The Channel Tunnel is the longest undersea tunnel in the world. It is a 50.5 kilometer railway tunnel of which 38 kilometers is underwater. The tunnel connects Folkestone in the United Kingdom to Coquelles in northern France. It is located an average of 40 meters below sea level and passes beneath the English channel at the Strait of Dover. The trains provide faster transport of passengers and vehicles across a direct underwater route. Passenger carts traveling at speeds around 160 kilometers/hour result in an estimated twenty minute travel duration (Groupe Eurotunnel, 2011). The Channel tunnel is one of the greatest engineering feats of all time.
Construction began at the end of 1987 and was finished in 1994. It was a twenty one billion dollar project which at the time, was the most expensive construction project ever (Engineering.com, 2006). It is able to carry cars and trucks on drive on- drive off shuttle trains as well as regular passenger trains (The Other Side, 2002). It is made up of three tunnels. Two transport tunnels placed 30 meters apart with 7.6 meters diameters and a service tunnel located in between the two. The service tunnel is thinner with a diameter of 4.8 meters. Each outer tunnel contains a single track as well as overhead line and electrical equipment and two pedestrian walkways used for maintenance and emergencies. One of the transport tunnels runs north for those traveling from the United Kingdom to France and the other runs south for the return trip (Groupe Eurotunnel, 2011).
The tunnel is equipped with extensive safety features. It has two crossover opportunities for trains to switch to the other tunnel if a section needs to be isolated. A safety vehicle has been specifically designed to travel up and down the service tunnel allowing access for maintenance or emergency evacuations in minimum time. Cooling pipes, fire mains, signaling equipment, drainage pumps and lighting in the tunnels are powered by cooling plants and substations in France and the United Kingdom. If the electrical supply on one side of the channel is disabled the other side is able to power the entire system (Groupe Eurotunnel, 2011).
The transport system is controlled by the Rail Control Center, one located at each terminal which allows control to be shared. Management is divided into two areas. Rail Traffic Management controls the rail traffic system. Engineering Management System controls the equipment within the tunnels including lighting and ventilation. Although the system is automated, there are supervisors on standby 24 hours a day in case manual control becomes necessary in the event of a technical failure (Groupe Eurotunnel, 2011).
It is estimated that in Euro Tunnel’s first 15 years of operation, the number of vehicles making the shift to rail transport has saved at least 3.5 million tonnes of carbon emissions (Eurotunnel, 2009). Technology and engineering is continuing to improve global transport. It is expected that in the future, high speed electric rail transport will greatly benefit the world by reducing travel time and carbon emissions.
The transport system is controlled by the Rail Control Center, one located at each terminal which allows control to be shared. Management is divided into two areas. Rail Traffic Management controls the rail traffic system. Engineering Management System controls the equipment within the tunnels including lighting and ventilation. Although the system is automated, there are supervisors on standby 24 hours a day in case manual control becomes necessary in the event of a technical failure (Groupe Eurotunnel, 2011).
It is estimated that in Euro Tunnel’s first 15 years of operation, the number of vehicles making the shift to rail transport has saved at least 3.5 million tonnes of carbon emissions (Eurotunnel, 2009). Technology and engineering is continuing to improve global transport. It is expected that in the future, high speed electric rail transport will greatly benefit the world by reducing travel time and carbon emissions.
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