Folkestone, Kent - Eurotunnel Exhibition Centre tunnel boring - postcard 1989

Postcard
• Picture / Image:  Eurotunnel Exhibition Centre, Folkestone / Centre d'Information d'Eurotunnel Folkstone - entrance to the construction gallery with full scale model of cutting head
• Publisher:  Eurotunnel, 1989
• Postally used:  no
• Stamp:  n/a
• Postmark(s): n/a
• Sent to:  n/a
• Notes / condition: 

Please ask if you need any other information and I will do the best I can to answer.

Image may be low res for illustrative purposes - if you need a higher definition image then please contact me and I may be able to send one.

------------------------------------------------

Postage & Packing:

UK (incl. IOM, CI & BFPO): 99p

Europe: £1.60

Rest of world (inc. USA etc): £2.75

No additional charges for more than one postcard. You can buy as many postcards from me as you like and you will just pay the fee above once. (If buying postcards with other things such as books, please contact or wait for invoice before paying).

Payment Methods:

UK - PayPal, Cheque (from UK bank) or postal order

Outside UK: PayPal ONLY (unless otherwise stated) please.   NO non-UK currency checks or money orders (sorry).

NOTE: All postcards are sent in brand new stiffened envelopes which I have bought for the task. These are specially made to protect postcards and you may be able to re-use them. In addition there are other costs to sending so the above charge is not just for the stamp!

I will give a full refund if you are not fully satisfied with the postcard.

----------------------------------------------

Text from the free encyclopedia WIKIPEDIA may appear below to give a little background information (internal links may not  work) :

*************

Groupe Eurotunnel S.A. manages and operates the Channel Tunnel between Britain and France including the vehicle shuttle services, and earns revenue on other trains (DB Schenker freight and Eurostar passenger) through the tunnel. It is listed on both the London Stock Exchange and Euronext Paris.

The railway operation has 50.5 kilometres (31.4 mi) of double track railway in the main tunnels, plus extensive surface-level terminal facilities at Folkestone in the UK and at Frethun in France; the operation is entirely self-contained, with connections near the two terminals to the respective national railway networks. Signalling and electric traction supply at 25kV AC are also under Eurotunnel control.

Train operation consists of shuttle trains conveying cars and coaches and other trains conveying heavy goods vehicles between the two terminals. Other trains using Eurotunnel infrastructure are operated by the respective owners.

The company was formed on 13 August 1986 with the objective of financing, building and operating a tunnel between Great Britain and France.^[2]

The company let a contract for the construction of the tunnel to TransManche Link. The tunnel cost around £9.5bn to build, about double its original estimate of £4.7bn.^[3] The tunnel was financed partly from investment by shareholders and partly from £8bn of debt, and was officially opened on 6 May 1994 by HM Queen Elizabeth II and President François Mitterrand.^[2] In its first year of operation the company lost £925m because of disappointing revenue from passengers and freight, together with heavy interest charges on its £8bn of debt.^[4]

Shareholders lost a huge amount of money initially without any return.^{[citation needed]}

In April 2004, a dissident shareholder group led by Nicolas Miguet succeeded in taking control of the board.^[5] However in February 2005 Jean-Louis Raymond, the Chief Executive appointed after the boardroom coup, resigned and Jacques Gounon took complete control becoming Chairman and Chief Executive.^[5]

In July 2006, shareholders voted on a deal which would have seen half the debt, by then reduced to £6.2bn, exchanged for 87% of the equity.^[6][7] However this plan failed and on 2 August 2006 the company was placed into bankruptcy protection by a French court for six months.^[8]

In May 2007 a new restructuring plan was approved by shareholders whereby Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs and Citigroup agreed to provide £2.8bn of long-term funding, the balance of the debt being exchanged for equity, and the shareholders agreed to waive the unlimited free travel and other perks that they had enjoyed.^[9]

In June 2007 the company entered into a partnership through subsidiary Europorte 2 with the Port of Dunkirk relating to rail freight traffic; the company was to operate trains from Dunkerque to the Delta 3 logistics terminal at Dourges, and collaborate on container shipments to the UK using the port of Dunkerque via the tunnel.^[10][11]

Following the restructuring, Eurotunnel was able to announce a small net profit in 2007, of €1 million, for the first time in its existence.^[12][13] Half-year earnings for 2008 rose to €26 million (£20.6m). The net profit for 2008 was €40 million, despite the costs associated with traffic loss from September 2008 to February 2009 following a fire in the tunnel, and this allowed Eurotunnel to issue its first-ever dividend, of €0.04 per euro value.^[14][15]

The return to financial health allowed the company to announce on 28 October 2009 the anticipated voluntary redemption of some of its convertible debt. By anticipating to November 2009 the reimbursement of debt due in July 2010, it aimed to issue up to 119.4 million new ordinary shares and thus shore up its capital while reducing its debt load.^[16]

In late 2009 the company and SNCF acquired Veolia Cargo splitting the business between them. The company took over French operations: Veolia Cargo France, Veolia Cargo Link and CFTA Cargo are expected to be rebranded Europorte France, Europorte Link and Europorte proximity and become part of its Europorte freight business. Socorail has not been announced as being rebranded.^[17]

In January 2010 the Port of Dunkerque awarded the company a seven-year concession to operate its 200 km (124 miles) railway system.^[18]

In June 2010 the company acquired British railfreight company FirstGBRf for £31 million, to be merged into its Europorte.^[19][20] On 11 June 2012 a bid by the company for three Channel ferries belonging to the former operator SeaFrance (in liquidation) for lease to another operator was accepted.^[21]

type=printed postcards

theme=topographical: british

sub-theme=england

county/ country=kent

number of items=single

period=1945 - present

postage condition=unposted