About Eurotunnel Le Shuttle

How does it work:

Unique in the world, the cross-Channel Fixed Link is the only way to cross the stretch of water between Great Britain and continental Europe in total safety, 365 days a year, 24 hours a day.

Operators of a remarkable feat of engineering and technology, the Channel Tunnel, we are in business to provide drivers and passengers of cars and trucks with the fastest and most efficient link between England and France

Eurotunnel Le Shuttle opened in 1994.  Used by 2.5 million cars, more than 325 millions passengers and 1.4 million trucks every year.

More than 330 million passengers and 300 million tonnes of freight have already used the Channel Tunnel.

Tunnel By Numbers:

Key Dates:

1802-1860:1802: The engineer Albert Mathieu-Favier made a drawing of a bored two-level tunnel. 1803: The Englisman Henry Mottray proposed a submerged tunnel made of prefabricated iron sections. 

1834-1860: The French mining engineer Aimé Thomé de Gamond drafted and presented seven designs for a fixed link.

1867-1880: Thomé de Gamond’s last project, which comprised an undersea railway tunnel, was approved by Queen Victoria and Napoléon II and presented to the Paris World Exhibition In 1867.  First attempts at tunnelling on both sides of the Channel

1985: Four projects for tunnels or bridges were submitted.  Eurotunnel won the tender with a proposal for a system with two single track rail tunnels and one service tunnel

1986: The Treaty of Canterbury, signed on 12 February, stipulates that the two States will not contribute to the financing of the Channel Tunnel.  The signature of the Concession Agreement on 14 March with the British and French governments was followed on 13 August by the constitution of the Eurotunnel group.

1990: Three years after the excavation works started, an English and French worker achieved the historic breakthrough between England and France.  The photograph makes headlines around the world.

1994: On 6 May, the Eurotunnel transport system was inaugurated by HM Queen Elizabeth II and the French President, François Mitterrand.

Amusing fact: