Mayor of London Boris Johnson has taken part in a unique walk through the historic Thames Tunnel connecting Rotherhithe and Wapping, on the eve of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for members of the public to walk the route of the trains.
In collaboration with City Hall and London Overground, and thanks to funding from Museums Libraries Archive: Renaissance, Brunel Museum will guide over 1500 members of the public through the Victorian Thames Tunnel over two days. The tunnel first opened to pedestrians in 1843 but has carried passenger trains since 1869. It was closed in December 2007 to allow for the extension of the East London Line and conversion of the route to become part of the London Overground network later this year.
As the museum and London Overground prepared for the unique public tours, Boris had the chance to meet with partners and contractors working on the East London Line.
The Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: “This is an entirely one off chance for the public to walk through the Thames Tunnel ahead of the reopening of the East London Line, which is running so well to time that we have been able to pause the works to allow for this moment in history.
“You cannot underestimate the importance of the pioneering engineering that went into the Thames Tunnel at the hands of Marc Isambard Brunel and his son, Isambard Kingdom Brunel. This tunnel is without doubt the forerunner to the tube and metros systems we know the world over and this is a great story of old and new London in tandem. What the legacy of this amazing tunnel, first of its kind, has taught us, is the need to always invest in transport infrastructure, the benefits of which are preserved for Londoners for generations to come.”
Munira Mirza, Mayoral Advisor on Arts and Culture said:
“This amazing chance to go through the Thames Tunnel is the perfect ending to this year’s East Festival, now in its fourth year. The festival celebrates what makes east London one of the most dynamic parts of the capital and has this year taken place against a backdrop of intense building and innovation ahead of 2012. This is a great chance to remember that as far back as Victorian times, east London was a place of driving change.”
Ian Brown, Transport for London managing Director, London Overground said:
“We are delighted that we are able to offer this unique opportunity for Londoners to visit such a historic part of the transport network. I certainly do appreciate people’s patience while we have been working on a new London Overground service and we are looking forward to welcoming passengers onto the new service in just a few months time.”
Source: London.gov
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