THE DREAM COMES TRUE

2^nd OF APRIL 1985: INVITATION FOR BIDS

The British and French governments issue a call for tender for the financial and technical realization of a trans-channel fixed link as a private concession.

20^th OF JANUARY 1986: THE CHOICE

The FRANCE MANCHE – CHANNEL TUNNEL GROUP Consortium project of a double tunnel with shuttle service is chosen.

The FRANCE MANCHE group is made up of:

• 5 French companies : BOUYGUES, DUMEZ, SOCIETE GENERALE D’ENTREPRISES, SOCIETE AUXILIAIRE D’ENTREPRISES and SPIE BATIGNOLLES,
• 3 French banks: CREDIT LYONNAIS, BANQUE NATIONALE DE PARIS and BANQUE INDOSUEZ,

The CHANNEL TUNNEL GROUP is made up of:

• 5 British companies : BALFOUR BEATTY CONSTRUCTION, COSTAIN, TARMAC, TAYLOR WOODROW and WIMPEY,
• 2 British banks : NATIONAL WESTMINSTER BANK et MIDLAND BANK

The Canterbury Treaty, signed on the 12^th of February 1986, by the two French and British Governments solves a significant number of questions of sovereignty.

The Concession Act is signed in London on the 14^th of March 1986 between the two countries and the FRANCE MANCHE group and the CHANNEL TUNNEL GROUP.

MARCH / AUGUST 1986: EUROTUNNEL and TML

In that period, the promoters- concessionaires create two separate entities:

• EUROTUNNEL: the Concessionaire whose capital was later opened to other investors and to the public.
• TML – TRANSMANCHE LINK: the contractor in charge of conception and realization of the whole transport system.

TML – TRANSMANCHE LINK:

TML is a binational joint venture in equal shares between:

• TRANSMANCHE CONSTRUCTION – TMC, as a GIE made up of the 5 French founding companies,
• TRANSLINK, in JOINT VENTURE, made up of the 5 British founding companies.

13th OF AUGUST 1986 THE EUROTUNNEL – TML CONTRACT

According to the contract, TML is awarded the conception, construction, trial tests and commissioning of the transport system delivered on a turnkey basis.

ON THE 10th OF DECEMBER 1993: TML DELIVERS TO EUROTUNNEL AN UNIQUE TRANSPORT SYSTEM IN THE WORLD

On the 10^th of December 1993, after 7 years of work, The 10 companies forming the TML Consortium give the keys of the complete transport system to the Concessionaire Eurotunnel having provided end to end conception, design, engineering construction and preliminary functional tests.

This achievement required 100 million working hours and remains till today a unique achievement in the history of civil works due to its magnitude and timeliness and the level and number of innovations.

The transport system includes:

• 151 kilometres of tunnel bored by 11 tunnel boring machines in 3 ½ years.
• 554 transversal communication and piston relief ducts.
• 2 underground cathedrals: the cross overs.
• 2 terminals on 880 hectares, (700 in Coquelles).
• All the equipment required to ensure standard service, maintenance safety and rescue.
• 38 locomotives of 7500 horse power and 523 wagons coupled as 9 for tourist and 8 for lorries in 780 metre long shuttles.