Oldest Tunnel on a Light Rail / Metro Service

[Snex]

Was curious but does anyone know the answer to this? Was watching a video last night about the St Louis Metro in America where they were trying to claim that was one of the oldest tunnels (wrong of course) since it used to be an old rail system but it got me thinking what actually is the oldest?

The obvious answer is to jump straight to the Underground but the Tynemouth Tunnel on the Tyne & Wear Metro beats that at 1847.

Is there anything older, even outside of the UK, as I'm struggling to think of anything?

Rules are in must be a working Metro / Light Rail system now. What the tunnel was actually built for originally is irrelevant.

Special mention for the Thames Tunnel which would beat it but there's always a debate whether the Overground is a Metro or not a Metro but that's for another thread.

 

[bluegoblin7]

The original Metropolitan Railway from Paddington to Farringdon Street opened on 10 January 1863 - so that's your opening gambit I suppose.

If you're discounting London Overground (I would argue it is a heavy rail metro) then it probably also disqualifies Merseyrail, but the Mersey Railway Tunnel, opened 20 January 1886, is certainly a contender as one of the first 'deep level' railway tunnels.

 

[507 001]

The Bury line on Metrolink opened originally in 1846. It has four tunnels, Collyhurst, Heaton Park, Bury Old Road and Manchester Road.

The Altrincham line opened in 1849, it has a tunnel at Trafford Bar.

I’m not sure when Queens Road tunnel on the Smedley loop opened.

 

[steamybrian]

deleted

 

[Snex]

The original Metropolitan Railway from Paddington to Farringdon Street opened on 10 January 1863 - so that's your opening gambit I suppose.

If you're discounting London Overground (I would argue it is a heavy rail metro) then it probably also disqualifies Merseyrail, but the Mersey Railway Tunnel, opened 20 January 1886, is certainly a contender as one of the first 'deep level' railway tunnels.

Sorry made a typo in the OP, the Tynemouth Tunnel was meant to be 1847 not 1947. I thought I'd discount the Overground as it's a grey area and didn't want it turn the thread into what's a Metro / what's not a Metro.

The Bury line on Metrolink opened originally in 1846. It has four tunnels, Collyhurst, Heaton Park, Bury Old Road and Manchester Road.

The Altrincham line opened in 1849, it has a tunnel at Trafford Bar.

I’m not sure when Queens Road tunnel on the Smedley loop opened.

Had a feeling there might have been something on one of the Metrolink lines, it's the reason I asked mainly. Had a feeling there might have been something sneaking around on the Croydon Trams aswell but I don't know the area, at all.

 

[stuu]

Had a feeling there might have been something sneaking around on the Croydon Trams aswell but I don't know the area, at all.

The tunnels are relatively late by railway standards, 1880 or something. The Wimbledon branch follows the route of the Surrey Iron Railway which opened in 1802 though, so probably the winner for earliest route

 

[yorksrob]

Surely the Thames tunnel isn't excluded, given it was the East London line of LU for many years.

 

[Snex]

The tunnels are relatively late by railway standards, 1880 or something. The Wimbledon branch follows the route of the Surrey Iron Railway which opened in 1802 though, so probably the winner for earliest route

Thanks for confirming, wasn't too sure as I knew there was some very old lines as part of that.

Surely the Thames tunnel isn't excluded, given it was the East London line of LU for many years.

To be honest I was curious whether the tunnel at Tynemouth was the oldest on a current system that's why I excluded things not part of it now. Was struggling to find information on it without hunting through every line and even then it's hit or miss with dates.

 

[bramling]

The original Metropolitan Railway from Paddington to Farringdon Street opened on 10 January 1863 - so that's your opening gambit I suppose.

If you're discounting London Overground (I would argue it is a heavy rail metro) then it probably also disqualifies Merseyrail, but the Mersey Railway Tunnel, opened 20 January 1886, is certainly a contender as one of the first 'deep level' railway tunnels.

Don’t forget the two tunnels on the east end of the Central Line. Grange Hill Tunnel is comparatively modern (1903), but Whipps Cross Tunnel presumably dates from when that section of line opened in 1856. Its open to interpretation how much of Whipps Cross Tunnel is left nowadays, as it was heavily modified in the 1990s for the M11 link road.

I think North Shields tunnel is older though (1847?), and the Thames Tunnel is older still (1827-43).

 

[Old Yard Dog]

The Werneth and Central tunnels in Oldham opened in 1847 and connected Oldham Werneth and Oldham Mumps. They closed in 2009 but re-opened in 2012 as part of Metrolink. However they closed again in 2014 when the tram line was rerouted through the centre of Oldham.

 

[Sun Chariot]

Surely the Thames tunnel isn't excluded, given it was the East London line of LU for many years.

I mooted that too. It was built between 1825 and 1843 by Marc Brunel and his (famous) son Isambard.

It started as a pedestrian tunnel, before it was acquired by the East London Railway Company; and the first train ran through the tunnel on 7th December 1869.

So, its rail usage isn't as old as some mentored here.

However, I used to live near it and I always enjoyed looking out of the A stock windows to see the old arches; as well as walking up the stairs around the old shaft at Wapping.

 

[generalnerd]

The original Metropolitan Railway from Paddington to Farringdon Street opened on 10 January 1863 - so that's your opening gambit I suppose.

Assuming the video is the miles in transit video (on the St Louis metro link) they did mention that it was the oldest after the London Underground.

__
I can’t remember if they mentioned this but I assume they are talking about operating as a subway (having stations underground)

 

[Snex]

Assuming the video is the miles in transit video (on the St Louis metro link) they did mention that it was the oldest after the London Underground.

__
I can’t remember if they mentioned this but I assume they are talking about operating as a subway (having stations underground)

Yeah it was that video, the stations only opened in 1993 though, they're not original as part of the tunnel.

 

[generalnerd]

Yeah it was that video, the stations only opened in 1993 though, they're not original as part of the tunnel.

Oh right. They’ve done a good job with blending it in

 

[Sunil_P]

Don’t forget the two tunnels on the east end of the Central Line. Grange Hill Tunnel is comparatively modern (1903), but Whipps Cross Tunnel presumably dates from when that section of line opened in 1856. Its open to interpretation how much of Whipps Cross Tunnel is left nowadays, as it was heavily modified in the 1990s for the M11 link road.

I think North Shields tunnel is older though (1847?), and the Thames Tunnel is older still (1827-43).

Whipps Cross tunnel surely dates from the M11 Link Road, being essentially cut and cover.

 

[TravellingPhil]

Aren't Hilltop/Black Lake and Hockley Tunnels on the Midland Metro somewhere around 1854? Granted, not quite as old as some mentioned here.

 

[billio]

The Bury line on Metrolink opened originally in 1846. It has four tunnels, Collyhurst, Heaton Park, Bury Old Road and Manchester Road.

The Altrincham line opened in 1849, it has a tunnel at Trafford Bar.

I’m not sure when Queens Road tunnel on the Smedley loop opened.

Bury Metro Line - the metro uses the later line through Prestwich (1879), runs along a stretch of the 1846 line and then the Bury Loop line (which was much later 1899) to Bury Interchange.

 

[Rescars]

Does the Glasgow Subway deserve a mention as the oldest system to be contained entirely within a tunnel (or more accurately a pair of tunnels)?

 

[Buzby]

Does the Glasgow Subway deserve a mention as the oldest system

It’s relatively recent - constructed between 1889 and opened as cable-hauled in 1896.

 

[generalnerd]

It’s relatively recent - constructed between 1889 and opened as cable-hauled in 1896.

‘relatively’ in massive quotation marks

 

[mike57]

There is a short tunnel on the South Shields branch of the Tyne and Wear Metro between Sunnyside and Tyne Dock, I think the alignment dates from 1839-1844, but not sure if the tunnel is contemporary.

 

[swt_passenger]

There is a short tunnel on the South Shields branch of the Tyne and Wear Metro between Sunnyside and Tyne Dock, I think the alignment dates from 1839-1844, but not sure if the tunnel is contemporary.

I suspect the tunnel might have been built for the opening of the lines into Tyne Dock, which was apparently in 1859? It‘s likely the initial route was heavily modified, perhaps it was lowered compared to its original position, it seems like a diveunder in terms of gradients.

PS at 2140

I had a look at the history of lines in the area on the disused stations site, and he reckons that the current route from Pelaw to South Shields via Hebburn and Jarrow didn’t open to passengers until 1872, of course the route may have been in use earlier for freight only purposes.

 

[Snex]

There is a short tunnel on the South Shields branch of the Tyne and Wear Metro between Sunnyside and Tyne Dock, I think the alignment dates from 1839-1844, but not sure if the tunnel is contemporary.

I can't comment on what the date is but I know Nexus awhile back made a big thing about how the North Shields Tunnel was challenging when changing the wires as it's the oldest Tunnel on the system so assume it must be after that.

 

[Smwrff]

The Caerphilly tunnel on the South Wales metro dates to 1870

 

[generalnerd]

The Caerphilly tunnel on the South Wales metro dates to 1870

Not a real metro though, just a branding of lines

 

[E27007]

The South Yorkshire Railway, opened 1849, has 9 tramway tunnels (as described in the Ordnance Survey maps) under the Doncaster to Conisbrough line in the location of Warmsworth Quarry and the lost riverside hamlet of Levitt Hagg of the River Don,the tramway tunnels carried the quarried stone on narrow gauge wagons to barges on the river, and to Limekilns for burning to lime.
Those tunnels are still present and in remarkable condition, the tunnels carry railway ID marks so may well be the responsibility of Network Rail. One of the tunnel entrances still has a few lengths of light section rail to be seen in the undergrowth.Levitt Hagg hamlet was closed down in the 1950s, the inhabitants rehoused and the buildings razed

 

[Sun Chariot]

The South Yorkshire Railway, opened 1849, has 9 tramway tunnels (as described in the Ordnance Survey maps) under the Doncaster to Conisbrough line in the location of Warmsworth Quarry and the lost riverside hamlet of Levitt Hagg of the River Don,the tramway tunnels carried the quarried stone on narrow gauge wagons to barges on the river, and to Limekilns for burning to lime.
Those tunnels are still present and in remarkable condition, the tunnels carry railway ID marks so may well be the responsibility of Network Rail. One of the tunnel entrances still has a few lengths of light section rail to be seen in the undergrowth.Levitt Hagg hamlet was closed down in the 1950s, the inhabitants rehoused and the buildings razed

That's a fascinating topic - thanks for sharing. I really must make a trip to explore those tunnels and the area.

I've just discovered why Levitt Hagg hamlet was cleared - in this extract from a 2010 article, quoted on Wikipedia:
"...The insanitary conditions and the badly polluted state of the river [Don] led to all the Levitt Hagg houses being condemned as unfit for occupation and by 1957 the area had been cleared."