7 wonders of the Modern world - the Channel Tunnel in England, Britian

A journey by Eurostar train through the Channel Tunnel

On December 20 1994, I travelled from London Waterloo to Paris Gare du Nord by Eurostar train, returning the same day. The journey includes travelling through the Channel Tunnel and over the new French Ligne a Grande Vitesse from the Tunnel to Paris via Lille. This account complements that by Erik Evrard, who travelled from Brussels to London on the first day of the commercial service, November 14.

I arrived at Waterloo International Terminal at 07:11 for the 08:23 departure for Paris. As my ticket wasn't valid by any other service, I wasn't taking any chances. I was in time to see the Eurostar train pull into the terminal from the depot at North Pole (near Old Oak Common on the London to Bristol line). The Waterloo International departure board showed two trains: the 08:23 to Paris and the 10:23 to Bruxelles (sic). I went down the escalator (there is also a lift) to the International concourse and a member of the Eurostar staff took my ticket and put it in the automatic gate. I walked through to the departure lounge which is very smart. As I hadn't any French money, I changed a small amount at the Bureau de Change. The cashiers were French! I then bought a cup of tea from one of the bars/cafes (there are three plus a branch of W.H.Smiths newsagent and some other shops) and the man serving me was also French. I then spoke to one of the Eurostar staff and asked her why so many of the staff were French. She said only a few of the staff were French (in a French accent) and then admitted she was also French. I have no complaints at all about this - the staff were helpful and it made me feel like I was already in France.

My train was shown on the departure screens - Platform 23 (the platform numbers continue from those of the domestic Waterloo station - there are five platforms in the International station). The screens tell you which escalator to use to reach the train depending on the number of the coach containing your seat. (All seats are reserved.) By 07:55 the terminal was filling up and the sun was up outside - I could see the road alongside the terminal through the glass walls. At about 20 minutes before departure time we were allowed up onto the platforms to board the train. Of course, I didn't immediately do so - I walked up to the platform end and asked a man to take a picture with my camera showing me standing alongside the power car. I was surprised to note that the set was based in France at Le Landy depot. The leading power car was number 3218 (those numbered 32xx are French owned) and I spoke briefly to the driver. He was also from Le Landy and he presumably stayed in England the previous night. I imagine that when the full hourly service is introduced the crews will work one trip each way starting at their home depot. I then walked back along the train to my coach (number 15). There are 18 coaches between the two power cars, in this case numbered from the London end, so my coach was near the front. The coach number and destination of the service is shown on a liquid crystal display alongside the doors which are power operated plug doors. (These slide along and then pull inwards towards the coach to close). I had a window seat, facing backwards unfortunately. Announcements were made 10 and 5 minutes before departure, first in English, then in French. (This order was reversed when we were in France.) We departed at the correct time and immediately I noticed the smoothness of the ride. There was very little noise as we ran over pointwork leaving the terminus. I wasn't able to measure speed much because I was seated on the side opposite the quarter mile posts. We ran through Tonbridge just after 09:00 and Ashford at 09:26. We passed Westenhanger (the last station before the Tunnel) at 09:32. Just before Saltwood tunnel (where the 25kV overhead wires begin) an announcement was made that we were soon to enter the Channel Tunnel and that we should advance our watches by 1 hour.

We came almost to a stand alongside the Cheriton Shuttle Terminal and we had a fine view over the toll booths, terminal area and loading platforms. Just before we entered the Tunnel a London-bound Eurostar passed us and we entered the Tunnel at 09:38. Our transit time had been annnounced as 20 minutes and we did in fact take just this time to emerge into France.

Inside the Channel Tunnel

It is surprising how much you can see and notice inside the Tunnel. I had come well prepared, having read all about the Channel Tunnel in the British railway press, particularly the series of articles in the Railway Magazine written by Peter Semmens over the past few years. For those who don't know, the Channel Tunnel consists of two single-line rail tunnels with a smaller service tunnel running in between. The rail tunnels are connected to the service tunnel at intervals of 375m by cross-passages with doors. There are also ducts arching over the service tunnel at 250m intervals to prevent a piston-effect and allow air ahead of a train to pass across into the other tunnel. There is full lighting throughout the tunnels but the lights in the rail tunnels are normally switched off. However, there is a light over each cross-passage door (a compact fluorescent lamp I think) and these are lit permanently. If you are seated on the correct side (the inside of the rail tunnel, nearest the service tunnel) you can see these lights quite clearly. In fact I was seated on the other side. We were travelling to France in the North Rail Tunnel (as is normal - the trains usually run on the left-hand track) and I was seated on the left side of the train facing in the direction of travel. However, I found that by lowering my head down to table level I could look across out of the windows on the opposite side and thus see the lights (just). My fellow passengers thought I was a bit mad I think until I informed them that we were travelling at 98 m.p.h. (157 km/hr) after 4 minutes in the Tunnel. At this speed you pass a cross-passage every 8.5 seconds. To calculate the speed in km/hr divide 1350 by the time in seconds. (1350 is 3/8 of 3600). For miles per hour divide again by 1.61. Soon I noticed a large pipe on the tunnel wall, and I realised that we were now under the sea. These large pipes carry cooled water from a plant on the shore at Shakespeare Cliff and the warmed water returns there for the heat to be exhausted to the atmosphere. The pipes are not present on the stretch of tunnel from the UK portal to the coast, I think. I wasn't able to see whether the same applied at the French end - I will see next time I travel through the tunnel.

The noise in the channel tunnel is very slight - there is a `swishing' sound of the wheels on the rails, but no noise from rail joints because the rails are long-welded.

Another thing to notice when you are in the Channel Tunnel is that yellow fire doors slide across the connection between coaches. In the open, these doors are slid back out of sight and the vestibules between coaches are open. There is a slight rise in the floor over the bogie (the coach ends are supported on a common bogie) and there are glass doors between the vestibule and the seating area. The fire doors do not prevent access to the next coach - they open if you want to walk through, but I didn't leave my seat while we were in the tunnel - there was too much to experience - so I don't know whether they open automatically as you approach.

We emerged into France at 10:58 (having advanced my watch by 1 hour while we were in the channel tunnel). We could see less of the Frethun Shuttle Terminal as it is farther away from the line than the English terminal although we could see a car shuttle about to come off the terminal exit line onto the tunnel approach.

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The Channel Tunnel