While the French side of the tunnel utilized high speed lines into Paris from the get go, traveling in and out of London was a lot more sedate. The initial experience, however, was much removed from the high-speed delights experienced by today’s travelers. “From the early days of operation, Eurostar has championed the environmental benefits of high-speed rail and encouraged the switch to sustainable modes of transport for short-haul international travel,” a Eurostar spokesperson told CNN.

AFP/Getty ImagesĪ journey from London to Paris emits 90% less greenhouse gas emissions than the equivalent short–haul flight, according to Eurostar.

It wasn’t until 1987, after numerous false starts following World War II, that the British and French parliaments agreed to the project, with two rail tunnels and a third service tunnel preferred to plans for road tunnels and a suspension bridge.įrench and English workers shake hands after a giant drilling machine broke through the last section of the tunnel in 1991. The concept continued to rear its head throughout the 19th century, with engineers even digging tunnels into the bedrock before plans were abandoned in 1882, with British politicians fearing that the tunnel would compromise the country’s defenses. French engineer Albert Mathieu-Flavier first proposed a subterranean link between Britain and France in 1802, suggesting the creation of an artificial island in the English Channel for trains to change the horses that would be required to pull the carriages. The tunnel itself had been mooted for over 180 years before British and French workers broke ground and began digging towards each other in 1988. One of the tunnel's boring machines hangs over a tunnel entrance on the French side of the Channel in 1988.

Age of wonders 3 block tunnel