Engineers working to remove an old phone box from a railway station made an incredible discovery.
Up to 2,000,000 people use Salisbury station in Wiltshire every year without realising an historic labyrinth of tunnels and rooms were lying under their feet.
Staff from Network Rail and South Western Railway found the hidden network underground during £5,300,000 upgrades.
The forgotten tunnel, which played a role in the station’s logistics, leads beneath platform four and features architecture using sections of rail for the ceiling’s structural supports.
Old signal equipment made from timber was also discovered.
Steve Kelly, asset engineer at Network Rail, said it’s ‘one of the most interesting discoveries’ of his career.
He added: ‘The tunnel’s origins and purpose have become a topic of fascination, linking modern development with historical exploration. The tunnel offered a rare look into the hidden layers of the railway’s history, preserving a snapshot of the site’s legacy.’
While the discovery gave us a fascinating insight into the UK’s railway history, Paris is embracing the future with its £3,100,000,000 new mirrored subway station.
Villejuif-Gustave Roussy Station is part of the £29,000,000,000 Grand Paris Express railway project that will add new lines and stations across the French capital.
Meanwhile, French train carrier SNCF is giving a nod to the 70s with its latest high-speed TGV INOUI trains.
