Stowe Hill Tunnel is a railway tunnel on the West Coast Main Line

West Coast Main Line

The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...

 just south of the village of Weedon

Weedon Bec

Weedon Bec , usually just called "Weedon", is a large village and parish in the district of Daventry, Northamptonshire, England. It lies close to the source of the River Nene.-Geography:...

, Northamptonshire

Northamptonshire

Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...

, England. The tunnel runs in a straight line underneath the A5 main road between Weedon and Towcester

Towcester

Towcester , the Roman town of Lactodorum, is a small town in south Northamptonshire, England.-Etymology:Towcester comes from the Old English Tófe-ceaster. Tófe refers to the River Tove; Bosworth and Toller compare it to the "Scandinavian proper names" Tófi and Tófa...

 from about south-east to north west. The tunnel has a single bore with twin tracks and is 491 yards (449 m) long. The next station southbound is Wolverton

Wolverton railway station

Wolverton railway station serves northern Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, especially Stony Stratford, Wolverton and New Bradwell.The station is served by London Midland local services from Northampton to London on the West Coast Main Line. It is one of the five stations serving Milton Keynes...

 and northbound Rugby

Rugby

Rugby may refer to:*Rugby , made by Durant Motors*Rugby Ralph Lauren, a brand from Ralph Lauren*Baron Rugby of Rugby in the County of Warwickshire, a title in the British peerage...

. The tunnel was opened in 1838 as a part of the London and Birmingham Railway

London and Birmingham Railway

The London and Birmingham Railway was an early railway company in the United Kingdom from 1833 to 1846, when it became part of the London and North Western Railway ....

.

1915 and 1951 accidents

The tunnel was close to the site of two train derailments in which a total of 25 people died, though was unconnected with the cause of either.