KILSBY Tunnel’s Grade II-listed Great Northern Shaft has been restored by Network Rail, making it fit for many more decades of use.
The £3.5million refurbishment took nine months and included soot removal, brickwork repointing and repairs.
A large scaffolding structure was installed around the inside of the shaft, which was built in the 1830s to provide light and ventilation inside the 1½-mile long tunnel.
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This meant the work could be carried out without disrupting almost 400 trains a day on the West Coast Main Line, which pass through the tunnel at up to 110mph.
Kilsby Tunnel has two ‘great shafts’ and 12 ventilation shafts.
Around one million bricks were used to build the Great Northern Shaft, which weighs more than 4,000 tonnes.
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