Editing Waterloo Tunnel (section)

{{Short description|Disused railway tunnel under Liverpool, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2015}}
{{Coord|53.4123|-2.9899|display=title|region:GB_scale:10000}}
{{More citations needed|date=October 2009}}
{{Infobox tunnel
|name             = Waterloo Tunnel
|image            = 
|caption          = 
|other_name       = Victoria Tunnel
|waterway         = 
|location         = Liverpool, Merseyside, England
|coordinates      = 53.414829, -2.994385
|os_grid_ref      = 
|start            =
|end              = 
|owner            = 
|engineer         = 
|length           =
|width            =
|height           =
|depth            =
|passable         = 
|towpath          =  
|construction     = 1849
|opened           = 1849
|rebuilt          =
|closed           = 1972
|status           = 
}}

The '''Waterloo Tunnel''' in Liverpool, England, is a former railway tunnel, {{convert|852|yards|meter|abbr=on}} long, which opened in 1849. Its western end was at 53.414829, -2.994385,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://britishlibrary.georeferencer.com/map/b6Wvw3eUwarsUFt5whlo7Z/201312080909-OTvLvF/visualize|title=Compare maps}}</ref> underneath Pall Mall. From here the line continued under Great Howard Street to [[Waterloo Goods railway station]], now the site of the [[Kingsway Tunnel]] Ventilation Shaft, after 1895 continuing beyond to the dock railway system and on to [[Liverpool Riverside railway station|Liverpool Riverside]] at the [[Pier Head]] for direct connection to the passenger liners. The eastern end opens into a short ({{convert|69|yards|meter|abbr=on}}) cutting, four tracks wide between Byrom Street and Fontenoy Street, which connects to the [[Victoria Tunnel (Liverpool)|Victoria Tunnel]], which emerges at [[Edge Hill station]]. It is effectively one long tunnel from [[Edge Hill, Merseyside|Edge Hill]] to Liverpool Waterloo Dock with two names along its route. The tunnels were given two different names because initially trains in the Victoria Tunnel were cable hauled and in the Waterloo Tunnel locomotive hauled. Both tunnels closed on 19 November 1972.

[[File:Victoria-Waterloo Cutting.JPG|thumb|The Byrom Street Cutting at Fontenoy Street, looking toward Waterloo Tunnel]]

In May 2007 it was reported that chief executive of [[Merseytravel]], Neil Scales, had prepared a report outlining the possibilities for reuse of the Victoria/Waterloo and [[Wapping Tunnel|Wapping]] tunnels.<ref name=ic2>{{cite web|url=http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100regionalnews/tm_method=full%26objectid=19218055%26siteid=50061-name_page.html|title=Plan to reopen railway tunnels|publisher=icLiverpool|first=Larry|last=Nield|date=30 May 2007|accessdate=10 September 2008|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090129115441/http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100regionalnews/tm_method%3Dfull%26objectid%3D19218055%26siteid%3D50061-name_page.html|archivedate=29 January 2009|url-status=live}}</ref> Merseytravel safeguard the tunnel for future use.<ref>http://www.liverpool.gov.uk/Images/tcm21-170943.pdf{{dead link|date=December 2017|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>

In 2016, work began on replacing the road bridge on Great Howard Street that crosses over the dock entrance to the tunnel. Whilst it would have been cheaper to remove the existing bridge and in fill the resulting gap, the Department for Transport insisted the bridge was replaced at a cost of £9.7 million in order to preserve the tunnel for future use.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Parry|first1=Josh|title=Railway bridges unearthed as part of Great Howard Street works|url=https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/railway-bridges-unearthed-part-great-12238425|website=liverpoolecho|accessdate=6 March 2018|date=27 November 2016}}</ref>