Except the photo you are looking at at 01:37 is of the Oresund bridge and tunnel, not the Channel Tunnel. Oresund bridge (between Denmark and Sweden) is also a true technical marvel, but it's 874.34 km (543.29 miles) away from the one you thought you are looking at. The difference is quite easy to spot for someone who has traveled on/through one of the them actually. The entrances on both ends of the Channel tunnel are on land, relatively far from the coast. You get to the terminal on one side, you drive your car into that special cargo train, the train drives into the tunnel which has an entrance about 3 km (2 miles from the seashore) on the UK side and about 6 km (almost 4 miles) on the French side and in 20ish minutes it resurfaces on a train terminal on the other side. You travel between the UK and France without actually seeing the sea at all. You can smell the salty sea air where the terminals are, but that's about it. When traveling over the Oresund Brige let's say in the direction from Denmark to Sweden (= going east), one first has to drive into a motorway tunnel on the Danish side, right behind the Copenhagen Airport, the tunnel then descends under the sea level and resurfaces again on a small man-made island in the sea about 1/3 of the width of the strait. That's why it has that funny symmetric shape. And on that island you emerge from the tunnel and drive up the bridge itself and on it cross over the remaining 2/3 of the width of the strait over to Sweden. Amazing construction as well, but it's a different one.
I was a surveyor on the original site investigation in 1965 we had drilling rigs across the route to find the correct depth in the marle in the chalk layers.
@@PhxVanguard In Europe too, the London underground crosses the Thames, in Paris, the metro crosses the Seine rivers ... But the difference is that the Eurotunnel is the longest underwater INTERNATIONAL tunnel in the world, dug under the sea bed.
I live a few minutes drive from the tunnel. I’ve been through quite a few times, both by car and as a foot passenger on Eurostar. Fast,comfortable, quiet, effortless, efficient. I used to get home from work at 5:30, drive down to the tunnel, go across for £1 (friends and family ticket for staff members), nip to City Europe, fill the car boot with cheap beer, wine, and of course some baguettes,fill the car up with cheap fuel, head back and be at home in time for Eastenders on TV 😂
That first photo looks more like the Øresund Bridge (part bridge, part tunnel, with the two parts meeting on a man-made island) that links Malmø in Sweden with Copenhagen in Denmark. The Channel Tunnel is only visible at its entrances, and you can't just drive through it. BTW, no one calls it the "Chunnel" any more (apart from Americans)!
Yes , the photos at the beginning and end are the Oresund Bridge/tunnel which is also an engineering triumph. I think that this video could be better, must be better ones out there.
No, "chunnel" is very 90s early 2000s, no longer used. Eurotunnel or channel tunnel are the usual terms today. And the shuttle or le shuttle for the vehicle trains.
@mavadelo I think the word "Chunnel" was used as a quirky marketing term when the tunnel was first being built and publicised! It soon dropped from general use once it opened though. The only time I hear the word used these days is when American travel vloggers feature it in their videos!
As a truck driver I used this tunnel twice a week, after you parked the truck you were taken by bus to the restaurant car where initially you were given a meal, then at the other side the bus would take you back to your truck; this process took 45 minutes, the length of the legal break, so when you left the terminal you could immediately drive your next shift.
Never fails to amaze me when you see the reactions of Americans when they take a look outside the American bubble they live in. Great and yes typical reaction Tyler, great video and please keep learning. 👍
I’m not kidding but I once watched an American react video. Where she reacted to things about the UK. At one point in the video she literally said “huh? they have industry in the UK” and looked confused. Not only did the Industrial Revolution begin in the UK. But the daftest thing was she said that after seeing a tractor on a farm. I genuinely thought we still used horse drawn ploughs here.
Oh yeah I unsubscribed to their channel after that. But I did see a clip making fun of her go viral. When she was reacting to Eurovision and thought it was racist to name a country Montenegro.
Ah .. sounds like Favour Abraca or similar surname, from Texas. She amazed me when she said she alwatsxears and uses her phone when driving and thought it wrong that we are not allowed to use our phones in hand whilst driving. David sounded genuinely shocked at the name of Montenegro... I even saw Evan Edinger (from New Jersey but now living and working here in London UK and he has even become a UK citizen too). He was shocked at David's reactions . I learn just as much from watching his little some Americans know about "the rest of the world" than from the videos that they react to .. There us one reactor (JT from Kentucky) who I try to not watch as regularly as Tyler, Ryan, Steve or Evan etc, as JT SHOUTS SO LOUDLY !! He knows as his followers tell him but he finds it "HARD TO BELIEVE ¿!!" 🤔
It’s fkkin ridiculous right? How can they go around thinking they live in the testers country in the world? Because they know nothing about anywhere else in the world 😂 so insular, so backwards for a first world country to be that insular and blinkered…
I remember when the tunnels met, it was televised as French and English workers shook hands through the tunnel, was really emotional and a massive achievement
I think that was the first time British and French met each other in the middle of the Channel and smiled at each other. (Altho the French still insist on calling it the wrong name).
I believe it took a while for concorde to be allowed to fly to America, I believe the Americans didn't want it flying there, probably because they had nothing to do with the production of such an amazing piece of technology 😂
@@davebirch1976 The Americans were trying to build their own version of Concorde in fact they were trying to build two versions Lockheed L2000, and Boeings 2707. But Concorde beat both to market, and hence the market fell out for alternatives to Concorde. I remember reading something about the FAA stalling approval of Concorde, in a attempt to keep the Lockheed and Boeing projects alive, but ultimately failed.
@@Mean-bj8wp if it had become more mainstream, and there had been other choices other than concorde, maybe it could have become cheaper over time, if flights are quicker, it could mean companies need less planes to cover journeys, especially shorter distances meaning it could have made it cheaper, perhaps it was a case of it was just a bit ahead of it's time.
The photo you showed at the beginning and end of the video is not the Channel Tunnel. Rather, its where the Oresund bridge between Denmark and Sweden has to enter a tunnel to stay out of the way of planes taking off from or landing at Copenhagen airport. The island with the tunnel entrance on it is entirely manmade just for that purpose.
Britain also built the world's first underwater tunnel, constructed beneath the River Thames in London, by Marc Isambard Brunel, father of Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
I think that first underground tunnel now carries the (ironically) Overground trains (Prev the East London (Underground) Line) north-south, every 3 mins...
I used it all the time when I lived in Paris, I drove there when I moved using the tunnel, then my car was basically parked for two years! From that point on if I needed to get to the UK I'd take the passenger version. When I finaly returned to the UK, me, my car and my belongings all returned via the tunnel again :D
Taking the Eurostar high speed train from St. Pancras International station in central London through the channel tunnel and arriving at the Gare du Nord railway station in the centre of Paris is smooth, seamless, comfortable and efficient. The shuttle for cars is good too, but not quite as glamorous as it feels like you are in some kind of big sardine tin(!) and it only takes you to the other side of the English Channel, not all the way to Paris. Used both services many times and it still seems like a complete marvel of engineering.
It is an amazing thing, but even more amazing that you had never heard of it! I have been in USA a few times and one of the things that still surprises me is how little coverage about the rest of the world there is on the American TV. Must be one if the most insular countries in the world. So I guess it isnt that surprising that you didnt know about the Chunnel. However its good to see you taking the interest you do in things abroad and as usual I enjoyed your video. 👍
@@PhxVanguard yea but its underwater again lol. dutch water defenses are the best in the world and there are proposals to build a dam all the way to the UK. you should check it out. very impressive
Not sure if anyone else here has mentioned it but Tyler you need to be aware that there are UA-cam videos of the tunnel being built and how the boring machines operated as it was going on. There was a major news event when the break-through occurred and two chaps exchanged flags and shook hands. Then videos of the official openings of the tunnel with the various Prime Ministers, etc. It was acknowledged as one of the engineering marvels of its time, and still is. As a passenger to get on a nice comfy train in central London and within 3 hours be in central Paris is astounding. You need to check out some of the documentary videos of the Chunnel being built. 👍🙂
I used the Eurostar last week - a quick trip to Brussels from the East Midlands via London to see Rammstein in concert, an overnight stay, a spot of sightseeing and back home the following evening
Who knew?.... Well sort of just about everyone in Europe 😂 Glad you enjoyed it, I use the ferry because I find the tunnel too expensive, and it's actually taking longer by tunnel at the moment because of the extra post-Brexit checks. But, it is a great piece of engineering and shows what can be achieved when countries work together instead of bickering like little kids. It probably worked even better because it was done by private companies and not governments.
I used to commute to Paris from London 2 days a week for about 6 months, I used to get the normal passenger train and it was just as easy as commuting into London itself.
There are separate trains for foot passengers, one for cars and another for freight (i.e. lorries) NB it isn’t under the water but dug into the sea bed
Yes, and a lot of (young) people were disappointed you can't see fish swimming around outside as you travel through. I don't use this tunnel as often as I might like, but I use London St Pancras station a lot and always get a warm glow when I see the Eurostar ready to depart or pulling in.
@leohickey4953 I felt the same when I was at Amsterdam Centraal Station a few weeks ago, and saw a Eurostar service arrive from London. I wished I could get on it to go home rather than going through all the airport rigmarole!
Tyler, you're not a typical American. You've educated yourself that there is an entire world outside the US and that makes you pleasingly atypical. Good on you, kid.
You can travel by train from England to Turkey if you wanted too. All of the train networks across Europe and all connected to each other, making it possible to travel to any country in Europe by train 😊
Sort of true, but not to all parts, eg Cicily, Åland, Isle of Man would be difficult... And a train ride from Sweden to Finland, while possible, isn't very practical. Also, is there a train route between the UK and Ireland?
@@stevekenilworth Before the war started it was possible to get from UK to China and Vietnam by train. There are people who have done it and uploaded footage on UA-cam. The most common route filmed is London to Hong Kong. Trains Planes Everything filmed a train journey from Vila Real in Portugal to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.
@matshjalmarsson3008 Yes, there have been trains running from the UK to Ireland ever since partition. They run between Belfast in the UK (in Northern Ireland) and Dublin.
I’ve been through the tunnel several times and it’s effortless, drive your car onto a train that takes you through to the other side. Far less hassle than using the Ferry. My mother lived only 2 miles from the Tunnel at Folkestone.
The Channel Tunnel is primarily used by Haulage Trucks, who use it to move goods like household goods for grocery stores and other stores, between Europe and England... But you can also use the Eurotunnel Shuttle (now called LeShuttle) if you were say going on holiday and wanted to drive your own car between England and France, and into Europe, and the Eurostar (which is unrelated to Eurotunnel), a High Speed train service that operates at around 200MPH, and allows you to take a train between London and Amsterdam in the Netherlands, with stops between in Lille and Paris in France, and Brussels in Belgium.
I am German but I was living in England so I used the Eurotunnel like 5 times a year. It is not cheap but it is very convenient. The whole process including buying a ticket, boarding and travelling takes about 1 hour max (well if you don't travel during a LeMans weekend what I once did). Why are you afraid that it is underwater? Rocks are usually heavier than water and I am sure you drive through tunnels that have rock above your head ;-)
That's really cool, I knew that they were built in the UK, but somehow the knowledge that they were built in Chesterfield passed me by. I've not been to Chesterfield in a very long while, I miss going along the trans pennine trail through to Staveley (blech, only place worse is Renishaw) and onto the canal to Chesterfield.
It was a "huge deal at the time". I remember it very well as a child, my parents always wanted to go to France for holidays, but my sister gets very sea sick and has a phobia of boats. The channel tunnel was a really game changer for my family.
It's a bit surprising that you are shocked by the idea of underwater tunnels, mate. The Holland Tunnel in NY is almost a hundred years old. NY also has the Lincoln Tunnel. The tunnel linking San Francisco with Oakland is almost 6km long and was built 60 yrs ago. The combined tunnel and bridge linking Virginia's two shores on the Chesapeake has a combined length of almost 30km. You need to get out more, mate. 😂
@@WookieWarriorz Strangely, so MANY don't! I have been to the US often, also the Caribbean, plus several other places where I have met Americans and have been amazed just how few know of it... 'JUST' before Covid, in Barbados, we were chatting with an American couple and during the conversation the guy actually said something like (I'm paraphrasing) "It would be great if they could build a bridge from England to France, it can't be that far (?), when looking at a map... How far is it?" - DUH! At first I thought he was joking, but no, he was absolutely serious - NO IDEA we were joined to Europe by a tunnel... 🤔😲
@@stewedfishproductions7959 america is very navie about things outside their bubble.being proud and valuing their way of life to the fullest they simple don't care about things that don't affect them,this is in part helped by a media that only portrays american interest and wants that to be the global narrative.of course this is a generalisation and like in this video there are people who wish to know more.the problem is years of being guided in how to think has held back exploring alternative ideologies.this is not meant to offend,just give understanding why some things just don't appear on americans radars.
The channel tunnel is decades old, which is likely the reason it's not talked about much, it's not a new accomplishment, it has been active for decades and is a very convenient way to cross the channel, it connects London to three other capital cities Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam. If you want another UK - Europe fact, you can see Dover from Calais in France, and potentially vice-versa, the distance is around 20 miles which would normally not be able to see each other but due to the elevation of the cliffs on the Dover side, it is quiet possible on a clear day to see Dover from Calais, Calais is harder to see from Dover but it's not impossible.
The first picture is not the Channel tunnel but the Øresund bridge and tunnel between Sweden and Denmark … you can’t drive through the Channel tunnel, it’s much too long, there are only two train tracks and a service and security tunnel. I love the fact that I can just take a train from where I live in the south of the Netherlands and be in Paris or London or anywhere in Europe in a couple of hours. And in my second home town of Budapest overnight. I’ve traveled both (the Øresund and the Channel tunnel) in my camper and also without it in a normal high speed train but the ferries have their charm too. If I have the time, I choose the ferry from Hoek van Holland to London because, as a Dutchie, I like being on the sea …
Yes. It is featured in Simon Whistler's excellent documentary that you might enjoy watching (on YT): "The Channel Tunnel: Planned Since 1802" - Megaprojects
You're welcome Paul! I love Simon Whistler's documentaries. (NB: I cannot post links, which would be much simpler, because my comments containing links don't get published, for some obscure reason ...)
@@micade2518 Yes his documentaries are very good. I will get round to watching that one. UA-cam don't allow links for some reason, i have posted many in the past just to see them removed also. All the Best 👍
Eurostar is passenger only trains, these trains go from London to Paris, Brussels & Amsterdam, Le Shuttle is for freight and car passengers. When using Le Shuttle as a car passenger you stay with your car during the journey
The photo you are looking at.. as others have said it is not the Channel Tunnel .. it's a rail link from Copenhagen in Denmark to connect direct to Sweden.. I have been on this. I am off to France next week via the Tunnel by car... when I use the Rail link from London to Paris / Brussels etc for work in the Tunnel we have to have a beer in while in the darkness of the Tunnel in the 'Buffet' car.. we call it Tunnel Club :)
1.25 That’s a picture of the Öresund Bridge between Denmark and Sweden. Both entrances to The Chunnel are quite inland to allow it to get to the depth it needs to be under the sea floor gradually.
Great video as always Tyler 👍. At the time it was a big deal. After 30 years we've got used to it, but it's still an incredible achievement. You explained the car journey perfectly. The passenger only service is called the Eurostar and effectively links Paris and London with a non-stop journey. Thanks for putting this video out there to explain!
Londoner here who grew up in Glasgow, Scotland and has been to Paris a few times through the Channel tunnel. I absolutely love your childish delight about this. It IS amazing in terms of an engineering feat. Like many Londoners, I don't drive, so when I go, I just take the passenger train. It's really great - just over 20 minutes in the tunnel, and suddenly you're in France. I'm old enough to remember when it opened. After it had been open for a few months in the mid 90s, a problem became obvious. Apparently, when it opened, a lot of British people didn't think to bring their passports with them, because they associated having to bring their passport with getting on a plane or boat - but not with getting on a train. So after a few months the adverts for the Channel tunnel started tacking on the message "don't forget to bring your passport!" at the end of the ads. 🤣
I've used it for work and pleasure, it's great getting on a train at Kings Cross St. Pancras in London, (maybe having a glass of wine), and getting off at Gare du Nord in Paris.
True. For having crossed the Channel many times, the difference between the UK and the Continent is palpable. There is in both sides that " je ne sais quoi" in the air itself, which I love. But isn't it funny that when Americans refer to Europe, they mean the UK that's so different from, say, France, Spain, Italy, Bulgaria, Germany,... ?
@@flitsertheo We are European. The UK over thousands of years has been shaped by our neighbours, and no Brexit or xenophobic feelings can ever change it.
This video really proves that Americans really know nothing about countries outside of the states, he's never heard of it even though its 30 years old next year, although if the tunnel had been designed and dug by Americans he'd have known about it, in fact the whole world would have known about it 😂
No, he wouldn't have known about it even if Americans had made it. His lack of basic knowledge about even his own country is shocking, other than if he's trolling.
@@patrickw123 I agree. Every time I see this moron, I am amazed at his total lack of knowledge on almost any topic. He is correct on one thing though.......................................he is a typical American!
We drove to Disneyland Paris via the tunnel, drove on the train, sat there (in the car) for a bit, drove off and on to Disneyland Paris. Much less faff than the ferry (which I’ve previously used ).
I love going to Europe using Eurotunnel. We take our Great Dane on holiday with us. Drive onto the train at Folkestone (UK) with her in the back of the car, 35 minutes later drive off the train in Calais (France), then drive wherever you want to go in Europe. We usually drive through France and Switzerland down to Tuscany (Italy). It's brilliant and we particularly use it as you can stay with your dog. On a ferry, you have to leave them in your car alone, people aren't allowed to stay on the car deck when a ferry sails.
The Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge is officially the longest bridge in the world. It stretches out for no less than 102.4 miles (164.8 kilometres) and forms part of one of China's most important railway connections: the high-speed train between Beijing and Shanghai.
Love the channel. So efficient (usually)! It's how we go camping in France. So great to drive on and then emerge in France. Much more pleasant than a choppy ferry crossing.
The problem with the option of a bridge, other than the engineering challenges, is that the English Channel is one of the world's busiest waterways. To allow the passage of this shipping would have meant any bridge would have needed to be quite some height above sea level. Any supporting structure (as in the artificial island idea) would also be both a navigation hazard and at risk of damage from collision.
Also, the weather sometimes gets really bad in the Channel, which would have meant occasional closures for a bridge. The tunnel circumvents that problem.
I've only used it once for a day trip to Paris. We got on the train at Waterloo station in central London and got off at Gare du Nord station in central Paris. It's quite amazing.
Those of us who were old enough to be able to form memories in the early 90s know about the Chunnel. It was all over the news and I was only 14 at the time. I still remember that photograph when they held the French and UK flags when they first connected the excavations from both sides.
I remember in 1986 when it was announced that this had been agreed. Lots of people were not keen on the idea. We'd got used to the idea by the time it opened.
Hi Tyler, I’ve used the chunnel about 4 times, scared at first but much better than other ways of getting across. There is a video of the actual moment they connected. Amazing engineering.
It's a franco-british masterpiece in engineering. I think I may have given you the references to this excellent, much better documentary by Simon Whistler on that megaproject (on YT): "The Channel Tunnel: Planned Since 1802" - Megaprojects
Been through there a few times. Drive car on train, in UK, stay in car and 35 minutes later I am driving off in France. You can exit car and use toilets. There is a slight change in ear air pressure when you hit the bottom of the tunnel. There is air conditioning in each train. The train is double layer. There is an enormous cutting head, of the TBM, on display to the approach of the tunnel. One TBM (Tunnel Boring Machine is buried under the English Channel as it was not practical to remove it. It is quite an experience to travel on it in a car. Lorries and foot passengers travel on different trains. I remember watching , live TV, the moment the French and British met with the TBM. Accuracy is absolutely mind-blowing. There is an access tunnel in the middle, a smaller tunnel, for emergency, examination and security that officials can drive down, all the way to France.
In any American movie which involves a school, have you ever seen them learn anything apart from football, cheerleading or getting accepted into Alpha Beta dorm lol
used the channel tunnel on a school trip to Brugge in Belgium (forgive any misspelling) in the late 2000's, we had a coach so took one of the trains we could load the coach on to, barely realized we were moving at times
Brugge is the correct spelling in the local Dutch. English speakers typically refer to the city by its French name, Bruges. It is a pleasant city in actuality.
It interesting that they literally started to lay down the groundwork for the tunnel project around 100 years before it actually went ahead. They were actually building huge tunneling projects in the Victorian era. Lake Vyrnwy for example is a man made reservoir built in the late 1800's, with a 68 mile long, cast iron tunnel (around 3 meters in Diameter) carrying water from Wales to Liverpool. It's had maintenance and more tunnels added since, and is still in use en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Vyrnwy
The problem if you had loads of cars driving through it, is that it would need insane air extraction systems to stop people suffocating with all the traffic fumes. Plus if there was a crash inside the tunnel, it would block access to the tunnel for ages. The vehicle transporter - can even cope with double decker coaches, I was on one when I went across to Disneyland with the School back in 1997.
@@Phiyedough I don't honestly know how they would cope with a fire on one of the vehicle transporters. I'd imagine, it would be catastrophic - so there must be some sort of fire fighting equipment - or maybe a sprinkler system?
@@AndrewJonesMcGuire There was a major fire in a lorry carrying a large quantity of margarine which did considerable damage to the tunnel infrastructure. I thinkhere have been some smaller fires as well.
Yes you can take your car on the train or just be a foot passenger on the train, if travelling by foot then trains leave London St Pancras international station and travel to Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam and other European destinations, Cars drive to the Channel tunnel entrance in Folkstone, Kent England and are driven onto the train then they drive off in France at Calais. Coaches (a type of bus) and Lorries (Trucks) also use the train, freight arrives here daily in foreign lorries (trucks) from all across Europe, Turkey and North Africa and UK trucks leave our shores to travel all across Europe, Turkey, North Africa and beyond. Apart from the tunnel there are also many car/truck ferries that link the UK with various European and Scandinavian countries. Using the channel tunnel from London you can travel all across Europe on trains.
The reasons for not having a bridge are: The tide that is extreme there. One of or maybe the busyest routes for ships in the world. You can not build safely so a tunnel was the best option here.
Not really. We see the Statue of Liberty constantly on American TV, obviously more when it's set in New York. I can't remember the last time I saw the Chunnel on any UK shows.
To me this falls into a similar category as going to space. To go where no man has gone before with there knowledge of so many bright people is just amazing.
There have been fires in the tunnel, but, apparently there are 'SAFE' fire fighting stations positioned along the tunnel. Bi- national emergency teams work from both UK & French side. ➡️⬅️ Tunnel is designed to leak & water is then pumped out, there is a full ventilation system.
Mate it is not connecting the UK to Europe. First of all the UK is part of Europe anyway and secind the tunnel is connecting from England to France or if you like Britain to France. Also it's not an underwater tunnel its an undersea tunnel as in the tunnel is well beneath tue sea bed.
One of the workers that died was my next door neighbour. I was young at the time, he had a kid a year younger than me, His widow still lives in the same flat in Eastry 14 miles form the Cheriton entrance, though i have moved. One of the TBMs was placed at the side of the M20 motorway for years with a FOR SALE sign on it as a joke. Was an awesome thing to see in person
I've just come back to the UK from a holiday in the Netherlands. We took the car through the tunnel and were there by tea-time - it was motorway for all but about 10 miles of the journey, and you can go straight through Belgium without stopping. UK car insurance covers you for driving in the EU and there are no border checks once you're into the EU.
I live in the US but I’ve always loved learning about the world. Some of the massive engineering projects are just totally cool to me. Saw a documentary on the Gotthard base tunnel. Very cool.
@@chrisyoung9653 Interesting proposal NEED. While it seems far-fetched the challenge of climate change and sea level rise may force such things. I grew up in Nova Scotia Canada in an area where extensive dyke projects were created by the Acadians over 300 years ago. Tens of thousands of hectares were claimed from the sea. If they could do that with man and animal power then clearly we can do amazing things today.
I really can’t believe that you don’t know about the English Chunnel. It’s really true isn’t it? The US really does only look at itself. I never really believed that.
Just watch US news or read US newspapers to see the proof, all too often. And in my experience, when you DO get anything about the UK, especially in the New York Times or on CNN, all too often it is usually anti-British, factually incorrect or incomplete or showing how much worse the UK is than the US. We get to see and read a lot of world news in the UK. In the US, it is really scary how many people know so little about what happens outside their borders. Or want to.
No, Tyler, it's a tunnel to The Continent. A bit like the old news announcement: "Fog closes English Channel; Europe cut off!" 🙂 It's been there for just about 30 years. Don't you have newspapers or broadcasts in the USA? BTW, your opening/closing example is a completely different tunnel between Denmark and Sweden.
The boring machines were made of millions of moles cycling away at great speed shooting out the soil until they met in the middle, shook hands, the french kissed the Brits on both cheeks, shared sandwiches croissants beer wine tea and returned to their home base! BRAVO everybody. I have been thru it and it takes only some 35 minutes to shoot thru UK to France!! Merci!!🎉🥳✌️🌟
When you said that the tunnel from the U.K. goes all the way to Europe,please tell me which continent you believe the U.K. is part of.!!! Love..as always,Jo.xx
The tunnel starting in the middle of the sea, that you showed a photo of in your intro, is part of the Øresund ( -sound ) tunnel-bridge link between Denmark & Sweden, which opened back in 2000. It's approximately 20 km long all in all, and the reason for the tunnel section on the Danish side is that there is a "deeper" water shipping lane there, where the larger vessels pass through the sound - this would have required a potential bridge to be taller, especially since there are train tracks "hanging" underneath the car lanes of the Eastern bridge on the Swedish side. Such a tall bridge would also represent a problem for the nearby Kastrup airport. This articial island, where the tunnel begins, if you are driving East to West frrom the Swedish side, is btw. called Peberholm ( yes, pepper 😊) as little pun with regards to the nearby real island Saltholm. 😉
I have actually crossed the English Channel from Dover to Calais on a ferry and it takes about 2 hours. Definitely a lot more scenic than an underground train.
@LeeStewart ... Yes, but four times as long as the train, 2 hours of choppy seas and chucking up over deck or a 30 minute train ride ... its a no brainer, let the train take the strain. 😂
I've travelled through the tunnel half a dozen time on Eurostar, between London St Pancras and Paris Gare du Nord. Very smooth, limited to 100mph through the tunnel, but they do full TGV speeds in France (300kph / 186mph), maybe a bit less on the UK side. The bit I like is when it runs parallel to the Autoroute with the traffic doing its 80mph limit and we're overtaking them by 100mph more...
I remember making use of the Chunnel in the 90s - probably around '97, and before HS1 - we seemed to potter along on the UK side at half speed, rattling about and positively race along in comfort once we'd reached France. The UK side seemed quaint :D
The project had to be a tunnel and especially a rail tunnel for speed in getting people and vehicles through from one side to the other. Imagine drivers having to steer their way non stop through 20+ miles in a brightly lit tunnel!! There are also Ferry services across the Channel, principally from Dover (but from other South Coast Ports) to Calais and other French and Spanish ports, carrying every type of vehicle imaginable. But the English Channel is also recognised as the busiest shipping lane in the world. That means the Channel Ferries are constantly crossing between France and England in both directions roughly NorthSouth, whilst international shipping linking the rest of the world to Northern European, Baltic, Scandinavian and other ports in England move in a South West North Easterly trajectory. That means ships are continually operating 24/7 in all directions thus why radar is so vital! Plus, add in the weather conditions which can be rough many times over and at some ports, especially on the English South Coast, add in the leisure boat owners, windsurfers, and even Channel Swimmers raising money for Charities by swimming the 26 miles of the channel. It can get rather busy in the Channel!
@@stephenlee5929 Very true, I was sort of assuming that to be included in my statement :) Height of ships, including antennas and stuff, plus tidal shift, plus waves would either require quite a high bridge (30 m?), or a bridge that shuts down traffic on it and opens for the ships regularly, my guess is that that would be needed on at least three locations. Either solution would make the build more complicated
@@matshjalmarsson3008 For height above sea level, try the Royal Caribbean, which has 72 meters above the water line. I think a 5 meter swell is max (normal). Not sure how that would effect the height you might need, I'm guessing 82 meters, might do it. That's 270 feet for US.
Train without a car leaves from Central London (St Pancras), to many places, like Paris, Brussels, and I am pretty sure, Amsterdam. The car / Truck / Bus service only goes between Folkstone in the UK and Calais. Both ends have a loop where trains turn around.
My father was the Parliamentary Assistant for the survey section of British Rail, one of his fellow surveyors in his office was the head of the team that carried out all the surveying on the English side.
Except the photo you are looking at at 01:37 is of the Oresund bridge and tunnel, not the Channel Tunnel. Oresund bridge (between Denmark and Sweden) is also a true technical marvel, but it's 874.34 km (543.29 miles) away from the one you thought you are looking at.
The difference is quite easy to spot for someone who has traveled on/through one of the them actually. The entrances on both ends of the Channel tunnel are on land, relatively far from the coast. You get to the terminal on one side, you drive your car into that special cargo train, the train drives into the tunnel which has an entrance about 3 km (2 miles from the seashore) on the UK side and about 6 km (almost 4 miles) on the French side and in 20ish minutes it resurfaces on a train terminal on the other side. You travel between the UK and France without actually seeing the sea at all. You can smell the salty sea air where the terminals are, but that's about it.
When traveling over the Oresund Brige let's say in the direction from Denmark to Sweden (= going east), one first has to drive into a motorway tunnel on the Danish side, right behind the Copenhagen Airport, the tunnel then descends under the sea level and resurfaces again on a small man-made island in the sea about 1/3 of the width of the strait. That's why it has that funny symmetric shape. And on that island you emerge from the tunnel and drive up the bridge itself and on it cross over the remaining 2/3 of the width of the strait over to Sweden. Amazing construction as well, but it's a different one.
I wondered why he was looking at the Oresund Bridge as well. How strange.
I recognise it because I watched the Scandi Noir series, Bron | Broen.
Thank you for this. I was having a worry that I was developing dementia asI didn’t remember it being like that!
I was a surveyor on the original site investigation in 1965 we had drilling rigs across the route to find the correct depth in the marle in the chalk layers.
oh people in th us are so stupid
@@GWAYGWAY1 The original site investigation being where?
Just think, in the US you have basically no public transport - in the rest of the world we have public transport between countries and under oceans
and to think, we've only had under water tunnels here in the Us for 100 years. lol
@@PhxVanguard In Europe too, the London underground crosses the Thames, in Paris, the metro crosses the Seine rivers ...
But the difference is that the Eurotunnel is the longest underwater INTERNATIONAL tunnel in the world, dug under the sea bed.
@@PhxVanguard there's a bit of a difference between a tunnel crossing under a river and a tunnel under 31 miles of sea.
America is so far behind Europe is so many ways.
@@PhxVanguard uk also had the worlds first underwater tunnel
I live a few minutes drive from the tunnel. I’ve been through quite a few times, both by car and as a foot passenger on Eurostar. Fast,comfortable, quiet, effortless, efficient. I used to get home from work at 5:30, drive down to the tunnel, go across for £1 (friends and family ticket for staff members), nip to City Europe, fill the car boot with cheap beer, wine, and of course some baguettes,fill the car up with cheap fuel, head back and be at home in time for Eastenders on TV 😂
That first photo looks more like the Øresund Bridge (part bridge, part tunnel, with the two parts meeting on a man-made island) that links Malmø in Sweden with Copenhagen in Denmark. The Channel Tunnel is only visible at its entrances, and you can't just drive through it.
BTW, no one calls it the "Chunnel" any more (apart from Americans)!
Indeed it is - as featured in "The Bridge" (Broen/Bron) Scandi noir crime series.
Yes , the photos at the beginning and end are the Oresund Bridge/tunnel which is also an engineering triumph. I think that this video could be better, must be better ones out there.
I haven't heard "Chunnel" in 2 decades lol
No, "chunnel" is very 90s early 2000s, no longer used. Eurotunnel or channel tunnel are the usual terms today. And the shuttle or le shuttle for the vehicle trains.
@mavadelo I think the word "Chunnel" was used as a quirky marketing term when the tunnel was first being built and publicised! It soon dropped from general use once it opened though. The only time I hear the word used these days is when American travel vloggers feature it in their videos!
As a truck driver I used this tunnel twice a week, after you parked the truck you were taken by bus to the restaurant car where initially you were given a meal, then at the other side the bus would take you back to your truck; this process took 45 minutes, the length of the legal break, so when you left the terminal you could immediately drive your next shift.
I always preferred the ferry. You could get a really good meal at the truck drivers only restaurant "Le Routiers"
@Shoomer1988 yeah and a shower!!
The ferry takes more time and doesn't go that often, but the cost mostly is much lower. So as a tourist with time I chose that option.
But you hade to make sure you were not carrying "extra" cargo.
Never fails to amaze me when you see the reactions of Americans when they take a look outside the American bubble they live in. Great and yes typical reaction Tyler, great video and please keep learning. 👍
I’m not kidding but I once watched an American react video. Where she reacted to things about the UK. At one point in the video she literally said “huh? they have industry in the UK” and looked confused.
Not only did the Industrial Revolution begin in the UK. But the daftest thing was she said that after seeing a tractor on a farm.
I genuinely thought we still used horse drawn ploughs here.
Oh yeah I unsubscribed to their channel after that. But I did see a clip making fun of her go viral.
When she was reacting to Eurovision and thought it was racist to name a country Montenegro.
@@JarlGrimmToys She sounds awful .
Ah .. sounds like Favour Abraca or similar surname, from Texas. She amazed me when she said she alwatsxears and uses her phone when driving and thought it wrong that we are not allowed to use our phones in hand whilst driving. David sounded genuinely shocked at the name of Montenegro... I even saw Evan Edinger (from New Jersey but now living and working here in London UK and he has even become a UK citizen too). He was shocked at David's reactions . I learn just as much from watching his little some Americans know about "the rest of the world" than from the videos that they react to .. There us one reactor (JT from Kentucky) who I try to not watch as regularly as Tyler, Ryan, Steve or Evan etc, as JT SHOUTS SO LOUDLY !! He knows as his followers tell him but he finds it "HARD TO BELIEVE ¿!!" 🤔
It’s fkkin ridiculous right? How can they go around thinking they live in the testers country in the world? Because they know nothing about anywhere else in the world 😂 so insular, so backwards for a first world country to be that insular and blinkered…
I remember when the tunnels met, it was televised as French and English workers shook hands through the tunnel, was really emotional and a massive achievement
I think that was the first time British and French met each other in the middle of the Channel and smiled at each other. (Altho the French still insist on calling it the wrong name).
Yeah, I remember watching that in November or December 1990.
@@mikefraser4513what do the French call it?
The other British/French collaboration was in the glorious supersonic plane, called Concorde. Have you heard of her?
I believe it took a while for concorde to be allowed to fly to America, I believe the Americans didn't want it flying there, probably because they had nothing to do with the production of such an amazing piece of technology 😂
@@davebirch1976 The Americans were trying to build their own version of Concorde in fact they were trying to build two versions Lockheed L2000, and Boeings 2707. But Concorde beat both to market, and hence the market fell out for alternatives to Concorde. I remember reading something about the FAA stalling approval of Concorde, in a attempt to keep the Lockheed and Boeing projects alive, but ultimately failed.
@@CraigThomas1983 makes you wonder what would have happened if they had been built, would all planes now be supersonic?
@@davebirch1976no supersonic flight is exceptionaly expensive. Concorde seats were about £6000 each and it was tiny inside.
@@Mean-bj8wp if it had become more mainstream, and there had been other choices other than concorde, maybe it could have become cheaper over time, if flights are quicker, it could mean companies need less planes to cover journeys, especially shorter distances meaning it could have made it cheaper, perhaps it was a case of it was just a bit ahead of it's time.
The photo you showed at the beginning and end of the video is not the Channel Tunnel. Rather, its where the Oresund bridge between Denmark and Sweden has to enter a tunnel to stay out of the way of planes taking off from or landing at Copenhagen airport. The island with the tunnel entrance on it is entirely manmade just for that purpose.
Britain also built the world's first underwater tunnel, constructed beneath the River Thames in London, by Marc Isambard Brunel, father of Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
In Greenwich, there is also a small pedestrian tunnel crossing the Thames. It was opened in 1902.
I think that first underground tunnel now carries the (ironically) Overground trains (Prev the East London (Underground) Line) north-south, every 3 mins...
I think most Brits would be embarrassed to display such overt lack of knowledge.
Surely you are joking. Feigning ignorance about the existence of the English Channel.
Isambard was also the person behind the shielding technique that was later replicated by tunnel boring machines
It's much better than flying if you are a pedestrian. It brings you to the Gare du Nord in central Paris. I've been on it lots of times.
I used it all the time when I lived in Paris, I drove there when I moved using the tunnel, then my car was basically parked for two years! From that point on if I needed to get to the UK I'd take the passenger version. When I finaly returned to the UK, me, my car and my belongings all returned via the tunnel again :D
yah, flying as a pedestrian, before the invention of the modern parachute you had to get really well padded before you got in the trebuchet.
City center to city center like that has got to be fantastic.
Taking the Eurostar high speed train from St. Pancras International station in central London through the channel tunnel and arriving at the Gare du Nord railway station in the centre of Paris is smooth, seamless, comfortable and efficient. The shuttle for cars is good too, but not quite as glamorous as it feels like you are in some kind of big sardine tin(!) and it only takes you to the other side of the English Channel, not all the way to Paris. Used both services many times and it still seems like a complete marvel of engineering.
It is an amazing thing, but even more amazing that you had never heard of it!
I have been in USA a few times and one of the things that still surprises me is how little coverage about the rest of the world there is on the American TV. Must be one if the most insular countries in the world. So I guess it isnt that surprising that you didnt know about the Chunnel. However its good to see you taking the interest you do in things abroad and as usual I enjoyed your video. 👍
No one tell him about the time the Dutch drained a sea and turned it into land
that's pretty much how the majority of south florida was built up.
@@PhxVanguard yea but its underwater again lol. dutch water defenses are the best in the world and there are proposals to build a dam all the way to the UK. you should check it out. very impressive
I think the Dutch were called for their expertise all over the world where they were facing the same problem.
What a load of polders.
@@chrisyoung9653 Miami is underwater? 😂😂
Not sure if anyone else here has mentioned it but Tyler you need to be aware that there are UA-cam videos of the tunnel being built and how the boring machines operated as it was going on.
There was a major news event when the break-through occurred and two chaps exchanged flags and shook hands.
Then videos of the official openings of the tunnel with the various Prime Ministers, etc.
It was acknowledged as one of the engineering marvels of its time, and still is.
As a passenger to get on a nice comfy train in central London and within 3 hours be in central Paris is astounding.
You need to check out some of the documentary videos of the Chunnel being built. 👍🙂
When he said who knew? I burst out laughing.. I mean everyone in Europe 😂
Everyone outside America. Americans are the most willfully ignorant people on the planet. His response just shows you how insular America is.
FYI the pic in the thumbnail on the right is the tunnel & bridge between Sweden and Denmark, the Øresund bridge
I used the Eurostar last week - a quick trip to Brussels from the East Midlands via London to see Rammstein in concert, an overnight stay, a spot of sightseeing and back home the following evening
Who knew?.... Well sort of just about everyone in Europe 😂 Glad you enjoyed it, I use the ferry because I find the tunnel too expensive, and it's actually taking longer by tunnel at the moment because of the extra post-Brexit checks. But, it is a great piece of engineering and shows what can be achieved when countries work together instead of bickering like little kids. It probably worked even better because it was done by private companies and not governments.
And everyone in Australia
And Canada.@@Jeni10
I used to commute to Paris from London 2 days a week for about 6 months, I used to get the normal passenger train and it was just as easy as commuting into London itself.
You commuted from London to London?
@@satsumamoon I commuted from London to Paris and I have also commuted into London as well. Is that clearer?
There are separate trains for foot passengers, one for cars and another for freight (i.e. lorries)
NB it isn’t under the water but dug into the sea bed
it is under the water , you mean it doesn`t go through the water, it goes under the water through the seabed
The passager one is in Ashford
Yes, and a lot of (young) people were disappointed you can't see fish swimming around outside as you travel through. I don't use this tunnel as often as I might like, but I use London St Pancras station a lot and always get a warm glow when I see the Eurostar ready to depart or pulling in.
@leohickey4953 I felt the same when I was at Amsterdam Centraal Station a few weeks ago, and saw a Eurostar service arrive from London. I wished I could get on it to go home rather than going through all the airport rigmarole!
I can remember on the news when they broke through from both sides and 2 men from both sides shaking hands
Tyler, you're not a typical American. You've educated yourself that there is an entire world outside the US and that makes you pleasingly atypical. Good on you, kid.
I wouldn't admit to NOT knowing. It's been there nearly 30 years.Doh.
You can travel by train from England to Turkey if you wanted too.
All of the train networks across Europe and all connected to each other, making it possible to travel to any country in Europe by train 😊
If you really wanted to east Russia if no war was on so a stones throw from Alaska. if no was or dangerous places you could insane road trip
Sort of true, but not to all parts, eg Cicily, Åland, Isle of Man would be difficult...
And a train ride from Sweden to Finland, while possible, isn't very practical.
Also, is there a train route between the UK and Ireland?
@@stevekenilworth Before the war started it was possible to get from UK to China and Vietnam by train. There are people who have done it and uploaded footage on UA-cam. The most common route filmed is London to Hong Kong. Trains Planes Everything filmed a train journey from Vila Real in Portugal to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.
My dad did this! Hahaha to. Well from Turkey to England to bring his cats back hahaha
@matshjalmarsson3008 Yes, there have been trains running from the UK to Ireland ever since partition. They run between Belfast in the UK (in Northern Ireland) and Dublin.
Used it many times, still makes me smile every time. Great engineering.
I’ve been through the tunnel several times and it’s effortless, drive your car onto a train that takes you through to the other side. Far less hassle than using the Ferry. My mother lived only 2 miles from the Tunnel at Folkestone.
The Channel Tunnel is primarily used by Haulage Trucks, who use it to move goods like household goods for grocery stores and other stores, between Europe and England... But you can also use the Eurotunnel Shuttle (now called LeShuttle) if you were say going on holiday and wanted to drive your own car between England and France, and into Europe, and the Eurostar (which is unrelated to Eurotunnel), a High Speed train service that operates at around 200MPH, and allows you to take a train between London and Amsterdam in the Netherlands, with stops between in Lille and Paris in France, and Brussels in Belgium.
A friend and us have gone to France towing a caravan plus there are loads of motorhomes that use le shuttle
Been through the tunnel to France in our motor home many times !
I am German but I was living in England so I used the Eurotunnel like 5 times a year. It is not cheap but it is very convenient. The whole process including buying a ticket, boarding and travelling takes about 1 hour max (well if you don't travel during a LeMans weekend what I once did). Why are you afraid that it is underwater? Rocks are usually heavier than water and I am sure you drive through tunnels that have rock above your head ;-)
It was a fantastic feat by civil engineers. We have had floods (minor) and fires, but everything was coped with well.
My father worked on building the Boaring machines …they were built at Markham Works in Chesterfield Derbyshire 😊
That's really cool, I knew that they were built in the UK, but somehow the knowledge that they were built in Chesterfield passed me by.
I've not been to Chesterfield in a very long while, I miss going along the trans pennine trail through to Staveley (blech, only place worse is Renishaw) and onto the canal to Chesterfield.
It was a "huge deal at the time". I remember it very well as a child, my parents always wanted to go to France for holidays, but my sister gets very sea sick and has a phobia of boats. The channel tunnel was a really game changer for my family.
It's a bit surprising that you are shocked by the idea of underwater tunnels, mate. The Holland Tunnel in NY is almost a hundred years old. NY also has the Lincoln Tunnel. The tunnel linking San Francisco with Oakland is almost 6km long and was built 60 yrs ago. The combined tunnel and bridge linking Virginia's two shores on the Chesapeake has a combined length of almost 30km. You need to get out more, mate. 😂
Great point, fella. 😉
i think most americans know aout the chunnle at least.
@@WookieWarriorz
Strangely, so MANY don't! I have been to the US often, also the Caribbean, plus several other places where I have met Americans and have been amazed just how few know of it... 'JUST' before Covid, in Barbados, we were chatting with an American couple and during the conversation the guy actually said something like (I'm paraphrasing) "It would be great if they could build a bridge from England to France, it can't be that far (?), when looking at a map... How far is it?" - DUH!
At first I thought he was joking, but no, he was absolutely serious - NO IDEA we were joined to Europe by a tunnel... 🤔😲
@@stewedfishproductions7959 america is very navie about things outside their bubble.being proud and valuing their way of life to the fullest they simple don't care about things that don't affect them,this is in part helped by a media that only portrays american interest and wants that to be the global narrative.of course this is a generalisation and like in this video there are people who wish to know more.the problem is years of being guided in how to think has held back exploring alternative ideologies.this is not meant to offend,just give understanding why some things just don't appear on americans radars.
@@neildavies6835
Absolutely right... 👍
The channel tunnel is decades old, which is likely the reason it's not talked about much, it's not a new accomplishment, it has been active for decades and is a very convenient way to cross the channel, it connects London to three other capital cities Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam. If you want another UK - Europe fact, you can see Dover from Calais in France, and potentially vice-versa, the distance is around 20 miles which would normally not be able to see each other but due to the elevation of the cliffs on the Dover side, it is quiet possible on a clear day to see Dover from Calais, Calais is harder to see from Dover but it's not impossible.
I grew up in Dover and on a clear day. you can see Calais from the cliffs.
The first picture is not the Channel tunnel but the Øresund bridge and tunnel between Sweden and Denmark … you can’t drive through the Channel tunnel, it’s much too long, there are only two train tracks and a service and security tunnel. I love the fact that I can just take a train from where I live in the south of the Netherlands and be in Paris or London or anywhere in Europe in a couple of hours. And in my second home town of Budapest overnight. I’ve traveled both (the Øresund and the Channel tunnel) in my camper and also without it in a normal high speed train but the ferries have their charm too. If I have the time, I choose the ferry from Hoek van Holland to London because, as a Dutchie, I like being on the sea …
It's routine bro. Convenient and fast. Drive on, drive off. Never leave the car, 25 min later you are driving out.
There is actual footage of the day the UK & French broke through, uniting the working teams of both sides & shaking hands. 🇬🇧🇺🇸🇲🇫
Yeah, I remember about it too :)
Yes. It is featured in Simon Whistler's excellent documentary that you might enjoy watching (on YT): "The Channel Tunnel: Planned Since 1802" -
Megaprojects
@@micade2518 I remember it happening & saw it on the news back then. It was a proud event. Thank you for the YT vid tip 👍
You're welcome Paul! I love Simon Whistler's documentaries.
(NB: I cannot post links, which would be much simpler, because my comments containing links don't get published, for some obscure reason ...)
@@micade2518 Yes his documentaries are very good. I will get round to watching that one. UA-cam don't allow links for some reason, i have posted many in the past just to see them removed also. All the Best 👍
its not underwater, its under the ground under the water.
Under the water you say?
@@addison_reilly5904Just semantics at this point
But what’s under the under the ground under the water, though? 🤔 I guess that would just be the Earth’s mantle
So does that mean it's under under the water then 🤔 😂
😂
Eurostar is passenger only trains, these trains go from London to Paris, Brussels & Amsterdam, Le Shuttle is for freight and car passengers. When using Le Shuttle as a car passenger you stay with your car during the journey
The photo you are looking at.. as others have said it is not the Channel Tunnel .. it's a rail link from Copenhagen in Denmark to connect direct to Sweden.. I have been on this. I am off to France next week via the Tunnel by car... when I use the Rail link from London to Paris / Brussels etc for work in the Tunnel we have to have a beer in while in the darkness of the Tunnel in the 'Buffet' car.. we call it Tunnel Club :)
1:17 That is the Oresund bridge that connects Denmark and Sweden
1.25 That’s a picture of the Öresund Bridge between Denmark and Sweden. Both entrances to The Chunnel are quite inland to allow it to get to the depth it needs to be under the sea floor gradually.
Surely to God you knew this Tyler!! You definitely know once you're going under the thing, it doesn't seem possible but by God, they did it...
It wasn't done by Americans so it doesn't count
Feels a bit 'baity' - surely he knew
I'm starting to think he might be trolling us lol@@limpfishyes
@@acechimera7394 I've been thinking this since a long time. He's also always very surprised about things he's seen before (PUBS? What is a PUB? 🤡).
Do you know about tunnels in the US? Did you know if there are any under sea tunnels in Asia? If you've never been to Europe it's understandable.
Lol the first photo isn't the Channel Tunnel 🤣
Great video as always Tyler 👍. At the time it was a big deal. After 30 years we've got used to it, but it's still an incredible achievement. You explained the car journey perfectly. The passenger only service is called the Eurostar and effectively links Paris and London with a non-stop journey. Thanks for putting this video out there to explain!
Londoner here who grew up in Glasgow, Scotland and has been to Paris a few times through the Channel tunnel. I absolutely love your childish delight about this. It IS amazing in terms of an engineering feat. Like many Londoners, I don't drive, so when I go, I just take the passenger train. It's really great - just over 20 minutes in the tunnel, and suddenly you're in France. I'm old enough to remember when it opened. After it had been open for a few months in the mid 90s, a problem became obvious. Apparently, when it opened, a lot of British people didn't think to bring their passports with them, because they associated having to bring their passport with getting on a plane or boat - but not with getting on a train. So after a few months the adverts for the Channel tunnel started tacking on the message "don't forget to bring your passport!" at the end of the ads. 🤣
I've used it for work and pleasure, it's great getting on a train at Kings Cross St. Pancras in London, (maybe having a glass of wine), and getting off at Gare du Nord in Paris.
The tunnel joins the UK and France which are both in the continent of Europe. The UK is not a separate continent in itself.
Physically no, mentally yes.
True. For having crossed the Channel many times, the difference between the UK and the Continent is palpable. There is in both sides that " je ne sais quoi" in the air itself, which I love.
But isn't it funny that when Americans refer to Europe, they mean the UK that's so different from, say, France, Spain, Italy, Bulgaria, Germany,... ?
@@flitsertheo We are European. The UK over thousands of years has been shaped by our neighbours, and no Brexit or xenophobic feelings can ever change it.
We are British not European 😁
So, you didn't learn Geography in school?@@Eddie_Booth
After so many years, it was quite emotional when both sides met & shook hands.
This video really proves that Americans really know nothing about countries outside of the states, he's never heard of it even though its 30 years old next year, although if the tunnel had been designed and dug by Americans he'd have known about it, in fact the whole world would have known about it 😂
No, he wouldn't have known about it even if Americans had made it. His lack of basic knowledge about even his own country is shocking, other than if he's trolling.
@@patrickw123 I agree. Every time I see this moron, I am amazed at his total lack of knowledge on almost any topic. He is correct on one thing though.......................................he is a typical American!
Shall we tell him about the Panama Canal? 😄
@@micade2518 Ha! 😂
Ignorance is bliss ... ;o)
We drove to Disneyland Paris via the tunnel, drove on the train, sat there (in the car) for a bit, drove off and on to Disneyland Paris. Much less faff than the ferry (which I’ve previously used ).
I use it several times a year. It’s absolutely fantastic.
I love going to Europe using Eurotunnel. We take our Great Dane on holiday with us. Drive onto the train at Folkestone (UK) with her in the back of the car, 35 minutes later drive off the train in Calais (France), then drive wherever you want to go in Europe. We usually drive through France and Switzerland down to Tuscany (Italy). It's brilliant and we particularly use it as you can stay with your dog. On a ferry, you have to leave them in your car alone, people aren't allowed to stay on the car deck when a ferry sails.
The Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge is officially the longest bridge in the world. It stretches out for no less than 102.4 miles (164.8 kilometres) and forms part of one of China's most important railway connections: the high-speed train between Beijing and Shanghai.
Love the channel. So efficient (usually)! It's how we go camping in France. So great to drive on and then emerge in France. Much more pleasant than a choppy ferry crossing.
The problem with the option of a bridge, other than the engineering challenges, is that the English Channel is one of the world's busiest waterways. To allow the passage of this shipping would have meant any bridge would have needed to be quite some height above sea level. Any supporting structure (as in the artificial island idea) would also be both a navigation hazard and at risk of damage from collision.
Also, the weather sometimes gets really bad in the Channel, which would have meant occasional closures for a bridge. The tunnel circumvents that problem.
I've only used it once for a day trip to Paris. We got on the train at Waterloo station in central London and got off at Gare du Nord station in central Paris. It's quite amazing.
Never heard of it?
Wow! Even by American standards of ignorance, that's unbelievable.
Those of us who were old enough to be able to form memories in the early 90s know about the Chunnel. It was all over the news and I was only 14 at the time. I still remember that photograph when they held the French and UK flags when they first connected the excavations from both sides.
I remember in 1986 when it was announced that this had been agreed. Lots of people were not keen on the idea. We'd got used to the idea by the time it opened.
Hi Tyler, I’ve used the chunnel about 4 times, scared at first but much better than other ways of getting across. There is a video of the actual moment they connected. Amazing engineering.
It's a franco-british masterpiece in engineering.
I think I may have given you the references to this excellent, much better documentary by Simon Whistler on that megaproject (on YT): "The Channel Tunnel: Planned Since 1802" - Megaprojects
Yes it is..
When we both stop squabbling for 5 minutes together we make some good things. Concorde being another good example.
@@planekrazy1795 Yes. The Entente Cordiale in full display!
Been through there a few times. Drive car on train, in UK, stay in car and 35 minutes later I am driving off in France. You can exit car and use toilets. There is a slight change in ear air pressure when you hit the bottom of the tunnel. There is air conditioning in each train. The train is double layer. There is an enormous cutting head, of the TBM, on display to the approach of the tunnel. One TBM (Tunnel Boring Machine is buried under the English Channel as it was not practical to remove it. It is quite an experience to travel on it in a car. Lorries and foot passengers travel on different trains. I remember watching , live TV, the moment the French and British met with the TBM. Accuracy is absolutely mind-blowing. There is an access tunnel in the middle, a smaller tunnel, for emergency, examination and security that officials can drive down, all the way to France.
Bless him!! American ignorance (!). Always entertaining though.
In any American movie which involves a school, have you ever seen them learn anything apart from football, cheerleading or getting accepted into Alpha Beta dorm lol
@@marcushull12 i
used the channel tunnel on a school trip to Brugge in Belgium (forgive any misspelling) in the late 2000's, we had a coach so took one of the trains we could load the coach on to, barely realized we were moving at times
Brugge is the correct spelling in the local Dutch. English speakers typically refer to the city by its French name, Bruges. It is a pleasant city in actuality.
They “compulsory bought “ my house to build the railway station. They gave me 6 months to move out. Plus the market value.
It interesting that they literally started to lay down the groundwork for the tunnel project around 100 years before it actually went ahead. They were actually building huge tunneling projects in the Victorian era. Lake Vyrnwy for example is a man made reservoir built in the late 1800's, with a 68 mile long, cast iron tunnel (around 3 meters in Diameter) carrying water from Wales to Liverpool. It's had maintenance and more tunnels added since, and is still in use en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Vyrnwy
The problem if you had loads of cars driving through it, is that it would need insane air extraction systems to stop people suffocating with all the traffic fumes. Plus if there was a crash inside the tunnel, it would block access to the tunnel for ages. The vehicle transporter - can even cope with double decker coaches, I was on one when I went across to Disneyland with the School back in 1997.
Biggest danger these days is if an EV spontaneously combusts.
@@Phiyedough I don't honestly know how they would cope with a fire on one of the vehicle transporters. I'd imagine, it would be catastrophic - so there must be some sort of fire fighting equipment - or maybe a sprinkler system?
@@AndrewJonesMcGuire
There was a major fire in a lorry carrying a large quantity of margarine which did considerable damage to the tunnel infrastructure. I thinkhere have been some smaller fires as well.
I live 5mis away from the tunnel. Amazing piece of engineering. Plus where I am. I can see France!
Before I clicked "play" I said to myself, "I'll bet he's never heard of this either."
Yes you can take your car on the train or just be a foot passenger on the train, if travelling by foot then trains leave London St Pancras international station and travel to Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam and other European destinations, Cars drive to the Channel tunnel entrance in Folkstone, Kent England and are driven onto the train then they drive off in France at Calais. Coaches (a type of bus) and Lorries (Trucks) also use the train, freight arrives here daily in foreign lorries (trucks) from all across Europe, Turkey and North Africa and UK trucks leave our shores to travel all across Europe, Turkey, North Africa and beyond. Apart from the tunnel there are also many car/truck ferries that link the UK with various European and Scandinavian countries. Using the channel tunnel from London you can travel all across Europe on trains.
Don’t forget the English Channel is the busiest shipping lane in the would , so bridges wouldn’t be an option
The reasons for not having a bridge are:
The tide that is extreme there.
One of or maybe the busyest routes for ships in the world.
You can not build safely so a tunnel was the best option here.
Not knowing the channel tunnel is a thing is like someone from the uk not knowing the Statue of Liberty is a thing
Not really. We see the Statue of Liberty constantly on American TV, obviously more when it's set in New York. I can't remember the last time I saw the Chunnel on any UK shows.
Yeah, but the Statue of Liberty isn't American, it's French. I assume that the Yanks didn't have the necessary technology to build it! 🙂
To me this falls into a similar category as going to space. To go where no man has gone before with there knowledge of so many bright people is just amazing.
The photo at the end and the start is not the English channel tunnel, it's a photo of a crossing between Denmark and Sweden I think.
There have been fires in the tunnel, but, apparently there are 'SAFE' fire fighting stations positioned along the tunnel. Bi- national emergency teams work from both UK & French side. ➡️⬅️ Tunnel is designed to leak & water is then pumped out, there is a full ventilation system.
Mate it is not connecting the UK to Europe. First of all the UK is part of Europe anyway and secind the tunnel is connecting from England to France or if you like Britain to France.
Also it's not an underwater tunnel its an undersea tunnel as in the tunnel is well beneath tue sea bed.
One of the workers that died was my next door neighbour. I was young at the time, he had a kid a year younger than me, His widow still lives in the same flat in Eastry 14 miles form the Cheriton entrance, though i have moved. One of the TBMs was placed at the side of the M20 motorway for years with a FOR SALE sign on it as a joke. Was an awesome thing to see in person
I believe there was a sign on it saying "One careful owner"
Those machines definitely aren't boring 😅🤣
They definitely are boring! 😊 till the tunneling is done anyways.
I've just come back to the UK from a holiday in the Netherlands. We took the car through the tunnel and were there by tea-time - it was motorway for all but about 10 miles of the journey, and you can go straight through Belgium without stopping. UK car insurance covers you for driving in the EU and there are no border checks once you're into the EU.
Conglatutions on learning about the Channel Tunnel 29yrs after it opened one of the biggest building projects in history
I live in the US but I’ve always loved learning about the world. Some of the massive engineering projects are just totally cool to me. Saw a documentary on the Gotthard base tunnel. Very cool.
you should have a look at proposal to build a dam from scotland to europe. looks very impressive if it happens
@@chrisyoung9653 Interesting proposal NEED. While it seems far-fetched the challenge of climate change and sea level rise may force such things. I grew up in Nova Scotia Canada in an area where extensive dyke projects were created by the Acadians over 300 years ago. Tens of thousands of hectares were claimed from the sea. If they could do that with man and animal power then clearly we can do amazing things today.
I really can’t believe that you don’t know about the English Chunnel. It’s really true isn’t it? The US really does only look at itself. I never really believed that.
Just watch US news or read US newspapers to see the proof, all too often. And in my experience, when you DO get anything about the UK, especially in the New York Times or on CNN, all too often it is usually anti-British, factually incorrect or incomplete or showing how much worse the UK is than the US. We get to see and read a lot of world news in the UK. In the US, it is really scary how many people know so little about what happens outside their borders. Or want to.
No, Tyler, it's a tunnel to The Continent. A bit like the old news announcement: "Fog closes English Channel; Europe cut off!" 🙂 It's been there for just about 30 years. Don't you have newspapers or broadcasts in the USA? BTW, your opening/closing example is a completely different tunnel between Denmark and Sweden.
The boring machines were made of millions of moles cycling away at great speed shooting out the soil until they met in the middle, shook hands, the french kissed the Brits on both cheeks, shared sandwiches croissants beer wine tea and returned to their home base! BRAVO everybody. I have been thru it and it takes only some 35 minutes to shoot thru UK to France!! Merci!!🎉🥳✌️🌟
The UK is in Europe so it doesn’t connect it to Europe it connects it to France
I remember standing on the French beach watching the ferry hovercrafts come and go. 😊
When you said that the tunnel from the U.K. goes all the way to Europe,please tell me which continent you believe the U.K. is part of.!!! Love..as always,Jo.xx
The tunnel starting in the middle of the sea, that you showed a photo of in your intro, is part of the Øresund ( -sound ) tunnel-bridge link between Denmark & Sweden, which opened back in 2000.
It's approximately 20 km long all in all, and the reason for the tunnel section on the Danish side is that there is a "deeper" water shipping lane there, where the larger vessels pass through the sound - this would have required a potential bridge to be taller, especially since there are train tracks "hanging" underneath the car lanes of the Eastern bridge on the Swedish side.
Such a tall bridge would also represent a problem for the nearby Kastrup airport.
This articial island, where the tunnel begins, if you are driving East to West frrom the Swedish side, is btw. called Peberholm ( yes, pepper 😊) as little pun with regards to the nearby real island Saltholm. 😉
You can take a train from London to Paris, in a single journey!
Plus Eurostar will take you directly from London to Brussels and Amsterdam and Disneyland Paris without changing trains.
I have actually crossed the English Channel from Dover to Calais on a ferry and it takes about 2 hours. Definitely a lot more scenic than an underground train.
I have too, I also tried to use the Hovercraft a couple of times, which was faster (I was told), but kept being cancelled due to weather.
I’ve crossed the Channel on a Hovercraft, the Ferry and the Tunnel. Much prefer the Tunnel blink and you miss it so much less hassle.
@LeeStewart ... Yes, but four times as long as the train, 2 hours of choppy seas and chucking up over deck or a 30 minute train ride ... its a no brainer, let the train take the strain. 😂
@@martinwebb1681 As I recall, there is normally a decent bar on the ferry.😁
@@stephenlee5929... Not much good when you're driving. 🙂
There is a whole world outside of America 🫣🤯
That's just a rumor 😅😅😅
I've travelled through the tunnel half a dozen time on Eurostar, between London St Pancras and Paris Gare du Nord. Very smooth, limited to 100mph through the tunnel, but they do full TGV speeds in France (300kph / 186mph), maybe a bit less on the UK side. The bit I like is when it runs parallel to the Autoroute with the traffic doing its 80mph limit and we're overtaking them by 100mph more...
The passenger trains between London and Paris etc travel at 186mph either side of the Channel Tunnel and 100mph when in the tunnel. That is fast.
That was the old trains. The new ones do 320km/h (199mph).
@@katrinabryce Thanks for the update.
I remember making use of the Chunnel in the 90s - probably around '97, and before HS1 - we seemed to potter along on the UK side at half speed, rattling about and positively race along in comfort once we'd reached France. The UK side seemed quaint :D
in 2016 I took my daughter to Europe. We travelled by train from France to England through the underwater tunnel. Its pretty cool
I remember one American asking if you could see the fish swimming about as you passed through 🙄
When we went to Disneyland Paris my then 6 year old daughter thought that, bit of a disappointment for her when I told her no it didn't 😂
The project had to be a tunnel and especially a rail tunnel for speed in getting people and vehicles through from one side to the other. Imagine drivers having to steer their way non stop through 20+ miles in a brightly lit tunnel!!
There are also Ferry services across the Channel, principally from Dover (but from other South Coast Ports) to Calais and other French and Spanish ports, carrying every type of vehicle imaginable. But the English Channel is also recognised as the busiest shipping lane in the world.
That means the Channel Ferries are constantly crossing between France and England in both directions roughly NorthSouth, whilst international shipping linking the rest of the world to Northern European, Baltic, Scandinavian and other ports in England move in a South West North Easterly trajectory. That means ships are continually operating 24/7 in all directions thus why radar is so vital!
Plus, add in the weather conditions which can be rough many times over and at some ports, especially on the English South Coast, add in the leisure boat owners, windsurfers, and even Channel Swimmers raising money for Charities by swimming the 26 miles of the channel. It can get rather busy in the Channel!
Not an outrageous length for a bridge, but the weather conditions would make it a challenging build
Also, would have been an issue for shipping, its a very busy stretch of sea.
@@stephenlee5929 Very true, I was sort of assuming that to be included in my statement :)
Height of ships, including antennas and stuff, plus tidal shift, plus waves would either require quite a high bridge (30 m?), or a bridge that shuts down traffic on it and opens for the ships regularly, my guess is that that would be needed on at least three locations.
Either solution would make the build more complicated
@@matshjalmarsson3008 For height above sea level, try the Royal Caribbean, which has 72 meters above the water line. I think a 5 meter swell is max (normal). Not sure how that would effect the height you might need, I'm guessing 82 meters, might do it.
That's 270 feet for US.
Train without a car leaves from Central London (St Pancras), to many places, like Paris, Brussels, and I am pretty sure, Amsterdam.
The car / Truck / Bus service only goes between Folkstone in the UK and Calais. Both ends have a loop where trains turn around.
Please Google the drilling machines, they are amazing...
My father was the Parliamentary Assistant for the survey section of British Rail, one of his fellow surveyors in his office was the head of the team that carried out all the surveying on the English side.
I’ve been in it it’s really quick and easy