Gasworks Tunnel

The Gasworks Tunnel is a set of three parallel railway tunnels carrying the East Coast Main Line from London King's Cross terminus under Regent's Canal. Each 1,585 ft (483 m) bore has two tracks.[1]

Gasworks Tunnel
Gasworks Tunnel southern portals
Overview
LineEast Coast Main Line
LocationKings Cross, London
Coordinates51°32′07″N 0°07′24″W
StatusOriginal bore: operational
Second bore: operational
Third bore: road access
SystemNational Rail
StartOriginal bore: 1852
Second bore: 1877
Third bore: 1892
Operation
OwnerNetwork Rail
OperatorGrand Central
Great Northern
Hull Trains
LNER
Technical
Length1,585 ft (483 m)
No. of tracks4 (6 until 1977)
Track gauge4 ft 8 12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Electrified25 kV 50 Hz AC

The first of the multiple tunnels was built as part of the construction of the Great Northern Railway opening in 1852.[1] The original tunnel is now the middle of three parallel bores. A second tunnel to the west was built in 1878 and a third one to the east in 1892.

The eastern tunnel was taken out of use in 1977 during a significant remodelling of the approach to King's Cross station which included a completely new layout between the tunnels and the platforms, introduction of bi-directional working in the tunnels, works to improve headroom at the southern end of the tunnels and changing the usage of lines between the remaining bores to concentrate suburban services in the western tunnel and long distance services in the central.[2]

In 2018, Network Rail announced it proposed to reinstate the eastern tunnel during another major remodelling of the approaches to King's Cross. It is scheduled to reopen in December 2021.[3][4]

References

  1. Gasworks Tunnel Rail issue 907 17 June 2020 pages 36/37
  2. Glover, John (2003). Eastern Electric. Hersham, Surrey: Ian Allan Publishing. p. 93. ISBN 0-7110-2934-2.
  3. King’s uncrossed Network Rail
  4. Plans unveiled for £237m King's Cross remodelling Rail issue 843 3 January 2018 page 6

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