Linslade Tunnel

Linslade Tunnel is a railway tunnel in Bedfordshire, England, on the West Coast Main Line about 0.54 miles (0.9 km) north of Leighton Buzzard railway station and built under Linslade Woods. The tunnel is unusual as it has a slight bend in its alignment.

North portals of Linslade tunnels with Virgin Pendolino heading south towards terminus at London Euston

History

The tunnel consists of three bores 272 yards (249 m) long.[1] The central bore, the tallest, carries twin tracks and was built for the London and Birmingham Railway in 1837.[2] The eastern single track bore was opened in 1859 to serve a branch line from Leighton Buzzard to Dunstable (now closed).[3] The western bore, also single track, was opened in 1876 and is also the narrowest. The northern end is finished with a brick castellated retaining wall with the three horseshoe arches and is a grade II listed building with the note that it is "an interesting example of early railway architecture".[4]

Current usage

The eastern bore and the eastern side of the central bore are used by goods traffic and London Midland services to and from London Euston respectively to mainly local stations including traffic using the Northampton Loop Line connecting to and from Birmingham, Rugby and some stations further north. Current maximum speed on these lines between Euston and Northampton for passenger traffic is 110 mph (180 km/h). The western side of the central bore and the western single bore are used mainly by the Virgin Rail Group to and from London Euston respectively on InterCity West Coast services, at up to 125 mph (201 km/h).

See also

References

  1. ↑ The Railway Companion, Accessed 11 April 2014
  2. ↑ Linslade Woods website, accessed 11 April 2014
  3. ↑ Leighton Buzzard Dunstable Platforms at the disused stations website, accessed 11 May 2014
  4. ↑ North Tunnel Entrance of Linslade Tunnel, Leighton-Linslade, British Listed Buildings, accessed 11 April 2014

Coordinates: 51°55′31″N 0°40′35″W / 51.9254°N 0.6765°W / 51.9254; -0.6765

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