Happy birthday to the Channel Tunnel!

50.5km (31.4 miles) long, the Channel Tunnel, or ‘Le Tunnel sous la Manche’, is an epic achievement.

Here’s a few quick facts about this this technological marvel:

– Britain’s link to mainland Europe, the tunnel was opened on 6 May 1994. The first proposal was as early as 1802 when French engineer Albert Mathieu designed a tunnel link for horse-drawn carriages between the countries.

– There are actually three tunnels; two are used for trains and one is used as a service tunnel.

-The tunnels don’t actually go through the water – they are built into the seabed.

– Construction began in 1988 and the tunnel cost was an estimated £4.65 billion.

– It is considered by some as one of the seven wonders of the modern world.

– If all the vehicles that have ever been in the tunnel were parked in a line, they would reach the moon!

– 2012 signalled the first year the tunnel has made a profit for its owners. This bodes well for a long future of continental linking. See you again in 20 years!

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