1. 1994: The historic Chunnel is opened
The Queen of England and President of France at opening ceremony.
Photo pastreunited
Photo: timesofmalta
The famous rail tunnel that connects England France is opened on this day back in 1994. It is considered one of the modern wonders of the world, considering that 28 miles of the track runs almost 150 feet underneath the English Channel. It consists of three tunnels that run the entire 31 miles to connect the two countries. One for northbound traffic, one for southbound traffic, and then the third is used as a service tunnel for repairs and in the event of an emergency. Total cost for the “Chunnel” was said to be a whopping $16 billion, but apparently as of 1999 they have actually started to turn a profit. Each day there are as many as 30,000 people, 7,000 cars and 4,000 trucks that pass through, and each one has to pay in some way to gain access to the passenger, freight and shuttle trains going back and fourth.
