Woodhead Cable Tunnel

[@anthonymcdonnell6615]

the woodhead tunnels should used for rail not electricity

[@joshuaritchie3836]

Well if them are it a single track on the left and put the cables on the right of the tunnel from woodhead this would be the best of both worlds plus the fact that if you did that then you could have a substation in the tunnel for the trains.

[@andyhopkinson5970]

BR sold the tunnel with the intention of the woodhead never seeing trains again R.I.P..

[@EM-yk1dw]

It was legalised vandalism when the Woodhead route was closed . All that money spent and all those workmen who died constructing the tunnel just for it to have electricity cables run through it. What would National Grid done had the railway still be running?

[@lesliedodds4011]

General Moters the goverment cares nothing only money these tunnels and railway are quicker than the car .

[@soundseeker63]

More pylons over the moors. Which I'm sure would have gotten plenty of complaints too. You can never please everyone.

[@wxdfg]

There were plans of putting a motorway in the Woodhead Tunnel in 1967. It was called M67 Manchester to Sheffield motorway. Interesting video. Just about get a single lane road going in that tunnel. So it would have been a single lane motorway. One going in the tunnel and one coming out of the other tunnels. It was in the pipeline put never got built. It will be interesting to see a map of that.

[@colin5296]

As usual Money Money Money ,RIP British Rail.

[@EdwardGreenwood-r8d]

I worked in the old tunnel when they installed the old cable, very cold outside but warmer in the old tunnel.

[@jeanettecouncil8299]

I knew a chap who rode his Ariel motor cycle (he worked on the route, lived near the Wentworth Incline, family friend etc) through the new tunnel, it was not his best idea, I wish I'd have asked him about the twin bore Victorian ones, and the tunnels on the Wentworth Incline. It's a pity I can't find any film, photos of surveys inside the mentioned tunnels.

[@michellemarshall3667]

Considering the railway wasn't closed until 1981 I doubt there was a road scheme in 1967. The tunnel is two miles long so I doubt you would put a road through on safety grounds. It was a tragedy that B.R. closed the railway,it was Britains first electrified line [1500 volts DC]. The tunnel in the film was opened in 1953 along with the electrification of the line at great cost. This new tunnel replaced two single track tunnels that ran alongside. Because of the downturn of freight on the railways in the early 80s and the fact that 1500v dc was none standard,rest of network is 25000 v ac they closed it and scrapped the fleet of electric locos [Class 76] that worked the line. Regrettable now as the government want a Northern Powerhouse that requires a new railway across the Pennines. Unbelievable folly. Rick Marshall.

[@baconsandwich2007]

There is now talk (and it is just talk at the moment) that if a new trans pennine railway was required, they would use a TBM right between the two original tunnels. All is not lost!

[@jasinere35]

the 2 single tunnels are that bad national grid stopped using them & decided to use the larger bore if a road were to be built they would have to fill in the single tunnels & rebore them to a road size thus putting a risk to the resovior & the high voltage cables in woodhead itself with flooding from the massive water body contained to the upper right of the eastern portalit also would be nice to turn the furthest of the single tunnel into a tpt route but that's out of the question

[@SpoonyMcSpoonface]

I thought there may be some nice shots of the tunnel but it’s just another corporate “aren’t we wonderful “ video.

[@railfreightdrivergallagherGBRf]

Strange to think Balfour Beaty built the tunnel for trains, then decades later they had to do this! Disgraceful waste of the fastest trans pennine route. One day it will.return as a railway as demand grows.

[@jasinere35]

how about you renovate the single bores & turn the furthest one away into a cycle path

[@railfreightdrivergallagherGBRf]

Because the two old bores are in poor condition, have collapsed and are more likely to be rebored into one large tunnel for the railway in future.

[@jasinere35]

@@railfreightdrivergallagherGBRf the rebore isnt likely to happen its going to cost more to backfill them before the reboring begins also you have to consider the fact the reservior is only yards away from the outer bore & therefore runs the risk of collapsing causing flooding during the rebore proccess, the ony reason why national grid chose the larger bore was they would have to repair the 2 single tunnels before running new cables thru them that too would be costly & it will be us the consumers who'd be footing the bill for this

[@railfreightdrivergallagherGBRf]

@@jasinere35 More likely than a new tunnel. Cheaper to, quicker and easier to do with.today's incredible plant technology.

[@mervynsands3501]

The cheapskate way use someone else's disgarded property to route a power transmission line. Woodhead tunnel was a transport link, now it is being used as a oversized giant cable duct instead. What a cheek. Ludicrous thinking to close the rail link in the first place. National grid trying to save some money by taking over a redundant abandoned rail tunnel on the cheap .... i.e. ready made cable duct. Come on guys this isn't right. The two previous twin bore tunnels could have been used with some tidying up. They know it too. What a liberty!

[@dannycarter1966]

Mrs Thatcher would've been delighted.

[@tonyharrisson6823]

National grid saving money…. It’s 20 times more expensive to have a cable system than overhead lines.

[@David1988Mufc]

As much as I love woodhead it was just a change in the country that it closed. It was sadly not feasible to keep the line open. 1 freight service a day in the end just wasn't a good enough reason to keep it running especially when the Hope Valley line was a more realistic option passenger wise. Sheffield Victoria isn't exactly in the most well connected area of Sheffield. The only chance Woodhead had of being saved was a heritage route but sadly it never came to pass.

[@joshuaritchie3836]

But they could have made it a heritage railway owned and run by be like the one in Wales.

[@jasinere35]

@@joshuaritchie3836 theres several heritage one in lincolshire, york & west yorkshire (between barnsley & huddersfield)

[@joshuaritchie3836]

@@jasinere35 I mean like when British rail owned their own heritage railway.