The British Channel tunnel, known also as the "Chunnel" or "Eurotunnel" lies underneath the sea channel from Coquelles near Calais in France to Folkestone in Britain. Train traffic in the tunnel is operated mainly by the company Getlink, although also for example the Eurostar fast trains run through the tunnel. Getlink uses specially designed class 9000 locomotives (also known as class 9 or class 98) which were built by a consortium of Brush and Bombardier. There are 57 of these locomotives. They operate always as pairs, one at both ends of a Channel tunnel train. There are Channel Shuttle trains with doubledecker coaches to take passenger cars and motorcycles and then there are specialised truck and lorry shuttles. To be precise, there are three distinct types of Truck Shuttle wagons. All these shuttle wagons are taller and wider than the usual loading gauge accepts in either Britain or France, so these trains cannot be used anywhere else than just in the tunnel itself and the two turning loops, one in each country.

This is a Truck Shuttle just emerging from the tunnel in Coquelles, France. These class 9 / class 9000 locomotives use 25 kV AC from an overhead catenary and they have a power rating 7 megawatts. When new, the power rating was just 5,6 MW but the machines have been upgraded. Each locomotive has six axles arranged as Bo-Bo-Bo, that means in three bogies.

Picture from Coquelles 10.7.2004 by Ilkka Siissalo.

A rather poor picture - sorry for that - but that is due to the huge security fences trying to stop illegal migrants from sneaking into the shuttle trains and thereby into Britain. This is one of the doubledecker passenger shuttles taking passenger cars and motorcycles. These may be up to 24 coaches long.
Picture from Coquelles 10.7.2004 by Ilkka Siissalo.

A second try to photograph one of the class 9000 locomotives, this time from its side. The huge security fences spoil the picture.
Picture from Coquelles 10.7.2004 by Ilkka Siissalo.

The fast Eurostar trains were also designed for running via the Channel tunnel. Their main route is from Paris to London.
Picture from Dunkerque 9.7.2004 by Ilkka Siissalo.

Another first generation Eurostar just arriving from Britain and stopping here at Dunkerque in France. These first generation Eurostars were technically based on existing French TGV trains. The newer second generation Eurostars are made by Siemens and are based on Siemens' Velaro technology.
Picture from Dunkerque 9.7.2004 by Ilkka Siissalo.

These are Brtish Rail class 92 locomotives which were also constructed with the traffic through the channel tunnel in mind. These machines can take their electricity from either a third rail on the side of the tracks or via an overhead catenary. But from overhead they can only use 25 kV AC, so they cannot run on French older railroads with overhead DC current. British Rail already sold many of these to Deutsche Bahn and DB used many of them for years in Romania, but has now resold them for lack of need. To see more pictures of these machines but in the colours of DB, see the section of Croatia in this same picture archive.
Picture from Calais 9.7.2004 by Ilkka Siissalo.