Kilsby Tunnel
The Kilsby Tunnel is a railway tunnel on the West Coast Main Line in England, near the village of Kilsby in Northamptonshire, roughly 5 miles (8 km) southeast of Rugby. It is 2,423 yards (2,216 m) long.
Air shaft in the Kilsby Tunnel, illustrated in an 1852 railway publication | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Location | Northamptonshire |
| Coordinates | 52.331°N 1.164°W |
| Start | Kilsby |
| End | Crick |
| Operation | |
| Owner | Network Rail |
| Operator | West Coast Main Line |
| Technical | |
| Track length | 2,216 m |
| No. of tracks | Two |
The Kilsby Tunnel was designed and engineered by Robert Stephenson for the London & Birmingham Railway (L&BR). It was constructed by contractors Joseph Nowell & Sons and later by the L&BR. It took much longer to construct and exceeded its estimated cost, attributed to a roof collapse and consequential flooding. At the time of its opening in 1838, it was the longest railway tunnel ever constructed.
The tunnel had atypically large ventilation shafts, because of a lack of experience as to how much ventilation would be needed for steam locomotives to pass through. On opening in 1838, the tunnel was single track and in 1879, double-track was laid. In March 1987, Kilsby Tunnel portals and its two ventilation shafts were given listed status.