Team collect bat monitors as they bid to reopen tunnels
THE Rhondda Tunnel Society have made a further journey into the Rhondda Tunnel to collect bat monitors which will be able to confirm the presence of the creatures.
The society, who are behind the campaign to reopen the tunnel as a cycle and pedestrian route, entered the tunnel along with representatives of the Mines Rescue Service and a cameraman from ITV Wales’ Coast and Country programme which will feature the tunnel project in an upcoming episode.
Members of the Rhondda Tunnel Society also recently met with officers of the Welsh Government to discuss the project.
“We are now hoping to meet again soon to discuss the transfer of ownership of the tunnel from Highways England,” said Rhondda Tunnel Society chairman Stephen Mackey, who is overseeing the opening of the society’s very first office to be based in Treorchy.
The venture into the tunnel, which runs between Blaencwm in the Rhondda and Blaengwynfi in the Afan valley, and the meeting with the Welsh Government follows a visit to the Two Tunnels in Bath as part of a fact-finding mission to discover what it takes to re-open a former railway tunnel as a cycle pathway. The Two Tunnels project – two former railway tunnels that have been transformed into a cycle route – opened in 2013 and shares many similarities with the aims of the Rhondda Tunnel Society.
The Two Tunnels project has been a huge success – with 278,000 cyclists using it last year.
Members of the Rhondda Tunnel Society committee were given a guided tour of the tunnels by Gwyn Smith, of travel charity Sustrans.
“The reason for our visit was to get the feel of the tunnel and to take some ideas on board for our massive project ahead,” said Stephen.
This new walking and cycling path has transformed a four-mile stretch of disused railway line running through Linear Park on the south side of Bath to the disused Devonshire tunnel, on to Combe Down tunnel, and then over the renovated Tucking Mill viaduct.
The route includes two new bridges and two large tunnels. At more than one mile long, the Combe Down tunnel is the longest cycling tunnel in Britain at the moment – and features an interactive light and sound installation.
If and when it’s opened, the 3,443-yard (3,148m) Rhondda Tunnel would be the second-longest cycle path in the world.
The Two Tunnels route links in to the National Cycle Network, with routes to Radstock and Bournemouth in the south, and the Bristol to Bath walking and cycling route in the west. “The opportunities that are achievable in the two valleys – Afan and the Rhondda – are beyond our wildest dreams,” said Stephen.
“The opening of the Rhondda Tunnel would finally create wealth, jobs, businesses and a healthy lifestyle for our children, leaving behind the old scars of mining but not forgetting our roots and past.”
Find out more at www.rhonddatunnelsociety.co.uk