The UK’s longest mainland tunnel 17 miles long but it's about to be overtaken
The Northern Line is currently the UK's longest tunnel, but this will soon be beaten by a new project in the northeast of England.
The UK has long been known for undertaking some of the world’s most ambitious and successful national infrastructure projects that have helped shape the nation.
One of, if not the most famous, is the London Underground, an iconic maze of tunnels and connections that stretch for miles underneath London’s skyline.
One of the most famous stretches, the Northern Line, also holds the title of the UK’s longest tunnel. Stretching for just over 17 miles, this infrastructure marvel has carried millions of passengers since it was opened in 1937.
However, a brand new tunnel in the northeast of England is about to take the Northern Line’s title away from it in impressive style.
Known as the Woodsmith Mine Tunnel, the 23-mile leviathan will help transport polyhalite and mine potash from the Wilton International complex to Woodsmith Mine.
As a result the tunnel, when fully completed will run from Teesside to Sneatonthorpe in North Yorkshire under the beautiful North York Moors.
The cost of such an undertaking has been massive, with the record-breaking tunnel set to cost billions. Anglo-American crop nutrients boss Tom McCulley has admitted in the past that the spending on the tunnel has risen.
He said that estimates that the cost of the project will rise above £7bn were “not too far off” with the tunnel reportedly setting back its new owners around £5bn, much higher than the £1.1bn it was originally predicted to cost.
DON'T MISS:
Incredible £61m mega-project bringing three new train stations to major UK city [REPORT]
Doctor shares reason heat in the UK is more unbearable than anywhere else [INSIGHT]
Famous city’s incredible £10bn mega-project to build Europe's answer to Dubai [ANALYSIS]
The project has so far been going for nearly a decade with preparatory work beginning in 2016, and an official breaking ground ceremony in 2018. As recently as last year, the tunnel stretched for 16 of its necessitated 23 miles underground.
The hope is that thanks to this new tunnel and associated infrastructure Anglo American will be able to substantially boost its annual revenue.
Speaking to The Times about the tunnel, Mr McCulley said: “At first, I thought I would just get 1,000 trucks a day to carry this stuff to port instead of the tunnel - but it massively reduces cost down the line. There is a structural advantage over competitors.
“There are no piles of tailings; no inland routes of thousands of kilometres of rail. We control the logistics from pit to port. It’s as close as you can get to going straight from the ground to the farm.”
