A £200m railway tunnel dubbed a “UK engineering first” has been officially opened by the rail minister.
The Werrington Tunnel was created by “pushing” an 11,000-tonne concrete curve under the East Coast Main Line (ECML) near Peterborough.
The “dive-under” system is designed to take freight traffic off the passenger routes – and took a year to build.
The minister, Chris Heaton-Harris, called the tunnel “a major leap forward for the £1.2bn East Coast Upgrade”.
Work began on the project in the summer of 2018, and a curved concrete tube, weighing more than the Eiffel Tower, was pushed into place underneath the existing lines in January 2021.
Mr Heaton-Harris said: “This country’s railways have long been home to marvels of engineering and the new Werrington Tunnel shows that we are continuing that proud tradition.
“Opening this new section of railway marks the end of a project which saw Network Rail engineers deliver an incredible feat .. unlocking new opportunities for rail freight.”
Source: BBC
