Chipping Sodbury Tunnel
The Chipping Sodbury Tunnel is a railway tunnel that sits on the South Wales branch of the Great Western Main Line in Gloucestershire. It was constructed around 1900 for the South Wales and Bristol Direct Railway and runs some 2½ miles west of Badminton railway station and Chipping Sodbury Yard.
The tunnel is constructed with an arch brick lining and measures some 27'6" across and 20'9" high. It slopes at a 1:300 gradient from Badminton falling in a westerly direction towards Chipping Sodbury.
The tunnel is prone to flooding and it is estimated that the route via the tunnel is closed an average of 24 times per annum, resulting in the cancellation and diversion of 50 passenger services and 40 freight services.
As part of the modernisation of the Great Western main line, the route through the tunnel closed from 19 August to 15 September 2017 to allow work to fit overhead electrification equipment and reduce the risk of flooding.[1][2][3]
Coordinates
- Western end - 51°31’54"N, 2°21’30"W
- Eastern end - 51°31’47"N, 2°18’-0"W
References
- ↑ "Great Western Rail upgrades affecting south Wales begin". BBC News Online. 2017-08-19. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-40963647. Retrieved 2017-08-19.
- ↑ "August work set to bring new trains to Wales and the West". Network Rail. https://www.networkrail.co.uk/feeds/august-work-set-bring-faster-longer-trains-wales-west/. Retrieved 2017-08-19. "Swindon to Bristol Parkway - Piling will take place to install overhead line equipment (OLE) for electrification, alongside OLE installation through Chipping Sodbury and Alderton tunnels. This August there will also be flood resilience upgrades at Chipping Sodbury"
- ↑ Colin Carr (13 October 2017). "Chipping Sodbury Tunnel - A saturated environment". Rail Engineer. https://www.railengineer.uk/2017/10/13/chipping-sodbury-tunnel-a-saturated-environment/. Retrieved 14 October 2017.
