May 6, 1994
For the first time since the Ice Age, Britain and the European Continent are physically connected. Dubbed the Chunnel by locals, the English Channel tunnel will be christened by England's Queen Elizabeth II and French President Francois Mitterrand today. Travelers may drive their vehicles aboard Le Shuttle or ride traditional-style Eurostar trains from London and Paris. Cross Comparisons The Eurotunnel will offer travelers another method of crossing the English Channel.
February 9, 1994 |
The Anglo-French company announced that it will miss another opening deadline but admitted that this time there was nobody to blame but itself. The company said it will be unable to meet the March 7 start of freight service and might even have to delay the May 8 start of passenger service because its testing program is taking longer than planned. But co-Chairman Andre Benard told French radio that he still hopes freight services can start in March. The official state opening on May 6 of the $14.
October 12, 1993 |
As the undersea tunnel linking England and France nears its opening, its costs are rising, but revenue projections for the next few years are shrinking. Eurotunnel operators said Monday that they will ask shareholders for at least $767.8 million to avoid running out of cash next spring. The 31-mile Channel Tunnel between Folkestone in southern England and Calais in the north of France is an ambitious work of engineering that may revolutionize travel between Britain and continental Europe.
November 26, 1991 |
Just a few months ago, it seemed that all systems were go for the English Channel Tunnel--the first land link between Britain and the Continent since the melting of the Ice Age 10,000 years ago. The underwater tunneling was completed; work continued apace on the $15-billion project that will ferry passengers and freight by rail, and it appeared that June, 1993, start-up deadline would be met.