Canal Tunnels
The Canal Tunnels are a pair of single track railway tunnels in north London which connect the East Coast main line to St Pancras low level railway station, enabling trains to travel directly from Peterborough and Cambridge to St Pancras, other stations in London, Gatwick Airport and down to Brighton. The two tunnels run from Belle Island junction, north of King's Cross station, to Canal junction, passing under the Regent's Canal.[2][1]
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 Canal Tunnels northern entrance at Belle Isle Junction | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Line | East Coast Main Line |
| Location | Belle Island junction–Canal junction |
| Coordinates | 51.5395°N 0.1266°W |
| OS grid reference | TQ 30404 84602 |
| Status |
|
| System | National Rail |
| Start |
|
| No. of stations | None |
| Operation | |
| Constructed | TBM |
| Owner | Network Rail |
| Operator | |
| Technical | |
| Design engineer | Arup Group |
| Length | 820 m (2,690 ft) |
| No. of tracks | 2 |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) |
| Electrified | 25 kV 50 Hz AC |
| Width | 6 m (20 ft) |
| Route map | |
| [1] | |
Construction
The tunnels were constructed using tunnel boring machines between 2004 and 2006, as part of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link development. Each tunnel is 6 metres (20 ft) in diameter with pre-cast concrete linings. The northbound tunnel is 860 m (2,820 ft) in length, while the southbound tunnel is 820 m (2,690 ft) long. They are designed to enable bi-directional working.[3] The tunnels were the first element of the Thameslink Programme infrastructure to be constructed. They remained unused until 2013, when the installation of track, power supply, and signalling systems began in preparation for commencement of passenger services.[2]
Services
The first passenger service through the Canal Tunnels ran on Monday 26 February 2018. The tunnels were officially opened in May 2018. As capacity is limited to 16 trains per hour from Bedford, Luton and St Albans southbound via the Midland Main Line, the tunnels add another eight per hour from Cambridge and Peterborough, achieving the objective of 24 trains per hour peak service between St Pancras and Blackfriars.[2]