Current Situation
One of the Victorian tunnels, the south tunnel, is in a poor condition and is unused. The north tunnel carries electrical cables for the National Grid that are coming to the end of their operational life and National Grid plc is preparing to install electricity cables in Woodhead 3, which would make it unavailable for rail traffic. The other two older tunnels are not suitable for rail traffic due to their poor state of repair.
In July 2007 the Peak District National Park formally expressed concern at the plans to place cables in Woodhead 3, observing that it could not then be used for rail traffic. In September 2007 the Government Office for the East Midlands replied indicating that in their view it was unlikely that the route would be used for rail traffic and declined to intervene. On 4 December 57 MPs signed an early day motion in the Commons brought by Manchester Blackley MP Graham Stringer expressing concern at laying cables in a viable tunnel for rail traffic. On 18 December a written answer in the Commons stated that laying cables in the tunnel would not preclude opening the route to rail traffic. On 23 January the Department for Transport 'clarified' this, saying that that only the older Victorian tunnels, which were in poor condition, would be available. In December 2007 the Campaign for Better Transport (UK) began campaigning to keep the Woodhead Tunnel available for rail traffic and encouraging people to write to their MP. On 8 January the Northern Way, a collaboration between the three Northern Regional Development Agencies: Yorkshire Forward, Northwest Regional Development Agency and One NorthEast, called for the government to ensure the potential reuse of Woodhead Tunnels for rail use in the future. The Northern Way had previously published that economic benefit could be as much as £10 billion nationally with £3.5 billion of this in the North.
On 15 January 2008 one hundred protesters gathered at the end of the Woodhead tunnel to protest at plans to use it for electricity cables, establishing a campaign group, Save the Woodhead Tunnel, renamed Re-open the Woodhead Tunnel in 2009. On 24 January 2008 preparatory work started.
On 18 January 2012 during a debate on the proposed, but thus far only partly approved, Northern Hub (formerly known as the Manchester Rail Hub), the Minister for Rail and Aviation Theresa Villiers said: "The Hon. Member for Penistone and Stocksbridge has again called for the reopening of the Woodhead route. I have to say that that was not one that was prioritised as part of the northern hub because of the capacity that is still available on the Hope Valley line."
Read more about this topic: Woodhead Tunnel
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