Tunnels could be huge boost to Valleys tourism
just for RCT, but the whole of Wales.
The plan would see the council bidding for Active Travel funding to work out just how much it would cost to reopen both tunnels. “The Rhondda Tunnel Society has already achieved so much, but now there’s another huge step and that’s understanding what work is needed inside and outside the tunnel to bring this to fruition,” said Mr Morgan.
“We’re bidding for around £200,000-£300,000, and that will be split between both tunnels.
“That will fully inform us then in making a more significant bid in the next financial year, bringing together funding to take this forward.”
“There is much we need to consider – how much would it cost to build a car park, and a visitor centre, what lighting would be needed.
“It has to be fully measured and costed.
“Some of that work has already been completed by the Rhondda Tunnel Society, but by the end of this financial year we expect to have a report that has all the information that would tell us if we were to open the tunnel exactly how much it would cost.
“That would then allow us to say to Welsh Government, we want to bid for X amount.
“There is also substantial funding available from Pen y Cymoedd Wind Farm Fund, Heritage Lottery Funding, as well as the Active Travel funding opportunities through local authorities – Rhondda Cynon Taf, potentially Neath Port Talbot and potentially Merthyr.
“There’s a whole funding package that we will need to be put together once we know what the costs are.
“And, of course, local authorities may want to add contributions if we can see the economic benefits.
Mr Morgan revealed he had already had a meeting with Welsh Government Minister Ken Skates, and had discussions with the council leaders of Merthyr and Neath Port Talbot.
“We’re all pretty much on the same page with it,” he said.
Despite the amount of work that lies ahead, Mr Morgan is confident he will see both tunnels reopen in three to four years.
“My view is it’s a case of when, and not if,” he said.
“My view is also it can’t be one tunnel, it needs to be the both.
“My understanding is that the Abernant Tunnel is the easiest and quickest to open, but, with development funding from Welsh Government via the Active Travel fund, and with a firm commitment from everybody, there’s no reason why both those tunnels couldn’t be opened in a very similar time frame and we’re talking a matter of just a few years.
“Within the next three to four years I would like to see both the tunnels open.”
He added: “If these two projects could be delivered side by side, Rhondda Cynon Taf would offer one of the most attractive and impressive Active Travel destinations in Europe.
“We have a real opportunity to deliver a game-changing project, and the council will do all it can to support the progression of the next steps, both practically and in terms of securing wider support.
“Realistically, if the business plan stacks up, and unless there is something fundamentally wrong with those tunnels, my comment would be ‘why wouldn’t we do this?.’”
The Rhondda Tunnel Society was thrilled by the news.
Stephen Mackey, chairman of the society, said: “We are thrilled by this offer of support from both Rhondda Cynon Taf and Neath Port Talbot councils, and are delighted that Rhondda Cynon Taf council is taking the initiative to move the project forward.
“The society was formed out of the interest aroused when the longlost tunnel headstone was found in 2014; where it was later repaired and unveiled at Treherbert Station.
“Now it looks as if this is only a temporary resting place, before the headstone returns to its proper home above the entrance to Europe’s longest walking/cycling tunnel, and the tunnel can earn its keep once again.
“The Rhondda Tunnel Society has a team of retired civil and mining engineers who have the technical expertise to guide the project, collaborating with the residents of the Afan and Rhondda Valleys who want to provide better opportunities for future generations.
“We have done research on other abandoned railway tunnels that have found a new life as cycle/walking routes and found that they are hugely popular.
“South Wales has the highest density of traffic-free cycle routes anywhere in Britain, and we want to see the Rhondda Tunnel be the centre of a network of rides and walks, many circular, that will bring visitors from all over Britain and the wider world.
“This will help spread the economic benefits more widely in Wales.
“As elsewhere, the tunnel can also play host to big sports events.
“We do urge Rhondda Cynon Taf council to develop the wider infrastructure that will be required, in particular a cycle route up to the tunnel from Porth, traffic-free as much as possible and the rest on back streets.
“We are hugely grateful to the Pen y Cymoedd Wind Farm Community Fund, which has provided the society with the funds to carry out a detailed examination of the tunnel.
“Indications from this are that, while the tunnel needs repairs, most of it is in remarkable condition.”