France - Great Britain JOINT Issue " RAILWAYS ~ CHANNEL TUNNEL."
MNH ~ Presentation Pack !
Pack contains Stamp sets from both countries France & GB !
Pack has explainatory text in both English and French, a few words:
CHANNEL TUNNEL.
There has been no lack of projects to build a fixed link between continental Europe and the United Kingdom. Examples include M. Desmaret's 1751 project, that of A. Mathieu-Favier in 1802, and the activities of the 'father of the tunnel' A. Thome de Gamond between 1833 and 1867.
The technology proposed each time was equally varied, including immersion, a dam with gates, a suspended bridge and a submarine running on rails. Tunneling work was even started, with a first site abandoned in 1883 for military reasons; a start was made again in 1974 but again halted, this time due to financial problems.
The idea was raised again in 1980, and following an international meeting in 1986, France and Britain set the Eurotunnel company the task of designing, funding, building and operating the future 'Transmanche' fixed link. The plan was based on drilling tunnels under the sea bed, rather than immersion.
Two symbolic acts underlined the project's historic and economic importance. On 12 Frebruary 1986, the Franco-British Tunnel Treaty was signed in Canterbury Cathedral; on 1 December 1990, at 12 minutes after 12 noon, the historic first meeting under the Channel occurred, creating one of Northern Europe's greatest crossroads, and bringing together the region's major cities - London, Paris, Brussels, Antwerp and Amsterdam, all within a 500-kilometre radius.
Year: 1994.
(RHJ20) ~ Crm Bg1.
