Business Continuity

THE FRENCH CONNECTION – LOOKING BACK TO 1987

THE FRENCH CONNECTION – LOOKING BACK TO 1987

THE FRENCH CONNECTION – LOOKING BACK TO 1987

The Channel Tunnel Act 1987 authorised the construction of the Channel Tunnel that connects the UK with France, via an underground train tunnel.

The idea of a tunnel was first proposed in 1802 but construction wasn't started until 1987/88. Construction of the tunnel was completed in 1993 and services commenced in November 1994.

The Channel Tunnel, also commonly referenced as the 'Chunnel' is operated by the company Eurotunnel and is comprised of three tunnels: 2 rail tunnels, used for freight and passenger trains, and1 service tunnel serving the general public.

Key Facts

  • At its deepest, the tunnel is 75 metres (246 feet) below the sea level.
  • The project cost £4.65 billion (equivalent to £12 billion today), 80% more than expected.
  • It is 31.4 miles long, making it the longest undersea tunnel in use - equivalent to 169 Eiffel Towers stacked on top of each other
  • Up to 400 trains pass through the tunnel each day, carrying an average of 50,000 passengers, 6,000 cars, 180 coaches and 54,000 tonnes of freight.
  • At the height of construction, 13000 people were employed, and 10 workers were killed during its construction.
  • They didn't quite meet in the middle - the English side tunnelled the greater distance.

The Channel Tunnel is a great piece of engineering and has made travel easier and cheaper, grown the transport networks and enhanced the connectivity between the UK and the rest of Europe.

The Channel Tunnel has connected us with the rest of Europe and was a great stepping stone to growing the transport network and infrastructure. Similarly, there can be parallels made with the largest and most connected thing on earth… The Internet.

We have all heard of the Internet, but what exactly is it? The Internet is the global system of interconnected computer networks that use the Internet protocol suite to link devices worldwide. Essentially, it’s a network of all networks. It’s the biggest network in the world with billions of pieces of data being transferred every day. With so much information being exchanged with relative ease, it has changed business processes and our way of life forever.

As I type this blog, there are;

  • Over 3.5 billion active internet users today
  • Over 143 billion emails sent today
  • Over 1.2 billion websites visited today

Click here for more real-time stats on the largest network in the world…

However, as the internet grown in size and volume, with it has brought a surge in cybercrime. Again, as I type this blog there has been over 55,000 website hacks just today alone. This number will only increase as the internet continues to grow and expand throughout the world. The only way to protect yourself and your business is to apply the appropriate security measures to stop such a thing from happening.