tunnel

DISRUPTION is continuing to cause problems for Brits heading to a major UK airport today.

If you are flying from London Heathrow Airport today you might want to check your travel route before you head off.

It comes after a tunnel at the airport has closed, leaving only one open for trains to head through.

A water leak forced the closure between Hayes & Harlington and Heathrow Airport and today, Elizabeth Line services running through the tunnel are facing severe delays.

Heathrow Express services between London Paddington and the airport are impacted, with just two running per hour instead of four.

Cancellations and delays are expected until the end of the day

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Tickets are being accepted across the Piccadilly Line as well as numerous different buses.

In a statement on Heathrow Airport’s website, it says: “Due to a partial tunnel closure, the Heathrow Express and Elizabeth Line are operating a reduced service to/from Heathrow.

“The Piccadilly line is operating as normal. Pre-paid Heathrow Express tickets will be accepted on the Elizabeth Line.

“Please allow extra time for your journey. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.”

Delays and cancellations also occurred yesterday.

There were also warnings in place for those travelling to Gatwick Airport due to local wildfires.

Footage shows Brazilian player Jacy Maranhão falling into the players’ tunnel after jumping over advertising boards while celebrating a goal in a Brazilian league match. To make matters worse the goal was ruled offside.

At least 10 people have died and 17 remain trapped, including rescuers, after a suspected gas explosion caused a tunnel collapse at a hydropower project in northeast India.

AN AMBITIOUS new project linking two major cities could cut travel time significantly for drivers.

The project hopes to also boost local economies and better protect the environment.

A 14-mile tunnel has been proposed beneath the Peak District Mountains to make it easier to link Manchester and Sheffield.

The Norway-inspired dual carriageway would send traffic underground and potentially cut driving time by as much as 30 minutes.

In addition to this, the Woodhead railway line between the two cities would be restored after decades of being inactive.

The fast line between Manchester and Sheffield was closed to the public in the 1970s and then entirely in 1981.

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Future Works, a group of infrastructure experts, believe this tunnel can be done for just under £2bn and improve the links between key northern cities.

Michael Dnes, the co-founder of Future Works, said he had guilt about not getting this product off the ground years ago when he worked for the Department for Transport.

When he left in 2024, he looked to Norway for a way to get the plan up and running for cheaper than £10bn, the cost of a similar shelved government scheme.

A spokesperson for Future Works, said: “High demand for the route means that the project could pay for itself, without the need for Westminster funding.

“Scandinavian tunnels are often owned by local councils, who recover the costs through tolls. Equally, northern pension funds have hundreds of billions in investment capital that could be mobilised to build the project.

“They aim to create a shovel-ready scheme, and to bring this through the planning system faster than the 10+ year processes that have become the norm in UK planning.

“Work could begin before the end of the decade, with the road and railway open in the mid-2030s.”

This tunnel is famous for its beautiful lighting and top air quality.

Norway has no shortage of beautiful roads. From snow capped mountains to glacial passes, a road trip through this gorgeous country means you will never be bored. It’s not just open road though – Norway is also home to one of the most beautiful tunnels in the world.

The Lærdal tunnel in West Norway is the longest road tunnel in the world, stretching 24.5 kilometres (15 miles) beneath a mountain range. It connects Aurland and Lærdal, in the heart of Sogn, and provides a ferry-free connection between Oslo and Bergen.

Construction of the tunnel began in 1995 and finished in 2000 and during construction an incredible 2,500,000 cubic meters of rock were extracted from the tunnel.

It cost a whopping £75million to construct. The tunnel is divided into four sections separated by three large caves.

The tunnel is known as one of the most beautiful in the world due to the way it has been designed to prevent driver fatigue and claustrophobia.

The main section of the tunnel is brightly lit with white lights, but each cave is lit with blue and yellow lighting around the edges to create the illusion of a sunrise.

These caves were lit with the idea of breaking up the monotony of the tunnel and allow drivers a short break.

The caves also work as turnaround points during the 20-minute journey.

There is also a rumble strip in each lane which stops drivers becoming inattentive and drifting.

At every kilometre, a sign lets you know how far you have travelled through the cave and how much further you have to go.

One of the other impressive things about the Lærdal Tunnel is that it is the first in the world to be equipped with an air treatment plant.

This plant can be found in a cavern 100 metres wide and it removes both dust and nitrogen dioxide from the tunnel air.

At least five people were killed after a massive landslide buried a tunnel construction site in Kerala during heavy monsoon rain. CCTV footage captured the dramatic collapse as rescuers search for several people feared trapped beneath the debris.

This incredible feat of engineering took 17 years of continuous construction to finish.

Ten years ago this month, construction finished on one of the most impressive feats of engineering in the world. The Gotthard Base Tunnel – a railway tunnel below the Lepontine Alps in Switzerland – is the longest and deepest transport tunnel in the world.

It opened in June 2016 and has provided a high-speed rail link between northern and southern Europe. Specifically, the train runs between Rotterdam in the Netherlands and Genoa in Italy.

It’s called a Base Tunnel as it travels through the base of the mountain, rather than trying to snake over the ranges.

This means that the journey on this train is by and large straight and flat.

The high speed trains that travel through it can reach speeds of 250km/h, slicing the journey time significantly.

Construction of this incredible tunnel took a whopping 17 years of continuous labour, and approximately CHF 12.2 billion (£11.2billion) to build.

Engineers and construction crews excavated more than 28 million tonnes of rock using massive boring machines to dig it out, as well as precious blasting to clear the way for the tunnel.

Before its construction, trains had to carefully traverse the winding mountain routes which meant travel speed and cargo capacity was significantly hampered.

Now, trains can whip through the solid rock mountain and travel between Erstfeld in the north to Bodio in the south in just 20 minutes.

This incredible tunnel runs for 57km and at its deepest point it is thousands of feet deep.

At the deepest point, trains are travelling at 7,546 feet below the surface.

Since its construction, the train has carried thousands of people with data showing that the number of people travelling through the Gotthard by train has almost doubled in 10 years

In 2025 the average was 16,400 a day, compared with 9,000 in 2015, according to the Swiss Federal Railways.

THERE’s a beach in one of Europe’s most up-and-coming holiday destinations that makes you feel like you’re in the Caribbean or Thailand.

Montenegro is on everyone’s radar this year as a holiday destination, thanks to new British Airways and Jet2 flights.

And one of the big spots to visit in Montenegro is the seaside town of Budva, one of the original tourist resorts.

Yet most tourists may not realise it has a lesser-popular beach away from the crowds – if you know where to look.

The main beach of the town is Mogren I beach, which can only be reached by a winding footpath through the cliffs.

However, most tourists stop there, not knowing that the local-loved beach is hidden around the corner.

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Mogren II beach is even harder to get through, via rickety iron bridge through a rock tunnel.

Yet it is worth the walk. I was greeted by bright blue waters not unlike some of the ones I had recently seen in Krabi, as well as quiet stretches of coastline.

I was there at 8am in the morning and not only did I skip the crowds, but I will enjoyed the already-soaring 29C temperatures.

While not sand – its actually very tiny white pebbles – I still felt like I had been transported somewhere much more tropical.

You can even rent sunloungers for the day which range from £10-£20 a day which includes two sunbeds and an umbrella.

And right behind these is Mogren Beach Bar, serving everything from cocktails to food, either meals or snacks to be taken to your lounger.

Prefer a shady beach? Visit after 3pm as the cliffs then hide most of the sunshine.

Other tourists agreed, with one on Tripadvisor calling it the “one of the best beaches in Europe“.

Another wrote: “One of the beautiful beaches I ever visited.”

To get to Budva, you can fly from the UK with British Airways, easyJet or Jet2 to Tivat, with it another 30 minutes by bus or car.

Here are some other things you can do in Montenegro this summer.

Three tunnels form part of the complex under the city

A European city has an extensive network of tunnels beneath it. The Blanka Tunnel Complex is the longest city tunnel in Europe and runs for a total length of 5,502 meters.

The tunnel sits under Prague and is the longest road tunnel in the Czech Republic. It connects the area west of Prague Castle with the Trója district in the North-east of the city.

Three tunnels, consisting of the Bubenečský, Dejvický, and Brusnický, make up the complex, which was designed to relieve heavy traffic from the history city centre. In its first 49 months since opening, it was used by 139 million cars.

Today, it is estimated that 88,000 vehicles use the tunnel every day. The Blanka Tunnel Complex opened on September 19, 2015, but it was a long time coming.

Construction launched in 2006, but it was planned since 1993. The tunnel was due to open in 2011, but the biggest and most expensive project in Prague was delayed by four years.

It cost 43 billion crowns, which is £1.5 billion today and doesn’t include all construction costs. During the construction of the tunnel complex, there were three landfalls.

The incident occurred twice in the Stromovka park, creating a hole measuring 15 to 25 meters. Another landfall happened in the garden area of the Ministry of Culture in Hradčany.

Since opening, the Blanka Tunnel Complex has undergone continuous maintenance. There is 24/7 monitoring by a dedicated control centre that works night shifts to service lights, ventilation systems, cabling and drainage.

Last year, the tunnel marked its 10th anniversary. Prague Daily News said: “It relieved congestion in the city centre, reduced journey times, and took vehicle traffic underground.

“Since its opening, around 780 million vehicles have passed through the tunnel.

“The Dejvický Tunnel has borne the greatest load with more than 271 million vehicles, followed by the Brusnický Tunnel with almost 266 million and the Bubenečský Tunnel with 236 million vehicles.

“Although Blanka has been in regular operation for years, the approval process for part of the project is still not fully concluded.

“A formal decision by the Administrative Court has meant that the relevant section continues to operate only under provisional use.

“Observers, however, expect a final acceptance soon.”