Merseytravel has issued an update about a railway tunnel that's been closed for nearly 50 years.
A brick wall, located in Liverpool city centre that connects Park Lane with Jamaica Street, hides the 200 year-old Wapping Tunnel, the first underground rail tunnel ever built below a city. It ran from Edge Hill to the old Park Lane goods station, between Wapping and Park Road in what’s now the Baltic Triangle and was used to transport goods across the city.
The station was demolished in 1965 but the tunnel entrances can still be seen off Kings Dock Street and near Edge Hill Station, in addition to the brick wall and a ventilation shaft on Grenville Street South.
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In 2016, a study commissioned by Merseytravel looked into whether the tunnel could reopen to connect the Northern and City Lines together, along with the possible creation of a new station along the route to serve the city's Knowledge Quarter.
The report said Wapping Tunnel was in good condition, although it has suffered flooding in places. It added this would require some remedial work, but the tunnel could be reopened in the future.
Now, Merseytravel has provided an update about whether the tunnel could reopen. A spokesperson told the ECHO the tunnel will remain clear for future developments. However, without any funding commitments, no concrete proposals can be made at this stage.
The spokesperson said: “There's not really much more to add on top of that 2016 survey. The tunnel is protected for future use, but at the moment there's no funding committed to it and no immediate plans around it.
“Obviously, there's a lot of development happening on the Merseyrail network. There is the new Headbolt Lane station. The mayor (Steve Rotheram) has committed to Merseyrail For All, trying to expand the rail network to reach parts of the city and the region that it hasn't previously.”
The spokesperson added that any proposed developments including new train stations and rail links would have to be reviewed, with the protected status of the tunnel giving the travel authority “opportunities and options for the future”.
There are other tunnels in Merseyside that are closed off to the public. In the Birkenhead Tunnel, there is a dark tunnel with no entry signs on either side that leads away from the main road.
This section was used as an exit for Birkenhead Docks, based on Rendel Street. However, it was closed in 1965 as queues for the exit were causing congestion.
It seems unlikely the exit will ever be open again to ordinary drivers, with the branch now utilised for two different purposes. In 2017, Tony Killen, then head of asset management of Merseytravel, said: “We use it for access for our maintenance vehicles and an access point for maintenance within the tunnels.
“And we can use this if there’s a major incident in the tunnel for emergency services to gain access.
“The emergency services have also used this area for emergency exercises. A few days ago we had vehicles on their side and debris around to give a realistic atmosphere and setting for the fire brigade.”
Mr Killen added that it is also used for filming. This was seen in The City and The City, a 2018 BBC science fiction drama starring Liverpool actor David Morrisey.