Network Rail schedules £3m of improvements to Hobbit Tunnel

NETWORK Rail is to carry out £3m of track improvements to a railway tunnel rumoured to have been Birmingham author JRR Tolkien’s inspiration for the home of favourite hobbit, Bilbo Baggins.

The rail infrastructure company said Tolkien was known to have stayed in the village of Great Haywood, on the edge of the Shugborough estate, near Stafford and there was a possibility the railway tunnel there could have inspired the author to pen the words “In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit”.

“There won’t be any hobbits or dwarves deep inside the tunnel this Christmas – but there will be dozens of Network Rail engineers and contractors in their full orange protective clothing,” said Network Rail.

“From late on Christmas Eve to the early hours of January 2 they will be completely renewing all the railway tracks through the tunnel at a cost of about £3m.”

The work is needed to realign the tracks, which naturally move as trains pass over them. Network Rail said the work was particularly important in a tunnel like Shugborough, which is on the busy West Coast Main Line between Rugeley and Stafford.

As well as passenger services, the tunnel is used by freight trains carrying box-shaped containers which are a tight fit through the arch-shaped tunnel.

When the old tracks have been taken away, Network Rail will completely renew the drainage through the tunnel before the new tracks are laid.

The old tracks and the sleepers they are fixed to will not be scrapped. They will be reused elsewhere by Network Rail as part of its commitment to the environment.

“While not suitable for use on a high speed line, they are perfectly good enough on lines with a lower speed, so will be reused in its routine 2013/14 track renewals programme,” it said.

While the work is taking place, the railway line between Lichfield Trent Valley, Rugeley Trent Valley and Stafford stations will be closed from 9 pm on Christmas Eve until 7.30 am on Wednesday January 2.

Train services will be diverted where possible or replaced by road transport so passengers have been are advised to check travel plans with their train operator or online at www.nationalrail.co.uk