CHANNEL TUNNEL

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 27, 1 February 1929, Page 7

CHANNEL TUNNEL

PROPOSALS MATURING

COMMONERS INTERESTED

THE FINANCIAL SIDE

British Offlcitl Wlrelcu. (Eecoived Ist February, 11, a.m.) RUGBY, 3lßt January. Many members of Parliament attended a private meeting of the House of Commons last night at which Baron Emile D'Erlanger, Chairman of the Channel Tunnel Company, answering questions, estimated the cost of building the tunnel at £30,000,000. Half would be provided by the French and half by the British. There would be three tunnels, one for drainage, which would cost £5,000,000, and twin tunnels for traffic, costing £25,000,000. He was confident that tho money could be found without Government assistance. There would be one up line and one down line. The diameter of the drainago tunnel would be 12 feet, and the big tunnels 20 feet with 7 feet gauge. Construction was estimated to take two and a half years for the drainage tunnel and about 4 years for. the twin tunnels. The distance would bo 24 miles. Baron D'Erlanger said that, if it were estimated that annually 4,000,000 passengers were carried through the tunnel, paying the tariffs now charged for the Channel-crossing, a gross income of £3,200,000 would result. It ought to be possible to run tho tunnel on an annual expenditure of £1,000,000, and there would be at least £800,000 paid annually in freight receipts. Thus £3,000,000 a year—a 10 per cent, return on capital of £30,000,000. Sir William Bull, an ardent supporter of the scheme, said that it was proposed that there should bo an English company, a French company, and, possibly, a third holding company in connection with tho League of Nations.