Destination: English Channel : CHUNNEL VISION : England-France Rail Link Is Set to Open May 6, But Fares and Service Aren’t Yet on Track

For years now, the opening of the tunnel beneath the English Channel, connecting England to the Continent, has loomed as the most convenient development for visitors to Europe since the the jumbo jet and affordable trans-Atlantic air fares. Now the year of the $16 billion Chunnel has arrived--but American travelers shouldn’t count on seeing the inside of it this summer.

With the official opening date of May 6 drawing near, authorities concede that the Chunnel will be an unreliable resource during the peak summer travel months. They cite indefinite delays in opening service to the public, limited service in early weeks and pent-up demand for berths on the first trains. Tour operators won’t be able to roll their buses on to Eurotunnel trains until January, 1995.

And when travelers do board the trains, they may find Chunnel prices considerably higher than current ferry prices.

The Chunnel concept, which dates back at least as far as Napoleon, remains alluring: a 31-mile-long rail tunnel between Folkestone, England, and Calais, France, offering smooth subterranean rail passage in 35 minutes. Ferry rides across the channel take more than twice as long and occasionally require Dramamine. If the Chunnel promoters’ timetables pencil out, travelers will for the first time soon be able to make a three-hour train connection between London and Paris. The Chunnel’s promoters also insist that the tunnel will be so tightly policed that terrorists and stray rodents alike will find it impenetrable. (The British, whose island is rabies-free, have expressed great concern.)

But work is behind schedule. “The service at first is going to be very limited. It’s going to be difficult,” concedes a Eurotunnel spokeswoman. Major tour operators such as Trafalgar Tours say they’re not even sure they’ll start using tunnel trains in January, because no one can tell them what the price will be.

Many travel agents in the United States, recognizing those difficulties, are steering their summer customers toward time-tested routes of passage.

“Personally, I wouldn’t really recommend (the Chunnel) until there’s a little more movement,” says travel agent Juana Arenas of Horizon Travel in Glendale. “Maybe it would be something to check in on once you’re there.” (Arenas notes that the Chunnel is a low-profile issue in her office: “We haven’t really had anybody request it--and we have a lot of people going to Europe.”)

For travelers, the most obvious difficulty is dealing with the repeated delays announced by Chunnel authorities: Though the official opening ceremony is still set for May 6, no passenger service is expected for at least a few weeks after that, and different services will almost certainly begin on different dates.

But even if opening dates weren’t up in the air, there is also confusion over the two very different types of passenger trains that will zip through the tunnel. One type will carry travelers in their cars; another will carry travelers without cars. It doesn’t simplify matters any that the latter of those two operations is a joint effort of British and European rail companies which, despite their partnership, snipe at each other like rival siblings.

Here’s a breakdown of who does what, when, and for how much:

* Le Shuttle will carry passengers who drive up in cars and buses (and on motorcycles), much as a ferry would. It is the service that was scheduled to begin operation first. But its trains will be more convenient for European-based tourists traveling in their cars than it will be for Americans, who will have to swap rental cars as they pass from country to country. (Most European rental car operations forbid or discourage travelers from driving cars of Continental origin, with steering wheels on the left, in England; or driving cars of English origin, with steering wheels on the right, in France.)

Le Shuttle’s channel-crossings are expected to take about 35 minutes, with about 15 minutes added for loading. (Passengers are free to leave their cars and stretch their legs in the train cabins during the crossing, but passengers without cars will not be accepted. Hertz plans an adjacent office where travelers can swap rental cars; Avis has a similar program.)

Le Shuttle’s leaders had planned to start carrying vehicles on May 8, two days after the tunnel’s official opening date, but in March announced an indefinite delay. Le Shuttle plans to eventually run four trains hourly, around the clock, every day. But to begin with, representatives say, the service will probably offer one or two departing trains per hour.

The service, which will neither require nor accept reservations, has announced most rates. During May--in the unlikely event that the service gets under way before the month ends--round-trip fares for automobiles will run about $420 every day. The price presumes an exchange rate of $1.50 per British pound, and is good for an unlimited number of riders per car. During the peak months of July and August, the figure rises to about $465 for departures on Fridays, Saturdays and bank holidays, about $420 on Sundays through Thursdays. In September and October the car fare falls to about $390; in November and December, $330. Further discounts are available September-December for travelers who will complete round-trip passage within five days. Motorcycle fares will be substantially lower than car fares. Bus fares, not yet announced, are expected to be substantially higher.

Special fares start as low as $187.50 round-trip for a heavily restricted introductory offer (departures Sunday through Thursday, June 5-July 21, returns within 48 hours). Though the service will accept no reservations, Le Shuttle representatives are compiling a list of travelers interested in buying vouchers. For more information, call (215) 741-5153.

* Eurostar is the company handling train service from London to Paris (312 miles in three hours) and London to Brussels (about the same distance in three hours and 15 minutes). The firm, which unites BritRail and Rail Europe in an often-awkward partnership, has pledged to start service in July, probably beginning with four trains daily, increasing through the summer. Eventually, Eurostar plans to offer hourly departures on each route in each direction, and has forecast traffic of 14 million passengers--500,000 of them from North America--in 1995.

Unlike Le Shuttle, Eurostar will take reservations. In fact, Eurostar representatives say they have already taken names of more than 12,000 travelers who want places on the train. (Eurostar has also been at work with Air France on a deal to allow travelers to pay a single price to fly one way and take the Chunnel the other.)

Eurostar remains mum on prices except for a vague promise they will be “competitive” with air fares and will fluctuate according to supply and demand. (Restricted round-trip fares between London and Paris begin around $175 this month.) More information is available from Eurostar partners BritRail (tel. 800-677-8585) and Rail Europe (tel. 800-942-4866).

Fortunately, while Chunnel questions remain unanswered, a summer visitor can cross the channel at least half a dozen other ways.

The most obvious is to fly over it: London-Paris flights last just an hour, and are offered by a host of airlines. For those who want to see more countryside, there are various land-and-sea alternatives. The sampling listed below can be booked through BritRail’s New York office (tel. 800-677-8585, often busy), which usually adds a $4 surcharge to the fare. All fares are per person for travelers without cars. (To transport a car across the channel by ship, catamaran or Hovercraft, fares vary by day, passengers and season. Call for details.) Travel agents may be able to suggest other alternatives.

London-Folkestone-Boulogne-Paris via train and catamaran: Hoverspeed and BritRail offer rail travel to Folkestone, then catamaran passage to Boulogne, then a train to Paris, with a total travel time of approximately six hours. Two departures daily. Standard one-way fare: $138. Discount round-trip fare for travelers returning within five days: $140. Reservations are required. (The Hoverspeed company’s catamarans are also known as SeaCats.)

London-New Haven-Dieppe-Paris via train and ship: Stena SeaLink and BritRail offer rail travel to New Haven, ship passage to Dieppe, then a train to Paris. Total travel time: about 10 hours. Two departures daily. Standard one-way fare: $88, excluding $7.50-$15 cost of space on a shipboard rest chair, which must be reserved upon boarding. Discount round-trip fare for travelers returning within five days: $125.

London-Dover-Calais-Paris via train and ship: BritRail service to Dover, a ship to Calais, a train to Paris. Travel time: about 8 1/2 hours. One departure daily. Standard one-way fare: $127. Discount round-trip fare for travelers returning within five days: $130.

New Haven-Dieppe via ship: Stena SeaLink ships cross the channel in about four hours. Two departures daily. Standard one-way fare: $45.

Dover-Calais via ship: Stena SeaLink ships cross the channel in about 90 minutes. Hourly departures. Standard one-way fare: $38.

Dover-Calais via Hovercraft: Hoverspeed vessels cross the channel in 35 minutes. Departures approximately every hour. Standard one-way fare: $49.

Folkestone-Boulogne via catamaran: Hoverspeed catamarans cross the channel in 55 minutes. Five daily departures in peak season. Standard one-way fare: $49.

Southampton-Cherbourg via ship: Usually a six-hour crossing. Two departures daily in summer. Standard one-way fare: $40. For a two-person cabin on an overnight crossing, add another $32 or more.