Friday 10 Nov 2023
Whitehaven railway tunnel testing to seek source of mystery orange water
- Region & Route:
- North West & Central
- | North West & Central: North West
Tests are underway by rail engineers to find out how a mystery orange coloured water is entering a railway tunnel on the Cumbrian Coast line.
The tunnel, which takes trains one kilometre under ground between Corkickle and Whitehaven, sometimes floods.
To cope with that excess water and keep trains running safely, it’s connected to Whitehaven harbour by a culvert.
For decades water has drained from the railway into the harbour without an issue.
However, since late 2022 the water in Queens Dock started to change to a rusty colour.
It's believed the water, containing iron ochre, could be from historic mine workings in the area.
So now Network Rail is carrying out detailed tests* to find out how and where it's getting into the tunnel, and will work together alongside the Environment Agency, Coal Authority and Whitehaven Harbour Commissioners to find a long-term solution to the problem.
Today (Friday 10 November) latest footage has been released showing teams carrying out overnight inspections of the tunnel after train services stopped running at 10pm last night (Thursday 9 November).
For safety trains are travelling at slower speeds through the tunnel due to the ongoing issue with the flood water.
Trains can only run at 20mph instead of 40mph, meaning longer journey times for passengers and freight.
Phil James, Network Rail’s North West route director said: “We know this complex investigation work is causing frustration as it’s taking a long time, so we thank harbour users, rail passengers and local people for their continued patience.
“We’re committed to working with the Environment Agency and Coal Authority to find the source of the water impacting our railway tunnel and the harbour so we can plan next steps to find a solution together. Solving this is also important for our passengers and freight, whose journeys we hope will be made more reliable and faster once the source of the mysterious orange water is made clear.”
Pete Miles, Environment Agency area environment manager, said: “Analysis of water samples from Whitehaven Harbour found no evidence of sewage pollution. The results did show some increased metals in the water and we are working with Network Rail who are actively investigating this further to determine the potential source.
“People can report environmental concerns to the Environment Agency on 0800 807060.”
Andy Morritt, Coal Authority head of environment strategy and sustainability, said: “We are continuing to provide assistance and expertise as required to support Network Rail’s investigations.”
Testing will be ongoing for several weeks and the results will be shared with all partner agencies as soon as possible.
The hope is the findings can inform next steps and reveal the scale of what can be done to either mitigate, reduce or in the best case scenario stop the water from entering the railway tunnel entirely.
Passengers are advised to check www.nationalrail.co.uk to see how journeys on the Cumbrian Coast line are being impacted.
Notes to Editors
*A hydrogeological survey by Network Rail is taking place, with specialist contractors surveying the area to establish how the local topography, infrastructure, historic mining features and geology interact with the surface and groundwater in the local area.
The aim is to build a detailed picture to explain where the water which flows into Bransty Beck (including what makes its way into and out of the tunnel drainage system) comes from in more detail than is currently known. All organisations hope this will help to pinpoint any sources of water containing dissolved iron which turns rust coloured when exposed to the air, as seen in the railway tunnel and in the harbour.
Background information
Rainwater from the railway has for a long time been channelled through a drainage system into the harbour. However, for unknown reasons, the composition of the water changed in late 2022, turning it an ochre colour.
Because of the impact it’s having on the local community and harbour users, detailed tests are underway to try to determine where the discoloured water is coming from.
Due to the complexity of the situation, it's taken several months to appoint specialist contractors to carry out the tests.
Railway engineers have also been meeting with retired miners in the area with knowledge and expertise on where uncharted mine workings could be, as historic mining could be linked to the change in water composition.
All agencies are working together to at first determine the source of the water, which can then inform the long-term plan on how it can be further mitigated, reduced and hopefully stopped, although at the moment it isn’t possible to say how long this could take.
Flooding inside the tunnel sometimes leads to the Cumbrian Coast line having to close to trains, causing disruption to passengers and freight services.
This latest work will also inform ways Network Rail engineers can tackle the issue of water entering the tunnel, improve its drainage systems, and make the railway more reliable for the future.
Contact information
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