Purpose built light rail, metro and tram tunnels

[Magdalia]

This is not a part of the forum where I would normally intrude, but this discussion has prompted a related question from me.

Oldest Tunnel on a Light Rail / Metro Service

Was curious but does anyone know the answer to this? Was watching a video last night about the St Louis Metro in America where they were trying to claim that was one of the oldest tunnels (wrong of course) since it used to be an old rail system but it got me thinking what actually is the oldest...

www.railforums.co.uk

My question is what purpose built light rail, metro and tram tunnels are there in the UK? That is the tunnel must not be repurposed from another use, as seems to be the case in various instances in the discussion above.

If yes, which UK city/town is the smallest to have purpose built light rail, metro and tram tunnels?

 

[507 001]

On Metrolink we have Didsbury Tunnel (2/3rds of which is custom built tunnel) and Alan Turing Way underpass, which is long enough to be a tunnel.

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

Gateshead with the Metro tunnel passing beneath the (failing) road flyover?

If we are talking of former tram systems London had the Kingsway Tunnel.

 

[nwales58]

Kingsway Subway, pre-WW1?

Assuming metro excludes London Underground, Glasgow etc.

On smaller places, I can't think of any. The point of tramways was cheaper construction than railways, even the interurban lines such as Burton&Ashby, Sunderland District and the many town-town connected systems, so generally road-side when not in the road. Even, e.g. Kinver ran across countryside but no serious earthworks I believe.

Leeds proposed to build a city centre tunnels linking the reserved track routes post-WWII, similar to the more recent German Stadtbahn conversions, hence the single deck 600-602 of which 2 are preserved, but it never happened.

 

[bramling]

This is not a part of the forum where I would normally intrude, but this discussion has prompted a related question from me.

Oldest Tunnel on a Light Rail / Metro Service

Was curious but does anyone know the answer to this? Was watching a video last night about the St Louis Metro in America where they were trying to claim that was one of the oldest tunnels (wrong of course) since it used to be an old rail system but it got me thinking what actually is the oldest...

www.railforums.co.uk

My question is what purpose built light rail, metro and tram tunnels are there in the UK? That is the tunnel must not be repurposed from another use, as seems to be the case in various instances in the discussion above.

If yes, which UK city/town is the smallest to have purpose built light rail, metro and tram tunnels?

Byker on the T&W Metro, as well as the city centre and Gateshead tunnels.

 

[duffield]

No tunnels to offer on the Nottingham tram, but perhaps you'd like a nice big viaduct instead?

 

[edwin_m]

Almost every tunnel on the London Underground, entire Glasgow Subway, city centre tunnels on Tyne and Wear Metro.

 

[dosxuk]

Sheffield has the tunnel under university roundabout, or is that an underpass?

 

[Cross City]

Sheffield has the tunnel under university roundabout, or is that an underpass?

Not purpose built for the tram is it? I assumed it was a repurposed road tunnel?

 

[dosxuk]

Not purpose built for the tram is it? I assumed it was a repurposed road tunnel?

From what I could find, it was built in 1994 specifically for the tram.

 

[Cross City]

From what I could find, it was built in 1994 specifically for the tram.

Huh fair enough!

 

[simple simon]

For old tunnels built for trams it might be worth investigating Boston (USA). Some of the Green line streetcar subway network is still open today. some is closed / mothballed and I think some of it was converted to heavy rail subway.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

On Metrolink we have Didsbury Tunnel (2/3rds of which is custom built tunnel) and Alan Turing Way underpass, which is long enough to be a tunnel.

Think I'm right in saying that the Ringway Road West underpass, this on the Manchester Metrolink tram system (Airport line), in particular the section between Shadowmoss and the terminus at Manchester Airport, must be around 100m long. Built c. 2014.

 

[Sun Chariot]

Docklands Light Railway:
Bank extension tunnel.
King George V extension to Woolwich*.
Island Gardens to Cutty Sark* and Greenwich.

*,Construction under the River Thames.

 

[Snex]

Docklands Light Railway:
Bank extension tunnel.
King George V extension to Woolwich*.
Island Gardens to Cutty Sark* and Greenwich.

*,Construction under the River Thames.

Stratford to Stratford International aswell

 

[Magdalia]

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to my guided tour of tram tunnels!

 

[generalnerd]

Does the Piccadilly ‘tunnel’ count?

 

[MisterSheeps]

Twin Peaks tunnel, and that on the line to the zoo, on the San Francisco system

 

[Cricketer8for9]

And loads in Germany too.

 

[Dr Hoo]

The Clifton Rocks funicular in Clifton, Bristol was built in a newly excavated tunnel around 1890 when the city population was probably shy of 300,000.

 

[Sun Chariot]

And loads in Germany too.

That's right. And in other countries around the world, too.
The OP's question in post #1 was "...what purpose built light rail, metro and tram tunnels are there in the UK?"

 

[Cricketer8for9]

Drat.

 

[plugwash]

The docklands light railway was originally concieved as an entirely above-ground system, but it later gained two tunnels under the thames and a tunnel to Bank for better connections with the London underground. Afaict all of these were purpose-built.