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The Chunnel, or Channel Tunnel, is an underground rail tunnel
that links Britain and France.

The Chunnel, which is also known as the Channel Tunnel, or in France as Le tunnel sous la Manche, is an easy way of getting quickly across the English Channel. Instead of using a ferry or an airplane, the Chunnel is an undersea rail tunnel that links Folkestone, Kent in England to Coquelles, France near Calais in Northern France. It is 50.5 kilometres, or 31.4 miles, long and has the longest undersea portion of any tunnel in the world.

The Eurostar train runs in the Channel Tunnel. It begins with the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, now called High Speed 1, in London. The train starts at St. Pancras railway station, runs for 69 miles to Folkestone, Kent. The entire Eurostar journey from St.Pancras station in London to Paris takes 2 hours and 15 minutes. You can also take the Chunnel from London to Brussels as well, which is a slightly shorter trip, clocking in at one hour and 51 minutes.

The Chunnel is 31.4 miles long and runs under the English Channel at the Strait of Dover.

If you want to take your car across under the English Channel, you can. The Eurotunnel Shuttle is a roll-on, roll-off shuttle service for cars, trucks, coaches, buses, caravans etc.

Prices for traveling on the Eurostar train, and for using the Eurotunnel Shuttle vary. Rates for a single passenger one-way can start at 49GBP or approximately 100 US dollars. You may be able to save money by traveling at off-peak times, as well as booking your journey in advance.

The idea of a tunnel connecting the UK and France has been around for over two hundred years but without modern technology the tunnel couldn't have been possibility. Though the idea of a connecting tunnel was brought up again in 1974, it wasn't fully considered and acted upon until 1986.

Survey work began and within two years tunneling had begun as well. In May 1994, Queen Elizabeth II of England, and President Mitterand of France officially opened the Channel Tunnel. In 1996 a fire in a truck shuttle damaged the tunnel, and in 2003 the High Speed 1 connection between London and Folkestone, Kent was opened.

The Channel Tunnel is only a part of the massive transportation system that stretches across the UK and Europe. Both the UK and France have extremely efficient and large rail and bus systems that make travel and commuting easier without having to rely on automobiles. Many types of passes are available making train and bus travel an economical way to travel as well.