Campaigners keep up fight to reopen railway tunnel

The Queensbury Tunnel was last used by a train in the 1950s

Campaigners who have fought to convert a disused railway tunnel into a cycleway have written more than 600 letters to MPs since government plans were announced to fill it with concrete.

Queensbury Tunnel closed in 1956 and was part of a line that linked Bradford and Halifax with a branch to Keighley.

The transport minister has already confirmed £7.5m would be awarded for work to make the tunnel permanently inaccessible but campaigners have said the money could be used to reopen the passage.

The Department for Transport said it had done "all we can" to keep the tunnel as an option for walking and cycling routes "but ultimately we have a responsibility to safety and delivering value for the taxpayer."

Members of the Queensbury Tunnel Society have sent hundreds of letters to their MPs, including 400 to transport minister Lilian Greenwood.

Norah McWilliam, leader of the society, said people were "appalled" at the "loss of a historic structure that has the potential to deliver benefits, both to local communities and the wider West Yorkshire region".

The society said a feasibility study published earlier this year by cycling charity Sustrans provided three options for how the tunnel could be converted, including one low-cost alternative.

However surveys found that the structure's condition had deteriorated.

Plans had been drawn up to turn the tunnel into a traffic-free greenway for walkers and cyclists

It said Sustrans found that the route would improve local connectivity and generate £3 in social, economic and tourism benefits for every £1 spent on it.

Ms McWilliam said: "£7.5m would substantially pay for the tunnel's repair, converting it into an asset which could make a positive difference for generations to come.

"We've seen what the inspiring reuse of legacy railway infrastructure has done for the economies of the Peak District and Bath, where walkers and cyclists are attracted to visit by the prospect of underground adventures.

"We deserve some of that here."

The Department for Transport (DfT) said: "Public safety and delivering value for the taxpayer is our priority.

"Given the continued deterioration of the Queensbury Tunnel, and in the absence of local funding to develop it as a transport link, National Highways will carry out essential safety works, subject to necessary planning approvals, to maintain public safety."

The spokesperson added: "There are no plans to demolish the tunnel."

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