THE
CHANNEL TUNNEL There have long been plans to build a fixed link between England and France at what the French call 'La Manche': the English Channel. Several attempts to dig the tunnel were started.
We are going to look at several sites related to the Channel Tunnel.
Go HERE first of all for some history on the tunnel.
Next try the official site of the EUROTUNNEL.
The EUROSTAR is the train which runs through the tunnel.
The CHANNEL TUNNEL RAIL LINK will speed up the journey times between London and Paris. There is some information HERE. More information HERE too.
More general information sites are also available:
This is the bit you need to complete by visiting the sites above. Remember that you can copy and paste the text into word to form a framework for your answers, and save you writing them out yourself..
1. Where are the 2 ends of the Channel tunnel located ?
2. How long is the Channel Tunnel ?
3. How much did the Channel Tunnel cost to build ?
4. When did the Channel Tunnel open ?
5. If you turn up in your car to the tunnel entrance, what steps would be involved in your journey through to France ?
6. How much would it cost to take a car through the Channel Tunnel at lunchtime today, and come back at lunchtime on Saturday ?
7. From which London station do Eurostar trains depart ?
8. Have you ever been through the tunnel ? If so write a brief report of your experience. If you haven't been through the tunnel, say whether you think you would like to use it, or whether you would prefer to stick to the ferry.
9. Find a diagram related to the Channel Tunnel, and paste it below:
10. Make a list of the advantages and disadvantages of building the Channel Tunnel compared to the existing cross channel ferry routes. Bear in mind that there is only one tunnel whereas there are many different ferry routes and operators.
11. The Channel Tunnel rail link will link the tunnel to London. This has several additional objections. What are the problems that building this route might create ?
SAMPHIRE HOE
So what did they do with all the stuff they dug out of the tunnel ?
Well I recently discovered what they did on a trip down to Kent.
The end product of all the material is a feature called SAMPHIRE HOE. This was constructed below Shakespeare Cliff, south of Dover. The feature is a large area of reclaimed land.
There's a website link HERE, and JAY BURGESS has produced his own site for Samphire Hoe, from where I obtained the images below which show some of the features.
There are 5 million cubic metres of soft grey chalk marl making up the hoe, all of which was dug out in the creation of the Channel Tunnel. The feature is approached by a tunnel through the cliffs, and is protected by sea wall and rip rap.
Pictures by Jay Burgess, from HERE. Thanks Jay!