Glenfield Tunnel - LIHS

29/04/2026

I thought it was time to update everyone about the Glenfield tunnel tours this coming summer, we have unfortunately been stopped from entering the cutting and tunnel until further notice by Leicester city council. This is due to the ongoing problem with trees in the cutting which are considered dangerous and hence a risk to anyone entering the space.
As you can imagine the LIHS volunteers are extremely disappointed by this decision as we cannot setup the tunnel and miniature railway until we can enter the tunnel.
The tree problem is currently part of a planning application and appeal process between Leicester city council (the owners of the tunnel and cutting) and Leicestershire county council who are the decision makers on the planning process. The trees affected are protected which is why a planning application was necessary.
We have already cancelled a number of private tours over the coming weeks for local schools and clubs so we are feeling very frustrated that we are disappointing everyone.
When we have any more information I will update you all on the situation, in the meantime thank you all for your continued support and interest in the tunnel.

05/11/2025

Congratulations to the mindless idiots who have plastered graffiti all over the tunnel entrance over the past few days.
This is a grade 2 listed structure but I doubt that you are interested in that.

15/10/2025

The LIHS Tunnel tours and the miniature railway experience have been more popular than any of the volunteers could have possibly imagined, we have welcomed thousands of visitors since June and for the first time we have opened in October too.

The generosity of our visitors has humbled us and we though it appropriate to share some of the money with a charity, to this end we presented a cheque for £500 to LOROS who were most appreciative of our donation.

We use your donations wisely to provide safety equipment for visitors such as hi-vis vests (we have actually run out of these several times recently due to demand) and other items that enable us to give tours for school children, scouts, beavers and other voluntary groups.

We also received a grant from Glenfield Parish Council which has allowed us to provide a Defibrillator for our visitors, we obviously hope we never have to use this but we are prepared just in case.

Thanks to your generosity we can continue with our tours next year during July and September and we will keep the miniature railway for everyone to enjoy.

At the end of October we vacate the tunnel until next May so that the long eared brown bats can hibernate for the winter.

There are still rides to be had on the railway on the next two Saturdays in October, you can book here:

www.ticketsource.co.uk/leicestershire-industrial-history-society-miniature-railway-experience

Once again, thank you everyone!

12/10/2025

We have a new volunteer at the tunnel, we received this picture of the tunnel from Mason Walton aged 5 who is obsessed with the tunnel just like the rest of us who spend all day in there.
Apparently he reads our programmes at bedtime for light reading, he really is a true railway enthusiast.
This really touched us all and made our day, thank you Mason😁

26/09/2025

Tomorrow the 27th September marks the 200th anniversary of the first inaugural passenger service on the Stockton and Darlington railway, this is being celebrated all over the country by the Rail200 series of events.

Our contribution is the miniature railway in the Glenfield railway tunnel, the first passenger railway since 1928 to run in the tunnel. Thousands of people have already travelled on the little railway and if you haven’t then there are still places available over the next few weekends.

Come and join us if you can, it’s free and you can always make a contribution if you want to help us keep the tunnel open to visitors.

Our last day is 31st October and after this date the tunnel is left to the long eared brown bats who hibernate during the winter.

Book here for miniature railway trips:

www.ticketsource.co.uk/leicestershire-industrial-history-society-miniature-railway-experience

20/09/2025

This is a video from the filming taking place yesterday in the tunnel.

20/09/2025

Yesterday was a very interesting day in the Glenfield tunnel, we hosted a film production company who wanted to film a scene there for a cybersecurity training series. We were of course intrigued as to what this would entail and the day started with the arrival of a large construction of a door and portal to match the tunnel brickwork.
By 3pm a large group of people arrived which included camera, sound, a drone and of course the actors, there were around 30 people in the tunnel including a misting machine to provide extra ‘atmosphere’ for the filming.
The team have been filming at the Athena in Leicester in the early hours of the morning too so they certainly get around.
We think this is the first time that anything like this has been done in the tunnel, the tunnel was just right for the production apparently and the team were very grateful to be able to use it.

We did ask the team to leave the buggy but sadly they took it home😁

15/09/2025

Just to answer some questions about the Glenfield tunnel tours which are being asked here on Facebook and via messenger and emails.

THERE ARE TWO DIFFERENT EVENTS at the Glenfield tunnel over the next six weekends.

1. The TUNNEL TOURS start at the old vicarage opposite the Forge inn, there is room to park your car for the duration of the tour and you will be met by a tour guide who will check your details and lead you to the tunnel along the route of the old Leicester and Swannington railway track whilst giving an overview of its history.

2. The MINIATURE RAILWAY EXPERIENCE starts at the Glenfield tunnel entrance at the end of Stephenson court which must be approached on foot.

THERE IS NO PARKING IN STEPHENSON COURT OR THE CUTTING
it’s resident parking only and the route must be kept clear for the emergency services.

Please help us to stay friends with the residents who live here by being considerate and parking elsewhere.

There is adequate parking available at COUNTY HALL, a 10 minute walk away from the tunnel cutting via the Groby road underpass and a public footpath all of which are clearly marked on open days.

Your assistance is much appreciated and we look forward to welcoming you in the tunnel.

All the tickets for TUNNEL TOURS are now gone (unless anyone cancels)

There are still tickets for the MINIATURE RAILWAY EXPERIENCE available until the end of October, please see the ticket source website for details at;

Buy tickets for Leicestershire Industrial History Society's upcoming events. Click the link for further information and to secure your tickets now!

11/09/2025

The Glenfield railway tunnel will be open again this weekend for pre-booked tunnel tours and rides on the miniature railway.

We are extremely sorry that the tunnel was closed last weekend but we were compelled to close due to the tree problem in the railway cutting, we have changed our operating methods to minimise the risks until the owners, Leicester city council can rectify the problems with the trees.

As a way of saying sorry for the disappointment of last weekend we would also like to offer a train ride this weekend for anyone who’s ride was cancelled, just turn up at the same time slot that you had booked for last weekend and we will endeavour to give you a ride on the newly extended track.

The volunteers have worked tirelessly over the past two weeks to re-open the tunnel and overcome the safety concerns that arose in the cutting, during the safety assessment, a badger sett was even discovered in the bank of the cutting which we knew nothing about!

We thank you all for your patience and understanding and we will be delighted to see you all this weekend.

Please be aware that there are still spare places on the railway over the coming weekends right up until the end of October so don’t miss out.

04/09/2025

PLEASE NOTE THE CANCELLATION OF THE GLENFIELD TUNNEL MINIATURE RAILWAY EVENT FOR 6TH AND 7TH SEPTEMBER

The LIHS is very sorry that we have to cancel the railway event for both days due to problems with the trees within the cutting before the tunnel. There has been a fall of a branch from one of the trees and LIHS could not guarantee that there would not be another branch fall especially if there are strong winds this weekend.

Your safety is paramount and we cannot risk any injuries.

Please note that if you have made a donation via Ticket Source,then LIHS will not be able to refund your money.

We hope to offer more tours in the coming weeks once the issue with the trees is resolved

Once again we are very sorry for the cancellation.

25/08/2025

Due to unprecedented demand for tickets after our recent fame on television ,LIHS are pleased to announce more tunnel tours and trips on the miniature railway experience which we have recently extended further into the tunnel.

These extra slots are live now and are on Saturdays only during October, we are also hoping to run a Halloween special train ride on 31st October so watch this space for more details.

www.ticketsource.co.uk/leicestershire-industrial-history-society-miniature-railway-experience

https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/leicestershire-industrial-history-society