 December 2009 | location=London | first1=Steve | last1=Bird | first2=Robert | last2=Lindsay}}</ref> and the transition from cold air outside to the tunnel's warm atmosphere had melted the snow, resulting in electrical failures.<ref name="cnn-cold">{{cite news | url = http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/12/19/channel.tunnel/ | title = Eurostar services cancelled as snow brings havoc | first = Melissa | last = Gray|publisher=CNN| date = 19 December 2009 | access-date =19 December 2009 }}</ref><ref name="indy-cold">{{cite news | url = https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/thousands-stranded-in-eurostar-chaos-1845914.html | title = Thousands stranded in Eurostar chaos |work=The Independent |first1=David |last1=Randall |first2=Nina |last2=Lakhani | date = 20 December 2009 | access-date =20 December 2009 | location=London}}</ref><ref name="bbc-relive">{{cite news | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8422305.stm | title = Passengers trapped on Eurostar trains relive ordeal|work=BBC News | date = 20 December 2009 | access-date =20 December 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url = http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-News/Eurostar-Trains-Trapped-In-Channel-Tunnel-As-Snow-And-Ice-Brings-Services-To-A-Halt/Article/200912315504284 | title = 'Nightmare' Over For Stranded Passengers | date = 18 December 2009 | access-date =19 December 2009 | first = Rob | last = Cole|publisher=Sky News }}</ref> One train was turned back before reaching the tunnel; two trains were hauled out of the tunnel by [[Eurotunnel Class 0001]] diesel locomotives. The blocking of the tunnel led to the implementation of [[Operation Stack]], the transformation of the [[M20 motorway]] into a linear car park.<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5hRM5rF7ThMd2awfWzOXBFJ7AmuXg | publisher = The Press Association | date = 19 December 2009 | title = Passengers home after trapped in Channel Tunnel | access-date = 19 December 2009 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091222231117/http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5hRM5rF7ThMd2awfWzOXBFJ7AmuXg | archive-date = 22 December 2009 }}</ref>

The occasion was the first time that a Eurostar train was evacuated inside the tunnel; the failing of four at once was described as "unprecedented".<ref name="amsterdam-cold">{{cite news | url = http://www.amsterdamnews.net/story/579422 | title = Chaos in Eurotunnel as several trains break down | work = Amsterdam News.Net | date = 19 December 2009 | access-date = 19 December 2009 | quote = "Four Eurostars broken down at one time&nbsp;– it's absolutely unprecedented", John Keefe of Eurotunnel ... "There's never actually been an evacuation of a Eurostar train in the fifteen years that the tunnel has been opened and last night we evacuated two whole trains to get people off", | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110723013209/http://www.amsterdamnews.net/story/579422 | archive-date = 23 July 2011 }}</ref> The Channel Tunnel reopened the following morning.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.eurotunnel.com/NR/rdonlyres/E69E8275-E4E9-4B65-AC6A-D5A8E9931DD7/0/091219Eurotunnel_rescues_Eurostar.pdf | title = Eurotunnel rescues Eurostar | work = Eurotunnel Press Release | date = 19 December 2009 | access-date = 23 December 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100113051244/http://eurotunnel.com/NR/rdonlyres/E69E8275-E4E9-4B65-AC6A-D5A8E9931DD7/0/091219Eurotunnel_rescues_Eurostar.pdf | archive-date = 13 January 2010 | url-status = dead }}</ref> [[Nirj Deva]], [[Member of the European Parliament]] for South East England, had called for Eurostar chief executive Richard Brown to resign over the incidents.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8422978.stm | title = Eurostar transports 500 vulnerable passengers to France |work=BBC News   | date = 20 December 2009 | access-date =14 January 2010 }}</ref> An independent report by [[Christopher Garnett]] (former CEO of [[Great North Eastern Railway]]) and Claude Gressier (a French transport expert) on the 18/19 December 2009 incidents was issued in February 2010, making 21 recommendations.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/eurostar-rapped-in-tunnel-breakdowns-report-1897410.html |title=Eurostar rapped over Channel Tunnel breakdown |work=The Independent |location=UK |date=12 February 2010 |access-date=27 April 2010 | first=Peter | last=Woodman}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eurostarindependentreview.org/pdf/Eurostar%20Independent%20Review.pdf|title=Eurostar Independent Review|date=12 February 2010|format=PDF report|first1=Christopher|last1=Garnett|first2=M. Claude|last2=Gressier|access-date=27 January 2010|publisher=Eurostar|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100216140918/http://www.eurostarindependentreview.org/pdf/Eurostar%20Independent%20Review.pdf|archive-date=16 February 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref>

On 7 January 2010, a Brussels–London Eurostar broke down in the tunnel. The train had 236 passengers on board and was towed to Ashford; other trains that had not yet reached the tunnel were turned back.<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/eurostar-disrupted-after-new-breakdown-in-channel-tunnel-1861132.html | title = Eurostar disrupted after new breakdown in Channel tunnel | work = The Independent | date = 7 January 2009 | access-date = 7 January 2009 | location = London | archive-date = 11 January 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100111050653/http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/eurostar-disrupted-after-new-breakdown-in-channel-tunnel-1861132.html | url-status = dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url = http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE6061L020100107 | archive-url = https://archive.today/20120717231458/http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE6061L020100107 | url-status = dead | archive-date = 17 July 2012 | title = Stricken Eurostar train towed out of Channel Tunnel | work=Reuters| date = 7 January 2010 | access-date =14 January 2010 }}</ref>

=== Safety ===
The [[Channel Tunnel Safety Authority]] is responsible for some aspects of safety regulation in the tunnel; it reports to the [[Intergovernmental Commission]] (IGC).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.channeltunneligc.co.uk/The-CTSA.html?lang=en |title=The Channel Tunnel Safety Authority |work=Channel Tunnel Intergovernmental Commission |year=2013 |access-date=11 June 2013 |archive-date=22 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422081422/https://www.channeltunneligc.co.uk/The-CTSA.html?lang=en |url-status=dead }}</ref>
{{Routemap
|title = Channel Tunnel safety
|collapsible = yes
|legend = no
|map =
CONTg\\~~'''North running tunnel'''
STRg\uCONTg\~~Service tunnel
STRg\uSTR\CONTg~~'''South running tunnel'''
STRg\uSTR\STRf
uXBHF-L\uXBHF-M\uXBHF-R~~Emergency door every {{cvt|375|m|ft}}
CONTf\uCONTf\CONTf
}}
The service tunnel is used for access to technical equipment in cross-passages and equipment rooms, to provide fresh-air ventilation and for emergency evacuation. The Service Tunnel Transport System (STTS) allows fast access to all areas of the tunnel. The service vehicles are rubber-tired with a buried wire guidance system. 

The 24 STTS vehicles are used mainly for maintenance but also for firefighting and emergencies. "Pods" with different purposes, up to a payload of {{convert|2.5|–|5|tonne}}, are inserted into the side of the vehicles. The vehicles cannot turn around within the tunnel and are driven from either end. The maximum speed is {{convert|80|km/h|mi/h|0|abbr=on}} when the steering is locked. A fleet of 15 Light Service Tunnel Vehicles (LADOGS) was introduced to supplement the STTSs. The LADOGS has a short wheelbase with a {{convert|3.4|m|abbr=on|adj=on}} turning circle, allowing two-point turns within the service tunnel. Steering cannot be locked like the STTS vehicles, and maximum speed is {{convert|50|km/h|mi/h|0|abbr=on}}. Pods up to {{convert|1|tonne}} can be loaded onto the rear of the vehicles. Drivers in the tunnel sit on the right, and the vehicles drive on the left. Owing to the risk of French personnel driving on their native right side of the road, sensors in the vehicles alert the driver if the vehicle strays to the right side.<ref name="Kirkland pp.247–254">Kirkland pp. 247–254</ref>

The three tunnels contain {{convert|6000|tonne}} of air that needs to be conditioned for comfort and safety. Air is supplied from [[ventilation (architecture)|ventilation]] buildings at Shakespeare Cliff and Sangatte, with each building capable of providing 100% standby capacity. Supplementary ventilation also exists on either side of the tunnel. In the event of a fire, ventilation is used to keep smoke out of the service tunnel and move smoke in one direction in the main tunnel to give passengers clean air. The tunnel was the first main-line railway tunnel to have special cooling equipment. Heat is generated from traction equipment and drag. The design limit was set at {{convert|30|C|F|sigfig=2}}, using a mechanical cooling system with refrigeration plants on both sides that run chilled water circulating in pipes within the tunnel.<ref name="Kirkland pp.212–230"/>

Trains travelling at high speed create [[piston effect]] pressure changes that can affect passenger comfort, ventilation systems, tunnel doors, fans and the structure of the trains, and which drag on the trains.<ref name="Kirkland pp.212–230">Kirkland pp. 212–230</ref> Piston relief [[Duct (HVAC)|ducts]] of {{cvt|2|m|ftin||adj=on}} diameter were chosen to solve the problem, with 4&nbsp;ducts per kilometre to give close to optimum results. However, this design led to extreme lateral forces on the trains, so a reduction in train speed was required and restrictors were installed in the ducts.<ref name="CT experience">The Channel Tunnel Experience Lessons for the Future pp. 19–23</ref>

The safety issue of a possible fire on a passenger-vehicle shuttle garnered much attention, with Eurotunnel noting that fire was the risk attracting the most attention in a 1994 safety case for three reasons: the opposition of ferry companies to passengers being allowed to remain with their cars; [[Home Office]] statistics indicating that car fires had doubled in ten years; and the long length of the tunnel. Eurotunnel commissioned the UK Fire Research Station—now part of the [[Building Research Establishment]]—to give reports of vehicle fires, and liaised with Kent Fire Brigade to gather vehicle fire statistics over one year. Fire tests took place at the French Mines Research Establishment with a mock wagon used to investigate how cars burned.<ref name="Kirkland pp.231–240">Kirkland pp. 231–240</ref> The wagon door systems are designed to withstand fire inside the wagon for 30&nbsp;minutes, longer than the transit time of 27&nbsp;minutes. Wagon air conditioning units help to purge dangerous fumes from inside the wagon before travel. Each wagon has a fire detection and extinguishing system, with sensing of ions or [[ultraviolet radiation]], smoke and gases that can trigger [[Haloalkane|halon]] gas to quench a fire. 

Since the HGV wagons are not covered, fire sensors are located on the loading wagon and in the tunnel. A {{convert|10|in|adj=on}} water main in the service tunnel provides water to the main tunnels at {{cvt|125|m|ft|0|adj=on}} intervals.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7612776.stm | title = Focus turns to cause of tunnel blaze |work=BBC News   | access-date =12 September 2008 | date = 12 September 2008 | first=Andrew | last=McFarlane}}</ref> The ventilation system can control smoke movement. Special arrival sidings accept a train that is on fire, as the train is not allowed to stop whilst on fire in the tunnel unless continuing its journey would lead to a worse outcome. Two STTS (Service Tunnel Transportation System)<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.eurotunnelgroup.com/uk/the-channel-tunnel/glossary/#s | title = Glossary | access-date = 24 August 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120815011501/http://www.eurotunnelgroup.com/uk/the-channel-tunnel/glossary/#s | archive-date = 15 August 2012 | url-status = dead }}</ref> vehicles with firefighting pods are on duty at all times, with a maximum delay of 10&nbsp;minutes before they reach a burning train.<ref name="Kirkland fire"/>
Eurotunnel has banned a wide range of hazardous goods from travelling in the tunnel.

== Unusual traffic ==

=== Trains ===

In 1999, the ''[[Kosovo Train for Life]]'' passed through the tunnel en route to [[Pristina]], in [[Kosovo]].

=== Other ===

{{See also|Cycling in the Channel Tunnel}}
In 2009, former F1 racing champion [[John Surtees]] drove a [[Ginetta G50]] EV electric sports car prototype from England to France, using the service tunnel, as part of a charity event. He was required to keep to the {{cvt|50|km/h|mph|sigfig=1|adj=on}} speed limit.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/formula-one-surtees-drives-through-channel-tunnel-1822530.html|title=Formula One: Surtees drives through Channel Tunnel|date=17 November 2009|work=[[The Independent]]|access-date=2 August 2014}}</ref> To celebrate the [[2014 Tour de France]]'s transfer from its opening stages in Britain to France in July of that year, [[Chris Froome]] of [[Team Sky]] rode a bicycle through the service tunnel, becoming the first solo rider to do so.<ref>{{cite web |title=Chris Froome cycles through the Channel Tunnel  |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/active/recreational-cycling/10951008/Chris-Froome-cycles-through-the-Channel-Tunnel.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140708120826/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/active/recreational-cycling/10951008/Chris-Froome-cycles-through-the-Channel-Tunnel.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=8 July 2014 |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=7 July 2014 |access-date=3 March 2015}}</ref><ref>{{YouTube |id=VeOeZxWiryM |title=Chris Froome, Team Sky and Jaguar: 'Cycling Under The Sea'}}</ref> The crossing took under an hour, reaching speeds of {{cvt|65|km/h}}—faster than most cross-channel ferries.<ref>{{cite news |title=Christopher Froome a traversé la Manche à vélo |url=https://www.lefigaro.fr/le-scan-sport/buzz/2014/07/08/27002-20140708ARTFIG00162-christopher-froome-a-traverse-la-manche-en-velo.php  |work=[[Le Figaro]] |date=8 July 2014 |access-date=19 May 2020}}</ref>

== Mobile network coverage ==
Since 2012, French operators [[Bouygues Telecom]], [[Orange S.A.|Orange]] and [[SFR]] have covered Running Tunnel South, the tunnel bore normally used for travel from France to Britain.

In January 2014, UK operators [[EE (telecommunications)|EE]] and [[Vodafone UK|Vodafone]] signed ten-year contracts with [[Eurotunnel]] for Running Tunnel North. The agreements will enable both operators' subscribers to use [[2G]] and [[3G]] services. Both EE and Vodafone planned to offer [[LTE (telecommunication)|LTE]] services on the route; EE said it expected to cover the route with LTE connectivity by the summer of 2014. EE and Vodafone will offer Channel Tunnel network coverage for travellers from the UK to France. Eurotunnel said it also held talks with [[Three UK]] but had yet to reach an agreement with the operator.<ref>{{cite news | url =http://www.telecoms.com/210882/ee-and-vodafone-offer-channel-tunnel-network-coverage/ | title =EE and Vodafone offer Channel Tunnel network coverage | first=Dawinderpal | last=Sahota |publisher=Telecoms.com | date = 9 January 2014 | access-date =11 January 2014 }}</ref>

In May 2014, Eurotunnel announced that they had installed equipment from [[Alcatel-Lucent]] to cover Running Tunnel North and simultaneously to provide mobile service ([[GSM]] 900/1800&nbsp;MHz and [[UMTS]] 2100&nbsp;MHz) by EE, O<sub>2</sub> and Vodafone. The service of EE and Vodafone commenced on the same date as the announcement. O<sub>2</sub> service was expected to be available soon afterwards.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eurotunnelgroup.com/uploadedFiles/assets-uk/Media/Press-Releases/2014-Press-Releases/060514.TelMobileTunnelSud.pdf |title=Eurotunnel completes mobile telephone and internet connections in Channel Tunnel |publisher=Eurotunnel |date=6 May 2014 |access-date=7 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140508030404/http://www.eurotunnelgroup.com/uploadedFiles/assets-uk/Media/Press-Releases/2014-Press-Releases/060514.TelMobileTunnelSud.pdf |archive-date=8 May 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In November 2014, EE announced that it had previously switched on LTE earlier in September 2014.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ee.co.uk/our-company/newsroom/2014/11/21/4g-from-ee-live-in-the-channel-tunnel |title=4G From EE Live in the Channel Tunnel |publisher=EE |date=21 November 2014 |access-date=21 November 2014}}</ref> O<sub>2</sub> turned on 2G, 3G and [[4G]] services in November 2014, whilst Vodafone's 4G was due to go live later.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mobilenewscwp.co.uk/2014/11/21/o2-first-uk-operator-to-provide-full-network-access-in-eurotunnel/ |title=EE and O2 now providing full 2G, 3G, and 4G access in Eurotunnel |first=Michael |last=Garwood |date=21 November 2014 |access-date=24 November 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141205162247/http://www.mobilenewscwp.co.uk/2014/11/21/o2-first-uk-operator-to-provide-full-network-access-in-eurotunnel/ |archive-date=5 December 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== Other (non-transport) services ==
The tunnel also houses the 1,000&nbsp;MW [[ElecLink]] interconnector to transfer power between the British and French electricity networks. During the night of 31 August/1 September 2021,<ref name="mr-2021-11-80">''Channel Tunnel electricity link goes live''. [[Modern Railways]], November 2021, p.80</ref> the 51&nbsp;km-long 320&nbsp;kV DC cable was switched into service for the first time.

== See also ==
* [[France–United Kingdom border]]
* [[Japan–Korea Undersea Tunnel]]
* [[List of transport megaprojects]]
* [[Marmaray Tunnel]]
* [[Proposed British Isles fixed sea link connections]]
* [[Strait of Gibraltar crossing]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Sources ==
{{Refbegin}}
* {{cite book | title = The Channel Tunnel Story | last = Anderson | first = Graham |author2=Roskrow, Ben | year = 1994 | publisher=[[Edward and Francis N. Spon]] | location = London | isbn = 0-419-19620-X }}
* {{cite book | title = The Channel Tunnel Story | last = Bonavia | first = Michael R | year = 1987 | publisher= David & Charles | location = Newton Abbot | isbn = 0-7153-8964-5 }}
* {{cite book | author=(([[European Commission]]. [[Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy|Directorate-General for Regional Policy and Cohesion]].)) | title = The regional impact of the Channel Tunnel throughout the Community | year = 1996 | publisher=European Commission | location = Luxembourg | isbn = 92-826-8804-6 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Fetherston |first1=Drew |title=The Chunnel: The Amazing Story of the Undersea Crossing of the English Channel |date=1997 |publisher=Times Books |isbn=978-0-8129-2198-4}}
* {{cite book | title = Megaprojects and Risk: An Anatomy of Ambition |author1=Flyvbjerg, B. |author2=Buzelius, N. |author3=Rothengatter, W. |title-link=Megaprojects and Risk: An Anatomy of Ambition | year = 2003 | publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] | location = Cambridge | isbn = 0-521-00946-4 }}
* {{cite book | title = The Channel Tunnel Story: The world's longest undersea tunnel system | author = Foreign & Commonwealth Office | year = 1994 | publisher= Foreign & Commonwealth Office | location = London }}
* {{cite journal|author=Grayson, Richard S. |year=1996|title=The British Government, the Channel Tunnel and European Unity, 1948-64|journal=European History Quarterly|volume= 26|number=3 |pages= 415–436|doi=10.1177/026569149602600304|s2cid=144255457}}
* {{cite book |last1=Gourvish |first1=Terry |title=The Official History of Britain and the Channel Tunnel |date=27 September 2006 |url=http://ndl.ethernet.edu.et/bitstream/123456789/76066/1/103.pdf|quote=Commissioned by the [[Cabinet Office]]}}
* {{wikicite |ref={{sfnref|Hemphill|2013}} |reference=Hemphill, Gary B. ''Practical Tunnel Construction'' (Hoboken, New Jersey:  John Wiley & Sons, 2013), Chapter 7:  Tunnel-boring machines:  History of tunnel-boring machine.}}
* {{cite book |last1=Hunt |first1=Donald |title=The Tunnel: The Story of the Channel Tunnel, 1802-1994 |date=1994 |publisher=Images |isbn=978-1-897817-35-3}}
* {{cite book | author=Institution of Civil Engineers | title = The Channel Tunnel | year = 1989 | publisher=Thomas Telford | location = London | isbn = 0-7277-1546-1 }}
* {{cite book |author1=Institution of Civil Engineers |author1-link=Institution of Civil Engineers |editor1-last=Penny |editor1-first=Charles |title=Channel Tunnel Transport System: Proceedings of the Conference Organized by the Institution of Civil Engineers and Held in London on 4-5 October 1994 |date=1996 |publisher=[[Thomas Telford]] |isbn=978-0-7277-2515-8}}
* {{cite book | editor-last=Kirkland|editor-first=Colin J. | title = Engineering the Channel Tunnel | year = 1995 | publisher=Chapman and Hall | location = London | isbn = 0-419-17920-8 }}
* {{cite journal|author=Redford, Duncan|year=2014|title=Opposition to the Channel Tunnel, 1882–1975: Identity, Island Status and Security|journal=History|volume=99|number=334 |pages= 100–120|doi=10.1111/1468-229x.12046|s2cid=141763143 }}
* {{wikicite |ref={{sfnref|West|1988}} |reference=West, Graham. ''Innovation and the Rise of the Tunnelling Industry'' (Cambridge, England:  Cambridge University Press, 1988), Chapter 11:  Hard rock tunnelling machines.}}
* {{cite book | title = The Tunnel under the Channel | last=Whiteside | first=Thomas | year = 1962 | oclc= 498438 | url = https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/66685 | publisher=Rupert Hart-Davis | location=London }}
* {{cite book | last = Wilson | first = Jeremy |author2=Spick, Jerome | title = Eurotunnel&nbsp;– The Illustrated Journey | publisher=HarperCollins | year = 1994 | isbn = 0-00-255539-5 }}
{{Refend}}

== Further reading ==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite journal|last=Dupont|first=Christophe|title=The Channel Tunnel Negotiations, 1984–1986: Some aspects of the process and its outcome|journal=Negotiation Journal|volume= 6|number=1 |year=1990|pages= 71–80|doi=10.1111/j.1571-9979.1990.tb00555.x}}
* {{cite book|last=Forbes|first=Horace Courtenay Gammell|author-link=Horace Courtenay Gammell Forbes|title=Shall we have a Channel tunnel?|title-link=s:Shall we have a Channel tunnel?|year=1883|publisher=A. Brown & Co.|location=Aberdeen}}
* {{cite journal|last1=Holliday|first1=Ian|title=The politics of the Channel Tunnel|journal=Parliamentary Affairs|volume=45|number=2 |year=1992|pages=188–204}}
* {{cite magazine|title=Main tunnel dig starts|page=6|issue=93|date=6–19 April 1989|magazine=[[RAIL (magazine)|RAIL]]|publisher=EMAP National Publications|issn=0953-4563|oclc=49953699}}
* {{cite journal|last1=Moore|first1=Gary|last2=Sutton|first2=Philip |date=30 November – 13 December 1989|title=Eurotunnel competes service tunnel|journal= RAIL|number= 110|publisher= EMAP National Publications|page= 7|issn= 0953-4563|oclc= 49953699}}
* {{cite news|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wN4DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA767 |title=New Plan For Channel Tunnel|date= May 1929|magazine= Popular Mechanics}} Article on a post-WW1 plan for a tunnel that was scrapped by the Great Depression. A total cost figure of US$150 million was given in 1929
* {{cite web|url=http://members.fortunecity.com/78blencowest/ch14.htm#chunnel|publisher=fortunecity.com|title=Chapter 14: Chunnel|last=Stokes|first=Sir John|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090528172537/http://members.fortunecity.com/78blencowest/ch14.htm#chunnel|archive-date=28 May 2009}} Autobiography of Sir John Stokes regarding 1882 deliberations
{{refend}}

== External links ==
{{GeoGroup}}
{{Commons}}
{{Wikisource|Portal:Channel Tunnel}}
* [https://www.eurotunnel.com UK website] at eurotunnel.com
* [https://www.eurotunnel.com/fr/ French website] at eurotunnel.com/fr
* [http://www.chunnel.com/ Tribute website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120508215124/http://www.chunnel.com/ |date=8 May 2012 }} at chunnel.com
* {{cite web|url=http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/sites/c/channel_tunnel_1880_attempt/index.shtml|publisher=ubbrit.org.uk|title=Chunnel Tunnel 1880 Attempt}}
* [[:openstreetmap:Channel Tunnel|Channel Tunnel]] on OpenStreetMap wiki
* {{cite web|url=http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?id=s0000334 |website=Structurae|title= Channel Tunnel}}
* {{PM20|FID=co/008410|TEXT=Documents and clippings about|NAME=}}

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