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Flanked by two powerful European nations, the English Channel has long been one of the world's most important maritime passages.
英吉利海峡位于欧洲两大强国之间，一直是世界的航运要道之一。
Yet for most of its history, the channel's rocky shores and stormy weather made crossing a dangerous prospect.
然而，在它大部分的历史中，因两岸陡峭、天气恶劣，使穿越海峡极具危险性。
Engineers of the early 1800's proposed numerous plans for spanning the 33 kilometer gap.
19世纪初期的工程师设计了无数方案，试图连接起这33公里的裂口。
Their designs included artificial islands linked by bridges, submerged tubes suspended from floating platforms,
他们的设计包括用人工岛衔接桥梁，用浸在水中的管道来悬挂漂浮平台，
and an underwater passage more than twice the length of any existing tunnel.
以及建造一条长度超过任何已有隧道两倍的海底通道。
By the end of the century, this last proposal had captured European imagination.
在十九世纪末，最后这个方案成了欧洲人的遐想。
The invention of the tunnel boring machine and the discovery of a stable layer of chalk marl below the seabed made this fantastic tunnel more feasible.
隧道掘进机的发明，以及在海床底下发现稳定的白垩岩层，让这个奇想中的隧道更有可能实现。
But the project's most urgent obstacles were ones no engineer could solve.
然而，这个计划最迫切的障碍，却没有一个工程师能够解决。
At the time, Britons viewed their geographic isolation as a strategic advantage, and fears about French invasion shut down plans for the tunnel.
当时的英国人认为地理的隔离是他们的战略优势，他们惧怕法国会入侵，因而停止了隧道的计划。
The rise of aerial warfare rendered these worries obsolete, but new economic concerns arose to replace them.
空战出现后，这种担忧不复存在，取而代之的是经济上的顾虑。
Finally, 100 years after the initial excavation, the two countries reached an agreement -- the tunnel would proceed with private funding.
直到初次动工的100年之后，两国才达成协议，即隧道建设由私人资金承担。
In 1985, a group of French and British companies invested the modern equivalent of 14 billion pounds, making the tunnel the most expensive infrastructure project to date.
1985年，一些法国和英国的公司投资了相当于现在的140亿英镑，使这个项目成为了当时最昂贵的基建项目。
The design called for three separate tunnels -- one for trains to France, one for trains to England, and one service tunnel between them.
方案包含三条独立隧道，一条供列车驶向法国，一条供列车驶向英国，中间还有一条辅助隧道。
Alongside crossover chambers, emergency passages, and air ducts, this amounted to over 200 kilometers of tunnels.
再加上连接通道、紧急疏散通道和通风管道，整个隧道的长度加起来超过200公里。
In 1988, workers began excavating from both sides, planning to meet in the middle.
1988年，工人们从两端开凿隧道，计划在中间相遇。
Early surveys of the French coast revealed the site was full of fault lines.
在法国海岸的前期探测显示这片区域充满了断层线。
These small cracks let water seep into the rock, so engineers had to develop waterproof boring machines.
水会通过这些缝隙渗入到岩石中，工程师们不得不开发了防水隧道掘进机。
The British anticipated drier conditions, and forged ahead with regular borers.
英国那边的岩石被认为更干燥，所以采用的是普通隧道掘进机。
But only months into the work, water flooded in through undetected fissures.
然而开工不过数月，水就从不明裂隙中涌入。
To drill in this wet chalk, the British had to use grout to seal the cracks created in the borer's wake,
为了在潮湿的白垩岩中继续钻洞，英国人不得不在隧道掘进机作业后注浆以封闭可能的渗水，
and even work ahead of the main borer to reinforce the chalk about to be drilled.
有时甚至要在隧道掘进主机到达前，预先固结掘进前方的白垩。
With these obstacles behind them, both teams began drilling at full speed.
这些问题解决后，双方全速开工。
Boring machines weighing up to 1,300 tons drilled at nearly 3.5 meters per hour.
自重可达1300吨的隧道掘进机，每小时能向前推进约3.5米。
As they dug, they installed lining rings to stabilize the tunnel behind them, making way for support wagons following each machine.
隧道掘进机向前掘进的同时会在已挖掘的隧道中安装衬砌环，为隧道掘进机后部的配套台车开路。
Even at top speed, work had to proceed carefully.
即便全速前进，工作也必须细致。
The chalk layer followed a winding path between unstable rock and clay, punctured by over 100 boring holes made by previous surveyors.
白垩地层位于不稳定的岩石和黏土之间，蜿蜒曲折，当中分布着100多个前期勘探留下的钻探孔。
Furthermore, both teams had to constantly check their coordinates to ensure they were on track to meet within 2 centimeters of each other.
另外，双方队伍必须不断测量他们的坐标，以确保隧道贯通时误差小于两厘米。
To maintain this delicate trajectory, the borers employed satellite positioning systems,
为了保障轨道的精准性，隧道掘进机内设置有卫星定位系统，
as well as paleontologists who used excavated fossils to confirm they were at the right depth.
同时，擅于挖掘化石的古生物学家也帮助施工队确保他们处在正确的深度。
During construction, the project employed over 13,000 people and cost the lives of ten workers.
共有一万三千多人参与到隧道建设中，其中十人因工程丧生。
But after two and a half years of tunneling, the two sides finally made contact.
挖掘了两年半后，双方终于碰面了。
British worker Graham Fagg emerged on the French side, becoming the first human to cross the channel by land since the Ice Age.
英国工人格雷厄姆·法格出现在了隧道的法国段，他是冰河世纪以来从陆地上跨越英吉利海峡的第一人。
There was still work to be done -- from installing crossover chambers and pumping stations, to laying over a hundred miles of tracks, cables, and sensors.
工程还没有结束--还需要设置连接通道、抽水站，铺设一百多英里长的轨道、电缆和传感器等。
But on May 6, 1994, an opening ceremony marked the tunnel's completion.
1994年5月6日，隧道的开幕式标志着正式完工。
Full public service began 16 months later, with trains for passengers and rail shuttles for cars and trucks.
16个月后，隧道面向公众投入使用，火车运送乘客，区间火车摆渡汽车卡车。
Today, the Channel Tunnel services over 20 million passengers a year, transporting riders across the channel in just 35 minutes.
如今，英法海底隧道每年服务的旅客数量超过两千万人次，只需35分钟便可跨越英吉利海峡。
Unfortunately, not everyone has the privilege of making this trip legally.
可惜并非所有人都能合法地跨越海峡。
Thousands of refugees have tried to enter Britain through the tunnel in sometimes fatal attempts.
曾经有成千上万的难民尝试通过隧道进入英国，有时甚至因此丧命。
These tragedies have transformed the tunnel's southern entrance into an ongoing site of conflict.
这些悲剧使得隧道南边的入口变成持续发生冲突的地方。
Hopefully, the structure's history can serve as a reminder that humanity is at their best when breaking down barriers.
希望隧道的历史可以提醒人们，消除隔阂对于人性来说才是最好的。
