A large sinkhole in the middle of a busy road in Edinburgh appeared to reveal a long-lost railway line.  The massive sink-hole which appeared in Dublin Street, Edinburgh sparked a frenzy from council workers to rush to the scene.  An investigation is currently underway to establish what caused the hole to appear.

The sinkhole actually revealed what remains of the historic Scotland Street Railway Line beneath the New Town Road, before it was covered up.  Works on the railway line began as early as 1840 to create a link between Canal Street Station, which is now known as Waverley, to north Edinburgh. In order to link the 2 areas the project involved creating a massive tunnel from Canonmills which ran underneath Scotland Street, Dublin Street and St Andrew’s Square.  The track was officially opened on May 17 1847 but abandoned after just 21 years of service, when a more efficient route was opened up by the North British Railway Company. 

Although the railway line was closed down the tunnel of the site found other uses including being a hub for the Scottish Mushroom Company who used to produce 500lbs in a single day using over 800 mushroom beds. The tunnel also acted as an air raid shelter in the Second World War and housed safety to over 3000 people.

In 1983 the southern entrance to the underpass was demolished to make way for the construction of Waverley Market which sadly saw the end to any hope of a new life for the Scotland Street Tunnel.

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