Colwall Tunnels

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Colwall Tunnels are two railway tunnels on the Cotswold Line, running under the Malvern Hills between Colwall in Herefordshire and Malvern Wells in Worcestershire. The line was redirected so it could serve Malvern and Ledbury, not just a straight coal route. Construction began in the 1850s and the first Colwall Tunnel opened on 17 September 1861. It was narrow and carried only one track, which soon caused problems and even a partial collapse in 1907.

To improve the line, a second, wider tunnel was built next to the first. Construction started in 1924 and the new bore opened on 2 August 1926. On the same day the old tunnel was closed. During World War II the old tunnel was used to store munitions and was fitted with a concrete floor and a narrow‑gauge railway. After the war the narrow‑gauge line was removed and the old tunnel was sealed.

Today only the newer tunnel is in active use. The old bore is part of the Malvern Hills Site of Special Scientific Interest and is used by a colony of about 700 lesser horseshoe bats for winter hibernation. There have been proposals to reopen it as a cycle route, and it is periodically checked for safety.

Technical notes: Both tunnels carried a single track. The original tunnel is about 0.9 miles long and sits up to about 600 feet below the surface, with ventilation shafts to move air. The newer tunnel is wider and remains in service. The line was originally owned by the Worcester and Hereford Railway, later operated by the Great Western Railway and West Midlands Trains, and is now part of Network Rail’s network.