Calls to permanently open historic tunnel in Sydney's Blue Mountains

Calls for funding to open historic Blue Mountains tunnel Wed 5 Aug 2026 at 7:21am In short: Blue Mountains City Council west of Sydney is calling for $15 million in funding to permanently reopen a 134-year-old tunnel that connects the towns of Lapstone and Glenbrook. Locals have described the historic tunnel as a "missing link" for a safer cycling route between the Lower Blue Mountains and Western Sydney. What's next? Mayor Mark Greenhill says the council's lease on the tunnel expires at the end of this year. Blue Mountains City Council wants $15 million to permanently reopen a 134-year-old tunnel that drew sell-out crowds at the weekend. Originally built for a railway to the mountains in 1892, the Lapstone Hill Tunnel once stored munitions and mustard gas during World War II and at one point served as a mushroom farm. Mayor Mark Greenhill says council spent $4 million from a state government grant to clean out the tunnel and install lighting. However, he says further funding is needed to build car parking and easy access and exit to the site. "What we're seeking is partnership from the other levels of government so that this really amazing piece of Australia's history can be opened up permanently," Cr Greenhill said. "It is like walking back in time to another era." Cr Greenhill says the council has a temporary lease on the state-owned site which is due to end by the end of the year. "My fear is this, if we don't get some funding by the end of the year, the license will finish. All the work we've done will be for naught," Cr Greenhill said. "All the work we've done to clean it up, put lights in it, it'll have been for nothing and might be locked away for another couple of centuries." The council argues opening the tunnel would provide a safer cycling route between Western Sydney and the Blue Mountains, potentially removing cyclists from the Great Western Highway between Glenbrook and Lapstone. The state heritage-listed tunnel was opened in 1892 as a railway tunnel in the Blue Mountains, but was later closed in 1913 because it was too steep for trains. Locals back permanent opening Thousands of residents and visitors attended open days over the last two weekends, which allowed for walk-throughs of the historic tunnel. David Watson grew up in Lapstone and remembers the tunnel portals being a scary place because they were locked up and inaccessible. He started campaigning to open the tunnel in 2012 after seeing the portals surrounded by disused shipping containers and forklifts from its days as a mushroom farm. ""This would be a perfect thing for people to walk through with their dogs or their kids and for push bikes to ride through," Mr Watson said. "This is like a missing link that would … get cyclists off the busy highway but also get walkers back into the lower mountains." Lapstone local Michele Corin said the tunnel was inspiring a sense of wonder in Blue Mountains residents who turned up in droves. "It's a place that brings people together, strengthens local identity and showcases the heritage that shaped our region," Ms Corin said. A spokesperson for the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure said the state government would support the council's efforts to activate the site "while pursuing alternate funding sources". "The NSW Government previously provided $4 million to Blue Mountains City Council for remediation of the Lapstone Tunnel," the spokesperson said.