Longest railway tunnel in France

What to remember

Between Coquelles in the Pas-de-Calais and Folkestone in the United Kingdom, the Channel Tunnel measures 50.3 km, making it the longest rail tunnel in France. Other measurements give 50.46 km or 50.5 km. It opened in 1994.

Most of the journey runs under the sea, about 37.9 km, giving it the longest underwater section of any tunnel in the world. It reaches a depth of 75 m below sea level and runs on average 45 m below the seabed. It is made up of two rail tubes and a smaller central service tube.

Although designed for 200 km/h, it limits trains to 160 km/h for safety reasons. At each end it joins a high-speed line: the LGV Nord in France and High Speed 1 in the United Kingdom. It is operated by Eurotunnel, part of Getlink.