Thackley Tunnel

Thackley Tunnel is on the Airedale line between Leeds and Shipley on the lines to Bradford and Skipton. Completed in 1846 and opened on 30 June, the tunnel is approximately 1,300 yards (1,200 m) long through Thackley Hill. The contractor was James Bray, an iron and brass founder from Leeds who later contracted the construction of the Bramhope Tunnel on the Leeds to Thirsk main line. As built, the single tunnel bore contained a pair of lines. In 1900, the railway was increased to four tracks, with two lines in a second tunnel. One tunnel carried the fast lines from Leeds and the other the slow lines. In 1968, the southern tunnel was closed, coinciding with the closure of the Great Northern Branch Line from Shipley to Laisterdyke via Idle and Thackley. The northern tunnel is in use. The disused tunnel is periodically maintained.