A tunnel beneath the English Channel providing a fixed link between the UK and France. The present tunnel was begun in 1986 and completed in 1994. It comprises two tunnels, each 7.6 m (25 feet) in diameter and 49.4 km (30.7 miles) long, 37.5 km (23.3 miles) of which is under water, and a service tunnel. The tunnels are, on average, 40 m (130 feet) below the seabed. They carry high-speed shuttle trains with vehicles and passengers on board between the UK and France. The journey time is about 35 minutes, enabling the center of Paris to be reached from the center of London in about four hours.