On this day in 1876, 149 years ago, two men were killed and six others injured when a quantity of gunpowder exploded as one of Hose Tunnel's headings was being excavated.
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Against the odds, the UK’s network of disused railway lines continues to make the news as the 21st Century throws up a host of transport, environmental and health challenges.This news page will provide links to relevant stories.
National Park leaders have agreed to press ahead with plans to create an accessible track for walkers, wheelchair users and cyclists along the route of the former Garsdale-Hawes railway, despite opposition from landowners.
The long-closed Carmarthen to Aberystwyth railway could remain out of service for good without urgent government action to protect the alignment, a Senedd member has warned.
Plans to create an accessible trail along the disused railway Between Garsdale and Hawes are to be considered by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority.
Joyful rail enthusiasts watched with joy as the first trains ran on a historic section of track, marking a major step forward in their goal of opening a new heritage railway.
Initial works to create a new £15M linear park in Wirral may not be far away as the local council's proposed purchase of the disused Docks Branch in Birkenhead progresses.
Works to repair Lambley Viaduct in Northumberland are close to completion after a fall of stonework from one of its spandrels prompted the path across the structure to be closed in July.
Calls are being made to reopen a railway line shut 60 years ago as concerns grow that transport links in Dumfries and Galloway have become a key cause of depopulation.
A major public consultation on the future development of Edinburgh’s tram network has got underway as the forecasted costs of the entire route - including some repurposing of a disused railway - were revealed to be up to £2.9 billion.
The majority of respondents to a questionnaire about an islander’s plan to reintroduce a railway service to Jersey have indicated support for the project.
Proposals to repurpose the viaduct spanning the River Clyde between Carmyle and Westburn as an active travel route could create a wave of gang violence, local residents fear.
A disused railway embankment in one of the UK’s biggest urban regeneration areas is to become the site of a high-quality student housing scheme, creating what its developer is calling a vibrant new community.
Work has begun on the restoration of what is believed to be the world’s oldest surviving iron railway bridge, located in Merthyr Tydfil, with work set to continue until the autumn.
Scottish Borders Council has appointed Turner & Townsend to lead a feasibility study and business case development into a possible extension of the Borders Railway from Tweedbank to Hawick and Carlisle.
The government has announced plans to build thousands of new homes on surplus railway land, as Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander unveils a major initiative to unlock brownfield sites for development across the country.
The recently adopted Devon & Torbay Local Transport Plan 2025–2040 includes support for North Devon Line extension and Bideford railway link, according to Railfuture.
Councillors in Darton have called for a landowner to reverse a ‘baffling’ decision which has halted plans for a new active travel route along a section of disused railway.
Plans to save a historic railway viaduct from 'potential collapse' have moved a step closer amid a long-running campaign for it to be reopened to the public.
Campaigners are seeking to challenge a Government decision to fund the abandonment of Queensbury Tunnel near Bradford, less than four years after £7.2M was spent making the structure safe for future reuse.
A miniature railway has been installed in Leicester's historic Glenfield Tunnel in Leicester, opening it up to passengers for the first time in almost 100 years.
A rail link from Oxford to the west of the county would be "economically viable", a study commissioned by West Oxfordshire District Council has suggested.
The Government is to commit public funding to the abandonment of Queensbury Tunnel, less than four years after £7.2M was spent making it safe for future use.
An 1880s railway lift bridge has been restored through the efforts of the Mountsorrel and Rothley Community Heritage Centre, in a project that took more than three years to complete.
Plans have been submitted to undertake structural works to the disused Waverley Viaduct in Carlisle, but the schemes will not result in the structure being reopened.
Passengers in the south-west are set to benefit from a major boost to their transport network, with reopened railway stations announced as part of a government infrastructure package.
Politicians in Bristol have hailed the reopening of the Portishead railway as '100 per cent happening' after the government gave the scheme its backing.
Volunteers rebuilding a section of railway at Shillingstone that was closed in the 1960s have laid the final section of a track extension, linking it to a station.
Campaigners have called for a delayed ringway project to begin which would see a disused railway in Heckmondwike turned into a cycling and walking route.
Volunteers working on a heritage railway between Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire are celebrating after winning permission to build a new viaduct, reconnecting two separate operations.
The leader of North Somerset Council has said he is confident the government will approve funding to reopen the Portishead Railway despite no mention of the scheme in the recent spending review.
A partnership between the Rhondda Tunnel Society and charity Railway Paths Ltd has boosted the chances of a subterranean corridor reopening between the Afan and Rhondda valleys.
Heathfield Tunnel is to be temporarily reopened to adventurers as part of an event marking 60 years since the line through it was closed to passenger trains.
Long-awaited plans for a £4.6M walking and cycling path between Inverurie and Oldmeldrum, closely following a dismantled railway, are a step closer to becoming a reality.
Cycling campaigners have promised to "fight to maximise conditions for cycling once plans for a controversial new tram route in Edinburgh have been announced by the council.
More than 2,000 people have taken up the rare opportunity to set foot on the historic Chelfham Viaduct as it opened to the public for only the second time in its 130 year history.
Hopes of reinstating part of the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway have been dashed after Exmoor National Park’s planning committee voted to refuse the plans.
Ceramic maps dating from the reign of Queen Victoria, that had been hidden from sight at London's Victoria Station, have been restored as part of celebrations to mark the 200th anniversary of the railways.
The iconic Chelfham Viaduct on the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway will be open to pedestrians for only the second time in its 130 year history as part of 'Railway 200' celebrations.
The public reopening of Dunston Staiths, which used to carry rail wagons to ships waiting on the River Wear, has been postponed after an inspection found damage and decay to the wooden structure.
A new £100M Merseyrail station - created by redeveloping the disused St James Station - will be built in Liverpool after plans were approved by city councillors.
Discussions with government representatives and the Great Western Railway over the reopening of the Tarka Line to Bideford have been encouraging, according to local campaigners.
The Isle of Wight Steam Railway has bought the former Ashey Station building as part of a £1.5M restoration project, which could ultimately see the reinstatement of a passing loop, sidings and waiting room.
Restoring the full length of the mothballed Leamside line could provide new rail links for 100,000 people and unlock the potential to build 10,000 homes, according to the regional mayor.
A project to re-establish a rail link to Cirencester has taken a step forward with the setting-up of a not-for-profit company committed to improving public transport services in the Cotswolds.
The Vale of Berkeley Railway Charitable Trust has achieved a significant milestone in its mission to operate heritage trains at Sharpness by securing a Mainline Licence Exemption from the Office of Rail and Road.
Work to reopen the disused railway between Bristol and Portishead can begin this summer following a £27M cash boost from the West of England Combined Authority.
The future of York's oldest surviving railway building looks more secure after the city council approved plans to convert it into a space for use by brass bands.
The Regional Mayor for the East Midlands is being asked to help resolve a funding issue that has closed a popular railway walk linking Radcliffe-on-Trent and Cotgrave Country Park.
The Churnet Valley Railway has finally completed its long-awaited track extension, connecting its line from Froghall Station into Leek through a short tunnel.
Campaigners have been left dismayed after a proposed active travel route linking Neilston and Uplawmoor via a dismantled railway was scrapped at great expense to the taxpayer.
A campaign group wanting government and rail industry support to reopen the disused railway between Colne and Skipton says it is due to hold talks with a transport minister.
A disused railway line spanning the River Clyde could become an active travel route connecting Carmyle and Westburn, according to a new planning application.
Frustration is growing over the ongoing closure of an old railway bridge across the River Wye in the 50th anniversary year of a popular walking route which crosses the structure.
A proposal to reopen a disused railway at Royston for passenger services will not go ahead as neither the Department for Transport nor Network Rail supported it.
The Llangollen Railway Trust has applied to Denbighshire’s planning department, seeking permission to build a wheelchair accessible platform adjacent to a historic signal box.
Construction work to reopen the Portishead railway could start this year, with the first trains welcomed by 2027, according to North Somerset Council, if the government approves the project.
Leith’s Pride Bridge - a disused railway structure - is set to become the centrepiece of a new community open space after Edinburgh City Council backed plans to regenerate it.
Railway-themed holiday accommodation is on the cards at the remote disused station at Saughtree in Northumberland if proposals receive planning permission.
