The Channel Tunnel is 50.45 kilometres long, making it one of the world's longest railway tunnels and the longest undersea rail tunnel.
The tunnel opened in 1994 and connects Folkestone in Kent with Coquelles near Calais. It consists of two rail tunnels and a smaller service tunnel. Trains travel through the tunnel rather than crossing the sea by ferry.
About 37.9 kilometres of the route lies beneath the English Channel seabed. The tunnel was built by teams working from both Britain and France, who met underground in 1990.
The Channel Tunnel is often called the Chunnel, although “Channel Tunnel” is the official English name. It carries Eurostar passenger services and Le Shuttle vehicle-carrying trains; it is not a road tunnel for ordinary cars to drive through.