Services Directory Video
Stoppages on the Netherton Tunnel Branch of the New Main Line (BCN)

A map of the Netherton Tunnel Branch of the New Main Line (BCN)

The map displays a range of services available on the Netherton Tunnel Branch of the New Main Line (BCN). Simply click the box next to any service being displayed in the Map Key on the left of your screen.

Map Key

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Attraction
Historic Buildings
Castle
Museum
Theatre
Airport
Train Station
Bus Station
Public Houses
Restaurants
Licensed
Boat Yards
Marinas
Petrol
Diesel
Electricity Points
Water Points
Food Shops
Recycling Points
Sanitory Stations
Self Use Pump Outs
Sewage Disposal
Refuse Disposal
Mooring Overnight
Calor Gas
Laundries
Wi Fi
Winding Holes
Lock
Bridge
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A brief history of the Netherton Tunnel Branch of the New Main Line (BCN)

Canal Details
Canal length : 2.4 miles
Width : 7ft ins

The Netherton Tunnel was built to relieve the bottleneck of the adjacent Dudley Tunnel. The Dudley Tunnel is narrow without a tow path so boats would have had to have been ‘legged’ through. It was necessary to have alternating blocks of one-way working which resulted in waiting times many hours or even several days.

In contrast, The Netherton Tunnel is a wide tunnel (8.2m) with 2 towpaths to allow traffic in both directions. The branch is 2.4 miles long and the tunnel is some 9,081 feet in length. It was constructed between 1855 and 1858, opening in August 1858 and was the last canal tunnel to be constructed in Britain.

The tunnel has air vents known locally as the ‘pepper pots’, providing good ventilation and a shaft of light. The ventilation is sufficient today to allow boats using the tunnel to use their internal combustion engines.

For more detailed information, follow the link below: