Incidents
The tunnel closed for the first eight months of 1985 following a very serious fire in 1984. The build up of heat in the surrounding ground led to the phenomenon of a 'false spring'. Many plants were seen to be producing flowers and buds as the warm soil triggered a period of new growth. Large portions of the tunnel have been lined with concrete.
On 28 December 2010, a passenger train travelling from Manchester to Leeds was derailed when it struck a large amount of ice that had fallen onto the tracks from one of the ventilation shafts. This ice had built up in the shafts during a period of exceptionally cold weather, and then fell into the tunnel when warmer weather started to thaw the ice. The train was the first to use the tunnel in three days (following the Christmas shut down). The train collided with the tunnel wall, but remained upright, and no injuries were reported.
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“An element of exaggeration clings to the popular judgment: great vices are made greater, great virtues greater also; interesting incidents are made more interesting, softer legends more soft.”
—Walter Bagehot (1826–1877)