World of Motorhomes
World of Motorhomes
World of Motorhomes

Fascinating facts about the quickest route to Europe

Did you know? Fascinating facts about the quickest route* to Europe

  1. The Channel Tunnel is the longest undersea tunnel in the world at 38km long
  2. 4.9 million cubic metres of chalk was excavated from the tunnel during construction, and this was used to enlarge the British Isles by 30 hectares to create Samphire Hoe Country Park.
  3. There are actually three tunnels: two running tunnels carry Eurotunnel freight and passenger vehicle trains and Eurostar, and a smaller service tunnel in the middle.
  4. The first ever passenger on Le Shuttle was HRH Queen Elizabeth II on May 6 1994.
  5. Tour de France champion Chris Froome was the first person to ride a bicycle through the Channel Tunnel in 2014. It took him approximately 55 minutes to complete the 31 mile journey from Folkestone to Calais.
  6. BBC One’s Children in Need Rickshaw Challenge followed in 2018, travelling the opposite direction, and taking slightly longer – they were in the tunnel for over 8 hours!
  7. Anglo-French crime drama series ‘The Tunnel’ was filmed inside the Channel Tunnel for Sky Atlantic.
  8. Since it opened, the equivalent of six times the population of the UK has crossed through the Tunnel.
  9. More than 80 million vehicles have boarded Le Shuttle since it opened (cars, trucks, motorcycles, coaches, camper vans and more)
  10. Around 1 million e-commerce express delivery parcels travel via Eurotunnel each day.
  11. A Eurotunnel passenger shuttle train is almost 800m long, the same as seven football pitches.
  12. If all 9 Eurotunnel passenger shuttles were parked end to end, they’d stretch for over 4 miles!
  13. 26% of goods traded between the UK and continental Europe go through the Channel Tunnel.
  14. The Channel Tunnel is one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World, alongside the Empire State Building and the Panama Canal.
  15. The Channel Tunnel connected the island of Great Britain with the European mainland by land for the first time since the Ice Age, about 8,000 years ago.
  16. Eurotunnel Le Shuttle has transported over 62 million cars since its inception in 1994.
  17. Eurotunnel Le Shuttle has transported over 3.5m pets since 2000, an average of 156k a year! They have also transported all kinds of weird and wonderful animals – red pandas, sloths, orangutans, snow leopards, pythons, jellyfish, bears, wolves and many more!
  18. The busiest day of 2022 so far was 19th February, on which 8,500 passenger vehicles were transported on Le Shuttle.
  19. 92% of Eurotunnel pet customers who completed a recent survey intend to take their pooch to Europe this year
  20. Travelling with Eurotunnel emits 73 x less C02 than travelling by ferry.

*in terms of start to finish journey – 35 minutes

Book your getaway with Eurotunnel Le Shuttle from as little as:

  • £79 per vehicle (up to 9 passengers) each way for a Short Stay Saver ticket (valid for 5 calendar days)
  • £97 per vehicle (up to 9 passengers) for a Standard ticket (for any duration). One way
  • £269 per vehicle (up to 9 passengers) for a Flexiplus ticket, turn up any time and get on the next available train, and access to the club lounge (for any duration). One way
  • Take your pet from just £22 each way

For more information please visit www.eurotunnel.com