Reserved for Eurotunnel employees, it allows you to travel from France to England.

But the idea is not to go from one country to another.

This very private road essentially provides access to the maintenance operations of the Channel Tunnel.

Two nights a week, at the weekend, Eurotunnel closes - at least partially - one of the two railway tubes for maintenance work.

Train traffic never stops.

During this time, it alternates on the other track.

You only enter this road tunnel after passing through an ultra-secure decompression chamber.

"We drive on the left, but we stay on French time", describes Rémi Dezoomer, works supervisor at Eurotunnel (subsidiary of the Getlink group), turning on his hazard lights and honking when approaching a vehicle parked on the edge. .

The road tunnel under the Channel, during a night maintenance operation, on February 12, 2023 in Coquelles, in Pas-de-Calais © FRANCOIS LO PRESTI / AFP

The cars, without license plates, no longer have a mirror on the right to be able to cross each other on this road using the service tunnel of the "cross-Channel fixed link".

"Before, we had Clios which went very well. Now, the size of the cars is more and more important, that is a problem for us", specifies Mr. Dezoomer.

U-turns are complicated.

And beware of punctures 100 m below sea level!

A vehicle for maintenance operations in the road tunnel under the Channel, February 12, 2023 in Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais © FRANCOIS LO PRESTI / AFP

Caution, therefore.

The speed is limited anyway, notes Mr. Dezoomer: 50 km/h when the lights are off and 30 km/h when there is light, which generally means that there are people around. .

It is when there are fewer trains passing between France and England that the route is busiest.

We meet the vehicles of Eurotunnel and its subcontractors, trailers, firefighters doing their rounds... Everyone is dressed in orange, white helmet on their head, we see no women.

Every 375 m in the service tunnel, corridors lead to heavy yellow doors.

Solemn opening, triggered by the control center, with bell and sound message.

Maintenance work on rails in the Channel Tunnel, February 12, 2023 in Coquelles © FRANCOIS LO PRESTI / AFP

These gates provide access to the railway tracks, located right next to it.

In the event of an emergency to evacuate passengers from trains and, in this case, to access night work sites.

Rail wear

"We have 66 construction sites, with 160 people present", indicates that day Jeffrey Guy, project manager.

"It's a normal night."

The bulk of the troops -- 70 people -- are busy replacing rails, as part of a major three-year total renewal operation.

"Tonight, we have 5:10 to replace 1.077 km of rails", explains Jean-Louis Merlin, head of the operation at Eurotunnel.

An employee welds rails during maintenance work in the Channel Tunnel, February 12, 2023 in Coquelle © FRANCOIS LO PRESTI / AFP

The ballet is well regulated.

While the welders are welding, a cohort of workers fix one by one the fasteners of the rails on the sleepers.

In the background, the vault of the tunnel is illuminated by a distant machine.

Precise and fast, because the trains have to run again at dawn.

“We are in the fourth campaign of replacing the rails since the origin” of the tunnel opened in 1994, specifies Mr. Merlin.

It must be said that they are particularly stressed by the frequent passage of heavy convoys, freight trains or Eurotunnel shuttles carrying trucks, coaches or cars.

Workers replace rails in the Channel Tunnel, February 12, 2023 in Coquelles © FRANCOIS LO PRESTI / AFP

A little further on, where the two railway tubes meet, the switches of a "crossover" are changed, a set of devices allowing trains to pass from one track to the other.

The setting is quite theatrical.

While the workers are busy, small lights on their helmets, a shuttle passes on the other side.

It is also a question of injecting resin to avoid infiltrations, inevitable where there is no blue chalk in the basement.

"Water and 25,000 volts from the catenary are not compatible", points out Rémi Dezoomer.

Workers inject resin to seal water infiltration in the Channel Tunnel, February 12, 2023 in Coquelles © FRANCOIS LO PRESTI / AFP

In another place, a strange machine washes the tunnel, throwing clouds of droplets in a golden light.

Visual effect guaranteed.

The Channel route also has its tourist "spot": at the Franco-British border marked by two small panels, the walls are covered with graffiti from visitors.

© 2023 AFP