Trans-Pennine Woodhead rail tunnels not to reopen
The three tunnels were built for rail travel between Manchester and Sheffield
Two Victorian rail tunnels in the Pennines are not to be reopened.
Transport Minister Stephen Hammond made the decision not to
buy the Woodhead tunnels, between South Yorkshire and Derbyshire, from
owners National Grid.
The tunnels formed a section of the old Woodhead Line, which was closed in 1981.
Campaigners had hoped the line could reopen with a newer
tunnel built in 1953 used for trains and the Victorian ones used for
electricity cables and High voltage cables
WOODHEAD RAIL TUNNELS
- The two Victorian tunnels were part of the Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway
- The ground was first broken in 1838
- 1,500 men were said to be employed on the tunnel at the construction's peak
- The first tunnel opened in 1845 and the second in 1852
- The 1953 tunnel was part of the first British mainline railway to be electrified
Mr Hammond said alternative
schemes such as the Hope Valley route could accommodate the predicted
growth in rail travel between Manchester and Sheffield.
He said his decision did not rule out the possibility of reopening the Woodhead route to rail traffic in future.
But, if an additional rail route was ever required on the
route, the best solution was most likely to be the construction of a new
tunnel, Mr Hammond said.
National Grid bought the three-mile (4.8km) tunnels in the 1960s and installed high voltage cables to transmit electricity.
In 1981 National Grid also purchased the modern tunnel to
install new cables, planning to abandon the Victorian tunnels when the cables needed renewing.
Campaigners had been hoping to reopen the line and improve transport links between Manchester and Sheffield.
SEE ALSO THE LATEST ON THE FOCUS FLICKR SITE
A batch of six new ADL E20D Enviro200 single-deck buses has been delivered to Chesterfield recently (36985-91), and the first couple made their way onto town routes 5 and 39 on the 12th November. These have in turn replaced a number of older Dennis Darts. A selection of images from Colin Sellers can be found here along with an odd running of a Dennis Trident on the normally single-deck route 5.
SEE ALSO THE LATEST ON THE FOCUS FLICKR SITE
A batch of six new ADL E20D Enviro200 single-deck buses has been delivered to Chesterfield recently (36985-91), and the first couple made their way onto town routes 5 and 39 on the 12th November. These have in turn replaced a number of older Dennis Darts. A selection of images from Colin Sellers can be found here along with an odd running of a Dennis Trident on the normally single-deck route 5.
