A helicopter has been used to repair a Victorian tunnel that takes passengers from Clitheroe to Manchester through a hillside in Darwen.

As part of Sough tunnel, two shaft turrets that protrude out of the Darwen moors release the air pressure caused by the moving trains.

Being inaccessible by land, Network Rail looked to the skies to complete the £150,000 project, which was part of the Great North Rail Project.

A specialist team transported five tonnes of bricks and materials by helicopter to build a new metallic grille.

Mark E Smith, scheme project manager at Network Rail: “As part of our putting passengers first programme, we’ve invested £150,000 to make Sough Tunnel safer and reliable for trains carrying East Lancashire residents between Clitheroe and Manchester via Blackburn and Darwen. While we were unable to access the site from the surrounding fields, we used a helicopter to help complete the safety repairs.

“It proved a cost-effective solution as we did not have to pay any landowner costs and, with the wet weather we have experienced, meant there was much less damage to the local area building access roads for heavy goods vehicles.”

Senior contracts manager, Alistair Weir, at J Murphy & Sons, the engineering contractor which carried out the work, said: “It was a great collaborative team effort and we are delighted to use our skills to play our part in keeping Sough Tunnel safe and reliable.”

The turrets were originally used for steam trains when it was built in 1842, but now play a vital role to release the air pressure caused by the diesel trains.

Work started in February 2020 and was completed in the Spring with no disruption to passengers.

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