You might have got the train through it dozens of times, with your biggest concern being your phone signal cutting out - but the Severn Tunnel is a remarkable piece of infrastructure and a rare glimpse inside it reveals some of its lesser-known quirks. Built between 1873 and 1886, the tunnel is midway through a 16-day closure at the time of writing, between and including Wednesday, July 3 and Thursday, July 18. In this time, engineers are working around the clock to replace the entire track on the Wales-bound side.
Some stats for you: that's 7km of track, 191 people on site daily and 21,184 tonnes of new ballast to weigh the tracks down. "We are renewing four miles, 7,000 metres of the railway," says Nick Millington, route director for Network Rail Wales & Borders. Nick clearly loves his job and, something that surely helps, would evidently be a railway enthusiast if he wasn't getting paid for it.
"We are renewing in one continuous £10m piece of work, four miles of railway - brand new rails, brand new sleepers, brand new stone as well...
for many years this was the longest tunnel in Great Britain and I'm particularly proud to be the custodian of it for now." READ MORE: Police reveal why aeroplanes have been circling Cardiff for two nights READ MORE: Police watchdog probes contact with TV medic before he was found dead with Welsh girlfriend I've whizzed through this tunnel countless times on a GWR train but standing in it is an oddly spooky experience. There's barely any clea.
