Plan to reopen rail tunnel and tackle orange water

Funding has been announced to reopen a rail tunnel and tackle orange water in a nearby harbour.

Network Rail said it had "firm proposals" and £60m government funding to open Bransty tunnel on the Cumbrian Coast Line and treat discoloured water flowing from it into Whitehaven's Queen's Dock.

Local MP Josh MacAlister said plans included a permanent water filter and work to fill the old mine workings under the track.

"These plans are now being carefully reviewed by partner agencies to get the necessary environmental approvals needed to allow us to start work as soon as we possibly can," Network Rail said.

Bransty tunnel, between Whitehaven and Corkickle, shut in July 2025 when engineers found its floor needed "significant reinforcement" following the discovery of old mine structures.

Rail passengers on the busy route to Sellafield have used replacement buses during the closure.

Meanwhile, the water in Queen's Dock has been discoloured orange since 2022 because of iron ochre draining through a culvert from the tunnel.

Network Rail said a solution had been found after "many months of detailed design and complex modelling" with the Mining Remediation Authority and the Environment Agency.

It had "firm proposals and funding for a dual solution to get both the railway reopened and tunnel water treated before it enters the harbour", North West and Central director Christian Irwin said.

However, it said it needed to secure environmental approvals over the next few weeks before it could share when work could start and how long it would take.

Chair of the Whitehaven Harbour Task Force, Labour MP Josh MacAlister, said the investment was a "huge breakthrough".

He added a previous proposal to divert the water into the sea had been "ruled out".

Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram and listen to Radio Cumbria on BBC Sounds.