Queensbury Tunnel

History

The Queensbury Tunnel is a former railway tunnel in West Yorkshire. 

Construction of the tunnel was completed in 1878 and it was subsequently closed to passengers in 1955 and to freight in 1956. 

About the structure

Queensbury Tunnel is located deep below the town of Queensbury, West Yorkshire. It has experienced extensive flooding while part of the tunnel passes through areas of historical coal mine workings and there are two sections where the tunnel lining has collapsed.

The tunnel depth is up to 115m below the ground surface under farmland and residential housing, aligned in a south-west to north-east direction. The tunnel is 2,501 yards in length (approximately 2.3km), 26 feet wide and 21 feet high, with vertical sidewalls and a five-brick thick arch. Some sections of the tunnel are lined with stone masonry.

Seven shafts were constructed through the Pennine Lower Coal Measures to provide access for construction of the tunnel. Historical evidence suggests eight shafts were originally planned but their spacing was subsequently revised and as a result, only seven were progressed. 

Two major collapses were reported in 2013 and 2014.

What is the project?

Due to age and water ingress the Queensbury Tunnel is in a poor and dangerous state of repair. Two collapses have already taken place in 2013 and 2014 and there is a risk of future collapses.

Any further collapses could damage properties above the tunnel, including an electricity substation.

The project will involve filling the open shafts with a lightweight aggregate including recycled material or byproducts of other industrial processes. 

Discussions with our contractors are ongoing to allow us to provide support beneath these shafts. It is important to note that we will not be infilling or demolishing the tunnel. 

Ministerial decision

In July 2025, the Minister for Future of Roads Lillian Greenwood instructed National Highways to carry out works to maintain public safety. This decision was made owing to the absence of local funding to develop the tunnel as a transport link and its continued deterioration.

A Sustrans study, commissioned by the Department for Transport, identified several lower-cost alternatives with better value for money than routes making use of the tunnel.

A report into the viability of reopening Queensbury Tunnel has been published by Bradford Council.

What stage is it at?

Our planning application has been in with Bradford Metropolitan District Council since 2019. We undertook works in 2020/21 to make the tunnel safe until a decision could be made on its future use. 

Following the ministerial decision, we will be meeting with planners again to discuss our application.