–  The Rhondda Tunnel was closed to rail traffic in 1968 and both approach cuttings had been filled with colliery waste by 1982, leaving little visible trace of its existence.
– The tunnel is currently owned by the London Dept. for Transport and managed by National Highways. The DfT has no budget to re-open it.
– Balfour Beatty Rail carried out a detailed examination in 2018 enabling the Society to estimate the whole project cost of restoration and provision of the associated infrastructure at £14.62M (May 2023) for it to become Europe’s longest walking/cycling tunnel.
– Whilst there are sections of the tunnel needing repairs, the Balfour Beatty found that most of the tunnel was in excellent condition. Other experts have since confirmed this.
– There is huge public and political support for the project which will generate much needed economic activity in several of Wales’s most deprived wards.
– Bus services operate from close to both portals and frequent trains stop at Treherbert, within easy cycling distance.
– The Rhondda Tunnel Society is developing plans that will enable it to seek planning permission to re-open the tunnel in stages; public consultations with the two communities have already taken place.
– The tunnel will need visitors’ centres and bike / buggy hire facilities at both ends, as well as car parking and camping / glamping facilities at Blaencwm.
– The construction phase of the project is estimated at 18 months with a further year for planning approval and various consents.
– There are hundreds of Victorian tunnels on the rail network and long cycling, walking & canal tunnels throughout the UK so the skills to maintain the tunnel are widely available.
– There are strong arguments for and against charging tolls. If any access is to be free of charge, a public subsidy would be required.
– The tunnel is to be run by a management company (Rhondda Tunnel Ltd.) which will manage and maintain it as well as pay for public liability insurance.
– Renewable energy schemes adjacent to both portals will generate more than enough power to light the tunnel and visitors’ centres, with power to export.
– A single organisation will provide bike, electric bike and buggy hire, which can be hired for a one-way trip through the tunnel with a return bus service over the top at popular times.
– The aim is to create a visitor experience that attracts people of all ages and abilities, with special emphasis on giving a great experience to disabled and elderly visitors who will be able to use electric and adapted vehicles, some multi-seaters.
– Rhondda Tunnel Ltd. will be able to attract big sponsored sporting events such as long-distance runs, cycling and walking events which will help pay for its upkeep and generate the jobs that can be expected.
– To enhance the visitor experience and increase visitor numbers, many of the over 500 alcoves in the tunnel will be used to house audio visual and graphic art displays. Indeed, the tunnel can be seen as an exhibition space almost 2 miles long. Some alcoves could house sponsored displays.
– The Society is developing a scheme to expose the entrances and reinstate the tunnel in stages with a series of smaller funding packages if a full package is unavailable.
– The health benefits that the tunnel will bring from increased activity through walking & cycling are hard to quantify.
– Based on other cycle tunnels and travel times to the tunnel, we estimate a total of approx. 86k visitors p.a.
– The Society owns the former Glenrhondda colliery site adjacent to the Blaencwm portal. It will house a visitors’ centre and be developed into Parc Gwledig Glenrhondda Country Park, containing other attractions.