European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 21, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                T he c h in  l continued from Page 7 train Frett said. Trains will run about every 15 minutes during Peak periods and every 20 minutes during the Day. The minimum service that will be provided at night will be one shuttle per hour fret said. When approaching the eur Tunnel terminal area in England motorists will see signs for radio eur Tunnel on 89.2 pm radio. The station will be broadcasting departure and waiting times for be shuttle the station also will operate inside be shuttle rail cars. Upon entering terminal grounds on either Side of the Channel,.overhead signs will Divide traffic into separate lanes for trucks coaches cars and motorcycles for the purpose of purchasing tickets or presenting prepaid tickets. Passports will be required. Motorcycles and bicycles will be parked in special rail cars and their riders will be carried in special coaches with seating. Motor vehicle passengers will remain with their cars although they will be Able to walk in and. Between individual rail cars if desired. Toilets will be provided in every third rail car. Once inside the terminal grounds motorists have the option of following signs to the terminal building for Coffee food or duty free stores or to continue on to France or England depending upon which Side of the Channel they Are crossing from. When following signs to France or England motorists first will enter passport controls for the country they Are leaving where passports will be checked and if deemed necessary by customs officials cars will be searched or even a Rayed. No pets will be allowed on be shuttle in either direction. The United kingdom is free of rabies and has strict animal Laws that require All pets that enter the country to be placed in quarantine for six months. Motorists also must pass through customs for the country to which they Are travelling before being loaded onto a be shuttle rail car. Signs will direct motorists to proper customs lanes for people who do and those who do not have special duty items to declare. Once through customs motorists will follow signs for either regular or tall vehicles into a holding area where they will be allocated a Lane number for boarding the train. Overhead lights will Flash when a certain Lane is being boarded and motorists will follow signs for their Lane. The lanes Lead onto Bridges and ramps at the tops of the Bridges Lead Down to the be shuttle where motorists will be directed to drive into a rail car. Inside a rail car engines must be turned off and hand brakes must be applied. Overhead signs inside the rail cars will keep motorists informed about How Many minutes remain before they will have to disembark. Upon exiting a rail car on either Side of the Channe there will be no passport controls and motorists will follow exit signs that Lead to dual carriageways just outside the terminal areas to continue to their final destinations. The Channel Tunnel i Annei runs  seabed tunnelling machines these colossal pieces of equipment simultaneously dug removed Rock and put up Tunnel Walls. With a laser beam to keep the Driver on course the 700-1oomong Caterpillar pressed curved slabs into the newly exposed Tunnel As r dug along. Travelling the Tunnel will take 35 minute. During the trip passengers will be Able to stay in their vehicle or stroll about the shuttle trains. England the Overall length of the Tunnel is 31 mites 24 Miles of k underwater France to  a w my i few ,i.wf\faw to above British Tunnel building officials symbolically celebrate the completion of construction in december 1993. Below customs clearances will take place before Channel Crossings. Plan. Pen for the pleasure of be shuttle be shuttle train services Between Folkestone England and Calais France won t come cheap with the least expensive round trip ticket for a car starting at about $200, depending upon the foreign currency Exchange rate. ". When purchasing the cheapest ticket All travel will have to be completed within a five Day period during november and december. The lowest rate for a motorcycle during this same period will be about $85. Open travel during november and december will be about $335 for a car and about $120 for a motorcycle. All rates will be charged per vehicle. Passengers will not be charged an additional fee. A round trip ticket from Stena sealing for a ferry Between Dover and Calais starts at about $190 during the Low season rising to about $290 during mid season and about $335 during High season. These prices apply for up to five passengers in a vehicle. There is also a supplement of about $150 for travelling on weekends. Hovercrafts from Folkestone to Boulogne vary depending upon the number of passengers in a vehicle and the season. Five Day return tickets Start during the Low season at about $85 for a vehicle and one passenger up to about $ 115 for up to five passengers in a vehicle. An open return ticket during this period ranges from a Low of about $155, up to a High of about $210. During the High season hovercraft tickets for a five Day return Cost a Low of about $246 for a vehicle and one passenger up to about $290 for up to five passengers. An open return during the same season costs about $440 for a vehicle and up to one passenger and about $495 for up to five passengers. Other ticket rates will be about $245 for cars and about $100 for motorcycles for a five Day return and about $400 for cars and about $150 for motorcycles for an open return ticket during most of september and All of october. About $430 for cars and about $170 for motorcycles Sas Dav Dato for an open return during All but selected Days in May june july and August five Day return discount tickets will not be available during these months. Selected Days will Cost about $475 for cars and about $183.60 for motorcycles for an open return ticket five Day return discount tickets will not available for these Days. Tickets can be booked through travel agents or by calling the be shuttle customer service Centre at 0303 271100. When dealing from outside the United kingdom dial the appropriate International code followed by 44 303 271100. Payment can be made by major credit card Check or postal order and tickets will be sent through the mail. Tickets also can be purchased on the Day of travel at toll Booths on the eur Tunnel terminal grounds in both England and France. Purchasing a ticket in Advance does not Reserve a spot on a train for a particular Day or time. Nancy l Torner 8 stripes Magazine april 21, 1994