Traveling Under the Ocean by Train

When traveling over the ocean, most people will fly or use a ship of some sort. However, if you’re in France or England, you have access to a whole different way of traveling. Well, it isn’t too different but it can be considered quite unique. I am talking about the Channel Tunnel. This tunnel connects Folkestone, Kent in England to Coquelles (Near Calais) in France. The Channel tunnel is unique in the way that it is under the ocean with trains traveling from country to country all the time.

The Channel Tunnel, also known as Chunnel, is 50.5 kilometers (31.4 miles) long. At its lower level, the tunnel is 75 meters (250 feet) deep. High speed Eurostar passenger trains travel along the Chunnel and are considered to be the largest international rail freight trains. The Channel Tunnel was deemed as one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World.

The numbers of passengers that ride through the Chunnel vary between 18.4 million (1998) to 16.1 million (2008) people. Many people use this method of transportation to travel to another, nearby but foreign, country during the holidays. An average cost for an adult ticket is about $98 to $300, depending on the comfort style (first class or second class) of your trip. Most times, the amount of a one way ticket using the Channel Tunnel can cost less than an airplane ticket.