The History of Greenside Tunnel in just TWO MINUTES!

Hidden beneath Pudsey is a piece of railway engineering that most of us have never had the chance to walk through.

And this weekend, for the first time in 20 years, we can.

 
Our story begins before the tunnel existed. Pudsey was booming during the Victorian period, but its railway station was inconveniently down at Stanningley. After years of complaints, the Pudsey Branch Line finally reached Greenside, opening for goods in 1877 and passengers in 1878. Initially it was a dead end — six passenger trains a day, three each way, and weekdays only.

But Pudsey was an important industrial town and wanted better connections.

So the railway companies came up with a wonderfully Victorian solution: dig through the hill and carry the railway across the valley.

 

Construction of Greenside Tunnel began in 1893 as part of the extension which transformed the branch into the Pudsey Loop. Beyond the tunnel came another impressive feat of engineering — the enormous Tyersal embankment. The completed route opened in 1895, connecting Pudsey into a much wider railway network.

There was even a useful local by-product.

Spoil excavated from Greenside Tunnel helped level the cricket ground at Tofts Road for Pudsey St Lawrence Cricket Club. Railway engineering literally helped shape another piece of Pudsey history.

The railway's fortunes eventually changed. The Pudsey Loop and branch closed permanently in 1964, and New Pudsey station opened at Dawson's Corner three years later. The tunnel was left behind — an impressive survivor from Pudsey's railway age.

Today, Greenside Greenway hopes to give the old route a completely new purpose, incorporating the tunnel into a route for walking, cycling and horse riding. The community project began in 2017, later becoming a registered charity.

And this weekend we get a rare opportunity to see what those Victorian engineers created.

Heritage Open Day – Greenside Tunnel

The 615-yard tunnel will be open Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 September, from 2pm–4pm — its first public access for 20 years. Access via the footpath below the Fox & Grapes. Watch out I will be helping to guide tours on the Sunday.

That's around a third of a mile beneath Pudsey.

So bring your curiosity — and a pair of wellies and a torch!

Sources / thanks to

With thanks to Greenside Greenway Community Group and the volunteers preserving the story of the Pudsey Branch Line and Greenside Tunnel.

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