Thursday 8th of October 2009 a delegation from the Kvarken region visited Eurotunnel between Britain and France. The delegation consisted of Director Christina Knookala from the Kvarken Council, Executive Director Olav Jern of the Regional Council of Ostrobothnia, Development Manager Thomas Sikström and delelopment strategist Emmy Sundin of the Municipality of Umeå. The visit to Eurotunnel took place in connection with the EU’s Regional Committee meeting in Brussels. The connection over the Kvarken Strait is an important link in the Bothnian Corridor project, which is part of the EU’s Baltic Sea strategy.

Director Christina Knookala from the Kvarken Council, Development Manager Thomas Sikström and delelopment strategist Emmy Sundin of the Municipality of Umeå together with Eurotunnel spokesman John Keefe at the Eurotunnel in Calais.

The delegation was informed about the Eurotunnel by spokesman John Keefe, who has been involved in the project from the start. Planning and construction took eight years. The tunnel has been operating for 15 years. The tunnel is build entirely by private funding. It is not financed by the governments of by the EU. The total price for the tunnel including all security arrangements was 6 billion Euros. The company has for the first time paid 40 million Euros to its shareholders.

Eurotunnel spokesman John Keefe

The number of passengers has increased by 10 percent this year, but the freight volume has decreased the same amount. Nine million passengers and one million trucks use the tunnel every year. The lowest rate for a car with passengers is 20 euros, during rush hours it is 100 euros.

The delegation from the Kvarken region was especially interested in learning how the regional differences between Britain and France has affected the tunnel project. Keefe listed two languages, two time zones, height difference between British and French lorries, right hand and left hand traffic, cultural differences. The rail width is the same. According to Keefe however the differences had not been a problem, as they were well known in advance.

The train ride itself was a pleasant experience. The cars drove onboard the train like onto a ferry, passenger cars in two stories. One carriage could take four cars. In between the carriages was a fire door. The 50 kilometer long journey from France to Britain lasted 35 minutes.

The cars drive onboard the Eurostar train like onto a ferry. The train carriages are roomy, light and clean. During the journey the passengers can step out of their cars and walk between the carriages.

There premises on the train were roomy, light and clean. During the journey the passengers could step out of their cars and walk between the carriages. It wasn’t noticeable when the train descended into the tunnel, even though the tunnel is 100 meters below the surface of the sea at its deepest. The signs were in French, English and German, in some places even in Swedish. The staff is required to know both French and English.

The security arrangements were impressive, all cars were x-rayed. In case of an emergency the train can be re-directed into another tunnel. There is also a separate security tunnel. The traffic control center was very much like a flight control tower. There have been three fire incidents in the tunnel, but no lives have been lost.