(Awake March 26), May 6, 1994, the opening of the Eurotunnel.

1994, is a very important day in the history of relations of Britain and France and continental Europe. 11,000 engineering and technical personnel with nearly seven years of hard labor, and finally the dream of nearly two centuries since Napoleon has become a reality: surging sea change thoroughfare, a submarine tunnel situated offshore in the Atlantic, the British Isles closely connected with the European continent, and wrote an important sum of European transport history. (Lssdjt.cn)
Eurotunnel undersea rail tunnel running through the Dover Strait between the British and French, also known as the Channel Tunnel. It is west of Folkestone, east to Calais in France, a total length of 50 km, underwater length of 38 km, is the world's longest underwater tunnel.
this project consists of three tunnels and two terminus. Three tunnels from north to south parallel arranged, both north and south of the tunnel is 30 meters away, single-line one-way railway tunnel, the tunnel is 7.6 m in diameter; middle tunnel as auxiliary tunnel, maintenance and rescue operations for the two tunnels, a diameter of 4.8 meters . In 1/3 and 2/3 of the auxiliary tunnel, tunnel construction for both operators lateral connection tunnel. Railway failure, the trains run in the side of the tunnel may be transferred to another tunnel continue to run without interruption throughout the tunnel operations. In the assisted tunneling online, every 375 meters, has a channel connected to the two main tunnels, so that maintenance personnel and personnel in case of an emergency evacuation. enabled
tunnel to shorten the London to Paris overland travel time in half, three hours to arrive. Voyage usually takes about three hours to fly from London to Paris. While also booking in advance through the tunnel by train, time, but save a lot of trouble. According to the British railway authorities estimate the number of travelers through the tunnel every year up to 18 million people, up to 800 million tons of freight.
Eurotunnel officially started on December 1, 1987, cost $ 15 billion originally planned opening in 1993, after a delay of one year. Construction funding comes mainly from the international bank loans and the sale of stock by the Anglo-French consortium of construction. Eurotunnel passenger and freight trains by 2 locomotives traction locomotive power of 7600 hp each, the average maximum speed of 140 kilometers per hour.
in the opening ceremony of the Eurotunnel on May 6, 1994, co-chaired by the then French President Francois Mitterrand and Britain's Queen Elizabeth II at the two ends of the tunnel - Calais, France and Folkestone the grand opening of the ribbon-cutting ceremony. The two heads of state delivered a speech at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Mitterrand said, to achieve the ideal of more than two centuries, and he and the French people are happy for the realization of this project. This project will promote the construction of European unity, between France and Britain have done does not make the rest of Europe felt indifferent. Queen Elizabeth II, (l $ dj��.��r��), this is the first time the heads of state of France and Britain is not a boat, not a plane to meet. She hopes that the undersea tunnel to increase the mutual attraction of the two peoples, and hoped the two countries would continue for a common cause.