In its concession contract signed in 1986, Eurotunnel was required to carry out before 2000 a study for a second Channel crossing fixed link. This study was carried out in 1999 by a consortium including Scetauroute in France (the lead consultant) and Maunsell in the UK. As the capacity of the existing Channel Tunnel is not expected to reach saturation before 2020, the time horizon for the study of the second link was fixed at 10 to 15 years from now. After a brief introduction presenting the various infrastructure options (a tunnel or a bridge, supporting either a railway line or a road restricted to light vehicles), this paper presents firstly the methodology used for assessing at the considered horizon the impact of the evolution of vehicle technology on the design and operation of a tunnel for light vehicles only, and secondly the results in terms of equipment scenarios for a road tunnel solution.
Abstract