The Mersey Tunnels connect the city of Liverpool with Wirral, under the River Mersey. There are three tunnels: the Mersey Railway Tunnel, opened 1886, and two road tunnels, the Queensway Tunnel, opened 1934 and the Kingsway Tunnel, opened 1971. The railway tunnel and Queensway road tunnel connect central Liverpool with Birkenhead, while the Kingsway road tunnel runs to Wallasey.
 | |
| Headquarters | Liverpool |
|---|---|
Area served | Liverpool, Wallasey, Birkenhead |
| Parent | Merseytravel Liverpool City Region Combined Authority |
| Website | merseytunnels |
| Act of Parliament | |
 | |
| Long title | An Act to amend provisions of the County of Merseyside Act 1980 relating to the levying, revision and application of tolls for use of the Mersey Tunnels and to amend that Act for other purposes. |
|---|---|
| Citation | 2004 c. ii |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 1 July 2004 |
| Other legislation | |
| Amends | County of Merseyside Act 1980 |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
The road tunnels are owned and operated by Merseytravel, and have their own police force, the Mersey Tunnels Police. In 1967 it was announced that the "Mersey Tunnel Scheme" was now operational.[1] The scheme comprised what was claimed to be the largest closed circuit television system for traffic control outside North America, and featured a bank of 22 CRT monitors.[1]
The Queensway Tunnel was used to film scenes for the film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 from 2010. This provided Claire House children's hospice in Wirral with a £20,000 windfall, the money being paid to Merseytravel by Warner Brothers, the makers of the film, for use of the Tunnel as a location.[2]
In November 2012 scenes for the 2013 film Fast & Furious 6 were filmed in the Queensway Tunnel.[3]
There is an annual 10k run that passes underneath the Mersey via the Kingsway Tunnel. This is the only time during the year when one can travel through the tunnel on foot. In 2024, more than 2,000 people registered to take part in the event.[4]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "News and Views: Mersey Tunnel TV". Autocar. 126 (3707): 80. 2 March 1967.
- ^ "Harry Potter Donation to Claire House". BBC News.
- ^ "The Fast and the Furious 6 filming in Liverpool. Pics Gareth Jones". Liverpool Echo.
- ^ "Thousands set to run Mersey Tunnel 10K this weekend". Wirral Globe. 11 April 2024. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
External links
edit53°24′23″N 3°00′43″W / 53.406360°N 3.011971°W
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