Grant to help rescue tunnel link
AN ABANDONED railway tunnel could be turned into a ‘greenway’ for cyclists and walkers to travel between Halifax and Bradford after the Government agreed to pay for a business case to be carried out for a possible redevelopment.
The Department for Transport is handing over £1m to restore the Queensbury Tunnel, which is on a list of Victorian structures most at risk of being lost. West Yorkshire Combined Authority can use £500,000 to develop options for how the tunnel could be part of a new green transport link between Bradford and Halifax.
Highways England will receive the remaining funds to look further at the engineering requirements and costs associated with making sure the tunnel, which is at risk of collapsing, is safe for any future construction.
But Bradford Council said the price tag to save the tunnel was £27m and that the Government “still needs to be prepared to find significant funding to pay for works to save this historic national asset”.
Norah McWilliam, leader of the Queensbury Tunnel Society, said: “We’re obviously delighted that the Minister has once again recognised the considerable potential of Queensbury Tunnel as part of an active travel link between Bradford and Calderdale, and committed funding to demonstrate the viability of delivering it.
“It’s another important step towards a positive outcome for this historic piece of the region’s industrial heritage.
“The appetite for walking and cycling has been clearly shown by the thousands of people who’ve taken it up during lockdown.
“Queensbury Tunnel is a valuable future transport asset, not a relic of our past. It’s great to see the Government waking up to that reality.”
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