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TWITA12 wrote:Thanks for that - that info is on the tunnels' website as well. Would be nice to have a definitive answer!
The entry for the Tyne Tunnel itself contradicts this however:
At each end, the tunnels are connected to surface buildings by two escalators and a lift. The Waygood-Otis escalators have 306 wooden steps each, and are the original models from 1951.[1] At the time of construction, they were the highest single-rise escalators in the world, with a vertical rise of 85 feet (26 m) and a length of 200 feet (61 m). (In 1992 escalators with a higher vertical rise of 90 feet (27.4 m) and 197 feet (60 m) in length were constructed at Angel station on the London Underground.) The Tyne Tunnel escalators remain the longest wooden escalators in the world.
So it looks like Angel is the tallest but Tyne Tunnel is the longest.
I would argue; however. That 'exhibit' escalators don't count.
Just checked and it seems the tunnels are going to remain closed until at least June 2015.
The original work was planned to start late 2012 and run until late 2013 but got pushed back and didn't start until mid 2013 with a planned opening in August 2014. Having to wait another year is quite the delay.
Yes, the new expected opening date is June 2015. We know this won't please people but we decided to deal with all the corrosion and asbestos issues in one go rather than have to go back in future years causing further disruption and greater costs. Regular updates at www.tynepedestrianandcyclisttunnels.co.uk.
TWITA12 wrote:Yes, the new expected opening date is June 2015. We know this won't please people but we decided to deal with all the corrosion and asbestos issues in one go rather than have to go back in future years causing further disruption and greater costs. Regular updates at http://www.tynepedestrianandcyclisttunnels.co.uk.
It is better to get everything done in one go and this interesting tunnel can remain open for years afterwards.
Could have done with it the other day cycling up the coast from Sunderland we thought we'd get the ferry to North Shields and use Hadrians Way but got there 8.15 on a Sunday morning and the first sailing isn't until 10.15. So had to go through South Shields and Gateshead which on a bike isn't that pleasant.
There is a free-to-use shuttle bus connecting Jarrow and Howdon which operates 7 days a week from 6am to 8pm while the tunnels are closed. Timetable pdf at www.tynepedestrianandcyclisttunnels.co.uk.
Rob590 wrote:Current projected re-opening now Spring 2017 - but good at least to see that work is still ongoing. Glad I visited this tunnel in 2012! Update here.
Dear Rob590 - the projected re-opening is Spring 2018.
Nearly 7 YEARS after closing the tunnel is partially reopening tomorrow, though only in daytime hours and without its permanent lifts so with a reduced capacity; full opening is now expected in September. The cost of the project has gone from an initial estimate of £6.9m to £15.65m and the reopening is 4 years late.
Rob590 wrote: ↑Tue Aug 06, 2019 11:18
Nearly 7 YEARS after closing the tunnel is partially reopening tomorrow, though only in daytime hours and without its permanent lifts so with a reduced capacity; full opening is now expected in September. The cost of the project has gone from an initial estimate of £6.9m to £15.65m and the reopening is 4 years late.
Did they use the same accountants and contractors as the GWML upgrade?
Looks like they are only 'opening' now to get it open before some deadline clause, because it is still not ready, as the whole point is having the inclined plane elevators in place.
The tunnel closed just as I (re)started cycling, so I've still never been through it.
I went up to Tyneside a few weeks ago and went to have a look at these tunnels. I walked down the escalator from the Howdon end and up the escalator on the Jarrrow side and I was pretty out of breath by the time I got to the top! Going back north I used the lift both ways.
I wonder why the inclined lifts have still not been put in service and why the refurbishment took seven years. Were there just two men on the job?
And I've always known it as the King Edward VII Bridge, not the King Edward Bridge. I think that's a mistake by the sculptor.
A new firm may be brought in to complete the refurbishment of the Tyne Pedestrian and Cyclist Tunnels because the current contractor is stuck in Italy due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The refit of the tunnels should have been completed in 2015 and is £10m over budget.
Two new inclined glass lifts are still to be installed.
Engineers from Italian firm Maspero Elevatori have been unable to return to the UK to finish the job.
Councillors on Tyneside were told a UK-based company had been brought in to establish what needed to be done to make the lifts operational.
That firm could also be asked to carry out the work, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.
Fiona Bootle, Tyne Tunnels manager for Transport North East, said it had been difficult to find "the right type of specialist".
She told the North East Joint Transport Committee's Tyne and Wear sub-committee: "We are trying to look at other options, whether this UK lift specialist can do some work either subcontracted or directly contracted.
"That is yet to be decided, but they have carried out a very useful survey which took three weeks and has gone into a lot of detail on what final tasks are needed to be carried out on these lifts.
"It is not an easy job. They are very bespoke lifts that were made to fit inside that historical listed building tunnel."
The tunnels, which enable pedestrians and cyclists to cross from Jarrow to Howdon, reopened in August 2019.
It was hoped the lift works would be completed the following month. However, that target has been repeatedly pushed back.
