Three hundred million people use Channel Tunnel
Three hundred million people have passed through the Channel Tunnel since it opened in June 1994. The France-Britain underwater link celebrated its 300 millionth passenger on Thursday.
Issued on: Modified:
The figure is about five times the population of France, the Eurotunnel company bragged in a statement Thursday morning.
The majority of users, 57 per cent, are drivers of passengers who use the Shuttle, which transports cars, lorries and coaches from Calais to Kent in 35 minutes.
The rest travel on the Eurostar high-speed train linking Paris and Brussels to London.
Nearly 50,000 people use the tunnel every day, the company says.
This year’s London Olympics boosted use, hitting a level not reached since 1999.
Eurotunnel has had serious financial problems during its lifetime but was back in the black in 2011 and earned five million euros in profits in the first half of 2012.
Daily newsletterReceive essential international news every morning
Subscribe