Use as a railway tunnel Thames Tunnel

1870 view of train exiting thames tunnel @ wapping



inside tunnel, 2010

the tunnel purchased in september 1865 east london railway company, consortium of 6 mainline railways sought use tunnel provide rail link goods , passengers between wapping (and later liverpool street) , south london line. tunnel s generous headroom, resulting architects original intention of accommodating horse-drawn carriages, provided sufficient loading gauge trains well.

the line s engineer sir john hawkshaw noted, w. h. barlow, major re-design , completion of isambard brunel s long abandoned clifton suspension bridge @ bristol, completed in 1864.

the first train ran through tunnel on 7 december 1869. in 1884, tunnel s disused construction shaft north of river repurposed serve wapping station.

the east london railway later absorbed london underground, became east london line. continued used goods services late 1962. during underground days, thames tunnel oldest piece of underground s infrastructure.

it planned construct intersection between east london line , jubilee line extension @ canada water tube station. construction require temporary closure of east london line, decided take opportunity perform long-term maintenance on tunnel , in 1995 east london line closed allow construction , maintenance take place. proposed repair method tunnel seal against leaks shotcreting concrete, obliterating original appearance, causing controversy led bitter conflict between london underground wished complete work , cheaply possible , architectural interests wishing preserve tunnel s appearance. architectural interests won grade ii* listing of tunnel on 24 march 1995 (the day london underground had scheduled start of long-term maintenance work).

following agreement leave short section @ 1 end of tunnel untreated, , more sympathetic treatment of rest of tunnel, work went ahead , route reopened – later anticipated – in 1998. tunnel closed again 23 december 2007 permit tracklaying , resignalling east london line extension. extension work resulted in tunnel becoming part of new london overground. after reopening on 27 april 2010, used mainline trains again.