1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:06,760 Hello, we're looking for Mr Storer. 2 00:00:06,760 --> 00:00:07,760 That would be me. 3 00:00:07,760 --> 00:00:09,440 Hi, you must be Rosie and Wendy. 4 00:00:09,440 --> 00:00:10,440 I received your email. 5 00:00:10,440 --> 00:00:11,680 How may I help you? 6 00:00:11,680 --> 00:00:16,360 We're investigating transportation and in our research we learnt that advances in transportation 7 00:00:16,360 --> 00:00:19,600 usually result of having a problem and needing a solution. 8 00:00:19,600 --> 00:00:22,960 The Channel Tunnel was definitely a solution to a very old problem. 9 00:00:22,960 --> 00:00:27,960 13,000 years ago, Britain was connected to mainland Europe by a natural isthmus or land 10 00:00:27,960 --> 00:00:28,960 bridge. 11 00:00:28,960 --> 00:00:33,960 Then a change in sea level caused by the last ice age created the English Channel. 12 00:00:33,960 --> 00:00:37,240 It seems we've had the technology to build tunnels for a long time. 13 00:00:37,240 --> 00:00:38,920 Why wasn't it built earlier? 14 00:00:38,920 --> 00:00:42,840 Two centuries ago, Napoleon agreed that a tunnel should be built, but after war broke 15 00:00:42,840 --> 00:00:46,400 out between France and England, the tunnel idea was abandoned. 16 00:00:46,400 --> 00:00:49,680 Even though there were several plans for a tunnel, there were still technological problems 17 00:00:49,680 --> 00:00:50,680 to overcome. 18 00:00:50,680 --> 00:00:51,680 What kind of problems? 19 00:00:51,680 --> 00:00:55,120 At the time, people didn't know much about the geology under the English Channel, so 20 00:00:55,120 --> 00:00:57,480 they were unsure whether they could bore through it. 21 00:00:57,520 --> 00:00:59,560 There was also a ventilation problem. 22 00:00:59,560 --> 00:01:01,160 How did they overcome the problem? 23 00:01:01,160 --> 00:01:06,000 In the 1870s, both England and France agreed to work on a joint tunnel scheme. 24 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:10,600 With government approval, the tunnel companies started on the first serious scientific geological 25 00:01:10,600 --> 00:01:14,800 exploration to find out just what kind of rocks are under the seabed. 26 00:01:14,800 --> 00:01:15,800 What did they discover? 27 00:01:15,800 --> 00:01:18,640 They found a bed of chalk marl which was perfect for a tunnel. 28 00:01:18,640 --> 00:01:21,160 It was easy to dig and impervious to water. 29 00:01:21,160 --> 00:01:24,960 It could also stand up without supporting walls and was thick enough to hold a tunnel. 30 00:01:24,960 --> 00:01:26,440 So why didn't they dig the tunnel? 31 00:01:26,440 --> 00:01:27,440 England made several attempts. 32 00:01:27,440 --> 00:01:30,920 In 1880, testing was carried out with a tunnel boring machine. 33 00:01:30,920 --> 00:01:33,800 The following year, another attempt was made, but abandoned again. 34 00:01:37,120 --> 00:01:38,440 At least they kept trying. 35 00:01:38,440 --> 00:01:42,680 Yes, finally in the 1980s, the British and French governments commissioned more studies 36 00:01:42,680 --> 00:01:46,680 and decided that a traditional rail tunnel would be the least risky and the best value 37 00:01:46,680 --> 00:01:47,680 for the money. 38 00:01:47,680 --> 00:01:48,680 How long did it take to build? 39 00:01:48,680 --> 00:01:49,680 About seven years. 40 00:01:50,120 --> 00:01:57,080 The builders bored the tunnels from 1987 to 1991, and from 1991 to 1994, workers fitted 41 00:01:57,080 --> 00:01:58,480 out the tunnels and terminal. 42 00:01:58,480 --> 00:02:00,080 Would you like to see the tunnel? 43 00:02:00,080 --> 00:02:01,080 That would be fantastic. 44 00:02:04,080 --> 00:02:05,080 This is amazing. 45 00:02:06,080 --> 00:02:09,080 Why are there three tunnels? 46 00:02:09,080 --> 00:02:11,640 Actually, there are three interconnected tubes. 47 00:02:11,640 --> 00:02:16,320 Two are the rail tracks for going each way, plus one service tunnel used for maintenance 48 00:02:16,320 --> 00:02:18,880 and as a safe haven in case of emergencies. 49 00:02:19,080 --> 00:02:23,080 Of course, you want to make the tunnel as safe as possible, especially for such a long tunnel. 50 00:02:31,080 --> 00:02:32,080 How long is the tunnel? 51 00:02:32,080 --> 00:02:36,080 It's about 50 kilometres total with 37 kilometres underwater. 52 00:02:36,080 --> 00:02:39,080 Its average depth is about 40 metres under the seabed. 53 00:02:39,080 --> 00:02:42,080 I imagine it took a lot of people to build something so complicated. 54 00:02:42,080 --> 00:02:48,080 Yes, it took over 13,000 engineers, technicians and workers to build over 150 kilometres of tunnels. 55 00:02:48,280 --> 00:02:49,280 That's remarkable. 56 00:02:49,280 --> 00:02:52,280 Can you drive through the tunnel or do you have to take the train? 57 00:02:52,280 --> 00:02:54,280 You can do both, sort of. 58 00:02:54,280 --> 00:03:00,280 Trains operated by Eurotunnel use the tunnel to carry cars, coaches, motorcycles, caravans and lorries. 59 00:03:00,280 --> 00:03:05,280 You just drive your car into the train and travel with your car through the tunnel. 60 00:03:05,280 --> 00:03:10,280 EWS carries containerised freight and the Eurostar trains carry foot passengers. 61 00:03:10,280 --> 00:03:14,280 It seems like the Tunnel Tunnel handles all kinds of travellers and transportation. 62 00:03:14,480 --> 00:03:15,480 Most definitely. 63 00:03:15,480 --> 00:03:23,480 In the past year, Eurotunnel carried over 2.25 million cars, about 70,000 coaches and 1.6 million lorries. 64 00:03:23,480 --> 00:03:30,480 Eurostar carried 6.3 million passengers and EWS carried 1.7 million tonnes of freight. 65 00:03:30,480 --> 00:03:32,480 That's a lot of people and freight. 66 00:03:32,480 --> 00:03:33,480 Correct. 67 00:03:33,480 --> 00:03:39,480 And with the opening of the tunnel, people can travel between Britain and mainland Europe any time of the day or night and in any kind of weather. 68 00:03:39,680 --> 00:03:45,680 It's now possible to have breakfast in London, lunch in Paris and dinner in Barcelona, Spain. 69 00:03:45,680 --> 00:03:47,680 It certainly makes the world seem smaller. 70 00:03:47,680 --> 00:03:51,680 Not at this time, but Frank Davidson has a vision of a transatlantic tunnel someday. 71 00:03:51,680 --> 00:03:54,680 A tunnel across the Atlantic Ocean? That would be impossible. 72 00:03:54,680 --> 00:03:58,680 That might seem so now, but hundreds of years ago, so did the Channel Tunnel. 73 00:03:58,680 --> 00:04:02,680 Mr Davidson proposes that a floating tunnel be anchored to the sea floor 74 00:04:02,680 --> 00:04:07,680 and a maglev train be used, travelling at speeds up to 5,000 miles an hour. 75 00:04:07,880 --> 00:04:10,880 You could literally live in the US and work in Europe. 76 00:04:10,880 --> 00:04:14,880 Or live in Europe and work as a treehouse detector during the day. 77 00:04:14,880 --> 00:04:16,880 Thanks, Mr Starr, you have been most helpful. 78 00:04:16,880 --> 00:04:19,880 You're welcome. Why don't we go and finish our ride through the tunnel? 79 00:04:19,880 --> 00:04:21,880 Sure, sounds great. 80 00:04:23,880 --> 00:04:25,880 That's all for our investigation. 81 00:04:25,880 --> 00:04:30,880 Be sure and visit the NASA SciFiles website for more exciting adventures and scientific inquiry.