The remarkable story of Catesby Tunnel

The remarkable story of Catesby Tunnel in Northamptonshire stretches across three centuries of engineering innovation. It was conceived with the limitless optimism of the Victorian age as part of the Great Central Main Line – a railway that would run from the industrial powerhouses of Manchester and Sheffield to the very heart of London. Opened in 1898, the tunnel thundered to the sound of mainline steam locomotives for nearly 70 years before it was closed as part of the Beeching cuts in 1966.

These days the tunnel echoes to the sound of a very different type of locomotion. Officially opened in December 2021, it’s now home to the world’s longest indoor aerodynamic test facility, providing a controlled, repeatable environment in which to test everything from bicycles to racing cars.