Britain's longest tunnel is currently under construction beneath a national park, set to surpass the Northern Line on the London Underground as the nation's lengthiest. The Woodsmith Mine Tunnel, managed by Anglo American, will stretch 23 miles entirely underground, transporting fertiliser from the North York Moors near Whitby to a processing facility in Teesside.
The project, originally owned by Sirius Minerals, has seen its cost spiral from an initial £1.1 billion estimate to a reported £7.4 billion. Tom McCulley, head of Anglo American's crop nutrients division, acknowledged that $9 billion cost estimates were 'not too far off', according to The Times.
Last month, the tunnel boring machine Stella Rose surpassed 30km (over 18 miles) in length, breaking the record for the longest continuous drive by a single TBM. The tunnel is on track to open in 2030, claiming the crown from the Northern Line, which has held the record at 17 miles since 1937.
Andrew Johnson, project director at Woodsmith, said: 'We are incredibly proud of this milestone. The Woodsmith Project is one of the most innovative mining developments in the world today and construction is progressing well.' He added that 1,100 people are currently employed in the area, with 75% being local.
The tunnel proposal initially faced opposition, but Sirius Minerals successfully navigated 98 environmental regulations to secure planning permission for Britain's first deep mine in over four decades.
