V. Draw a sketch-map of the British Isles and mark in the following.
a) the Welsh, Scottish and Irish borders;
b) the capital cities of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland;
c) the Isle of Man, the Isle of Wight, the Channel, Orkney and Shetland Islands and the Hebrides.
Britain-an Island, or a Peninsula?
Since the moment when Britain and France became linked with a tunnel this may be a logical question. Figuratively speaking, Britain has been solidly connected with the continent by means of the Channel tunnel. Psychologically, the British, who always regarded themselves as being separated from Europe by the English Channel, now have to change their minds. No wonder, many British people who were against the tunnel project were motivated by psychological arguments. They could not get used to the idea that Britain would have a physical link with the continent. However, this idea has become a reality, and now most people see the advantages of a direct transport link with Europe which does not depend on the weather and other natural factors as it is the case concerning the ferry link.
T
he
idea of building a tunnel which would connect Britain and France was
first suggested by a French engineer whose name was Albert
Mathieu. He came up with this idea in 1802. Napoleon who was
preparing for an invasion of Britain also favoured the idea of
building a bridge or tunnel across the English Channel. Two attempts
have been made to build a tunnel to link Britain with the continent.
The first attempt was made in 1882, but it failed because science and
technology had not made enough progress to put such great plans into
practice. The second attempt was undertaken in 1974, but it was too
expensive, and so again the idea was put aside.
At last in 1986 a third attempt was made: the British and French governments agreed to pay for a tunnel. Margaret Thatcher, who was the Prime Minister of Britain, and Francois Miterrand, the President of France, signed an agreement to build a tunnel, and digging began.
The engineers chose the narrowest part of the English Channel between Folke-stone, on the British side and Calais, on the French. This part of the Channel is only 42 kilometres wide. However, the tunnel itself is 69 kilometres long.
The construction of the tunnel was carried out by 10 British and French construction companies, but the company responsible for the whole project, and for running the trains is known as the Eurotunnel, which is a joint British-French group. The tunnel itself consists of two main tunnels each with a diameter of 7.2 metres located 40 metres under the seabed, and the third auxiliary tunnel of 4.5 metres between them intended for workers to service the main tunnels. There were many problems what to do with the rock waste, and the people living near the entrance to the tunnel did not want the rock waste to be put in heaps nearby.
Finally a good way out was found: the rock waste was used to strengthen the coastline against the storms which destroy much of the shores. The engineers had many problems also as to what means of transport would be used in the tunnel.
At first it seemed that the tunnel would be used by cars, but then this project was not accepted, because there would be problems with ventilation to remove the exhaust from the movement of the cars. Then, you had to solve the question of lighting the whole way through the tunnel, which would cost extra money. Eventually the builders decided to use electric trains which would move between the terminals near Folkestone and Calais. The trains used in the tunnel are known as speed trains because they move at a high speed of 160 kilometres per hour. Thus the journey through the tunnel takes about 35 minutes.
The speed trains which move today through the tunnel are also known as shuttle trains because they run in both directions. Eurotunnel trains provide a drive-on drive-off service, with separate shuttle trains for passengers, freight and cars.
The carriages used in the tunnel are the largest in the world: 25 metres long, 4 metres wide and 5.4 metres high. The carriages used for heavy lorries are shorter — 18 metres long, because every carriage is intended for one lorry. The carriages are constructed in such a way that the drivers of cars and lorries can easily move into the carriages without losing time. Car and coach passengers stay with their vehicles during the journey. Lorry drivers travel separately from their vehicles in a carriage at the front of the shuttle train. The Eurotunnel Company plans to run passenger shuttle services every 15 minutes and freight shuttle services every 20 minutes; at peak periods it will also be possible to increase the frequency of services as the new tunnel will become more and more popular.
Passenger trains move directly between London, Paris and Brussels. The whole journey from London to Paris takes only three hours. At present the fare is quite high, but with more people using this new line it will become cheaper. The shuttle trains can easily transport 1,000 cars per hour in each direction, which is 25 per cent more than what the ferries can carry along the shortest sea-route during the summer periods. However, the Company believes that in the nearest future 4,000 cars can be transported in each direction along the tunnel. Thus we see that the new tunnel has a great future though it cost quite a lot of money to build it. At first the builders thought that it would cost about 4 billion pounds, but in reality about 9 billion pounds were spent to build the tunnel.
The tunnel began to operate in the autumn of 1994. Since then the number of people using the tunnel is growing very quickly. The Company believes that about 15 million people will use it in the first year of its service. This is quite natural because travellers do not depend upon the weather, especially when it is stormy. Everyone who crosses the Channel on a ferry during bad weather or in a storm feels quite uncomfortable. Many feel seasick. In this respect the tunnel has its great advantages.
However, the new transport link does not mean an end to the ferry service, because the ferries do a great job taking travellers to more distant ports. Moreover, on a fine summer day you can have the advantage of enjoying a very pleasant journey on a ferry, relaxing on its deck for about one and a half hours, and breathing the fresh air of the sea.
Thus, the new Channel tunnel gives the numerous travellers who move to or from the continent greater choice as to what way they would like to take. So make up your mind when you decide to visit Britain!
Comprehension Check