Contributor: Roxann Penny. Lesson ID: 12712
Have you ever ridden in a car over a river on a bridge? Have you ever ridden in a car UNDER the water? Thanks to the Chunnel, cars go under the English Channel every day! Check out this cool tunnel!
Imagine traveling under the sea, from one country to another, without ever touching water!
Well, it’s real—and it's called the Channel Tunnel, or Chunnel. This incredible tunnel connects Great Britain to France beneath the English Channel.
Dive into the story of how this modern wonder came to life!
The Channel Tunnel, also known as the Chunnel, is the longest undersea tunnel in the world. Stretching over 31 miles, it runs 250 feet below the sea’s surface, making it a massive feat of engineering.
For centuries, the English Channel separated the United Kingdom from mainland Europe, making travel between Britain and France a lengthy and sometimes dangerous journey.
But in the 1980s, building a tunnel under the sea gained serious attention. After years of planning and discussions, construction began in 1988, and after six years of hard work, the tunnel was completed in 1994.
More than 13,000 workers from both France and Great Britain worked together to create this tunnel. They faced many challenges, including digging through rugged rocks and dealing with delays.
The British workers reached the halfway point first, but they had to wait for their French counterparts to catch up before the tunnel could be finished.
The Channel Tunnel consists of three main tunnels: two for passengers and one for maintenance.
It’s not just a tunnel for cars and trains—it’s a fast and efficient way to travel across countries, reducing the journey time between London and Paris to 35 minutes!
But creating this modern wonder didn’t come cheap. It cost a massive 15 billion dollars to build.
Thousands of passengers, goods, and cars travel through the Chunnel daily using trains that move up to 100 miles per hour. The tunnel has transformed how people travel between the two countries and is an essential link for business and tourism.
Watch the video below to see how this marvel was built.
Move to the Got It? section to answer questions on what you learned!