Why The Chunnel Failed

Considered a engineering feat when it was built 10 years ago, the Channel Tunnel has failed financially and politically, says Christian Wolmar.

1 minute read

May 13, 2004, 10:00 AM PDT

By Abhijeet Chavan @http://twitter.com/legalaidtech

"When the Channel Tunnel opened 10 years ago...it was hailed as an engineering marvel, a new paradigm for the private financing of public-works projects and a way to integrate Britain into a continent it had always held at arm's length. But it has not worked out that way: while the 31-mile-tunnel linking Folkestone and Calais was a technological success, it's been a miserable failure both financially and politically...The hard truth is that the private sector alone can never build these massive infrastructure projects because the risks are too great and the return is too small."

Thanks to Abhijeet Chavan

FULL STORY: A Tunnel Too Far

Wednesday, May 12, 2004 in The New York Times

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