Woodhead Tunnel Campaign
Woodhead Tunnel Campaign
Any prospect of the line being relaid through Britain’s longest disused tunnel has effectively vanished with completion of the National Grid’s project to install power lines through it.
British Rail’s 1954 tunnel through Woodhead last saw trains in 1981 when the route was controversially closed. It has sat idle ever since. Instead of using it as a cable run, environmental and transport campaigners believe that the railway should be reopened to increase the network’s limited freight capacity and combat the blight of HGVs clogging up roads through the Peak District National Park.
This page will be updated to include articles related to the story as well as providing links to other sources of information.
Words & pictures
 | Case history: the first Woodhead Tunnel |
| Wellington A Purdon, who acted as surveyor on the first Woodhead Tunnel, provides a detailed account of its construction. |
 | Woodhead demo |
| Pictures from the demo held at Woodhead's western portal on 12th January 2008. |
 | Woodhead Tunnel |
| Woodhead's 'new' bore shut up shop just 27 years after it opened - it's now our longest disused tunnel. |
 | The Woodhead Tunnel story |
| Their line might be no longer but the three tunnels at Woodhead will always have a prominent place in the railway's history book. |
Articles
| Clouds descend over Woodhead | |
| 01/1/09, The Rail Engineer |
| Woodhead tunnel: a comedy of errors | |
| 01/5/08, The Rail Engineer |
| Northern Way concerned for Woodhead's future | |
| 13/2/08, RailStaff |
| Woodhead succumbs to tunnel vision | |
| 01/2/08, The Rail Engineer |
| People power resists cable plan | |
| 15/1/08, RailStaff |
| Battle lines at Woodhead | |
| 01/1/08, The Rail Engineer |
Off-site films and information
|
Cabview |
| Archive film and cabview of both east and west approaches to the tunnel. |
|
Wikipedia |
| A potted history of Woodhead’s three disused railway tunnels. |
Off-site press stories
November 2013
| Campaign fails to secure tunnels’ future | 05/11/13 | Manchester Evening News |
April 2013
| Bid to bring trains back to Woodhead | 04/04/13 | Manchester Evening News |
July 2011
| New tunnel vision | 01/07/11 | Sheffield Telegraph |
June 2009
| Campaign to reopen tunnel on right track | 19/06/09 | The Star (South Yorkshire) |
April 2009
| Tunnel route ‘unlikely’ to reopen | 23/04/09 | Sheffield Telegraph |
March 2009
| Speedy decision on tunnel needed | 12/03/09 | Sheffield Telegraph |
February 2009
| MPs call for trans-Pennine link move | 25/02/09 | Cranswick Today |
August 2008
| Demonstrators gather for campaign | 05/08/08 | Sheffield Telegraph |
July 2008
| Demo in campaign to reopen rail route | 23/07/08 | Sheffield Telegraph |
| Plans unveiled for high-speed rail link | 19/07/08 | Huddersfield Examiner |
March 2008
| Tunnel vision reaps rewards | 19/03/08 | Glossop Advertiser |
| Woodhead tunnel decision delayed | 19/03/08 | Manchester Evening News |
| New blow to Woodhead tunnel hopes | 18/03/08 | The Star (South Yorkshire) |
| MPs call for train route to reopen | 12/03/08 | Fleetwood Weekly News |
| MP Angela Smith calls to preserve tunnel | 11/03/08 | The Star (South Yorkshire) |
| Rail route challenge as tunnel battle won | 01/03/08 | The Star (South Yorkshire) |
February 2008
| Woodhead tunnel fight: Kelly speaks out | 27/02/08 | Bolton News |
| Angela Smith in talks over future of… | 26/02/08 | The Star (South Yorkshire) |
| MEP calls for resort to have Chunnel link | 12/02/08 | This is Lancashire |
| ‘Save tunnel’ plea to Blears | 01/02/08 | Manchester Evening News |
| Minister boosts rail tunnel campaign | 01/02/08 | Yorkshire Post |
January 2008
| Kelly forced to backtrack on Woodhead | 25/01/08 | The Star (South Yorkshire) |
| Save our tunnel appeal | 22/01/08 | Huddersfield Daily Examiner |
| MP’s call for rail link tunnel vision | 17/01/08 | The Star (South Yorkshire) |
| Tunnel demo ‘victory’ | 16/01/08 | Glossop Advertiser |
| Protest over plans for Woodhead tunnel | 15/01/08 | The Star (South Yorkshire) |
| Woodhead fight goes on | 13/01/08 | Manchester Evening News |
| Bosses on board to save tunnel | 11/01/08 | Manchester Evening News |
| Call to block electricity line tunnel plan | 10/01/08 | The Star (South Yorkshire) |
| Fight stepped up to save tunnel | 09/01/08 | Glossop Advertiser |
December 2007
| Campaign for tunnel vision | 27/12/07 | Manchester Evening News |
| Protest over power line in rail tunnel | 18/12/07 | The Star (South Yorkshire) |
| Dormant lines could ease rail congestion | 11/12/07 | Manchester Evening News |
September 2007
| Bypass cable shock | 19/09/07 | Glossop Advertiser |
Other resources
Campaign group’s website, including archive of information on battle against the power lines.