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Hubli

Hubli (officially Hubballi ) is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. The twin cities Hubli–Dharwad form the second largest city in the state by area and population and the largest city in North Karnataka. Hubli is in Dharwad district of Karnataka and is the taluk headquarters of Hubli City and Hubli Rural. Although it hosts the HDMC office, the district headquarters is in Dharwad.

It also houses the largest number of government offices outside the state capital. In 2016, Hubli-Dharwad was selected for solar city / green city master plans. In 2017, government of India included Hubli-Dharwad city for a smart city project, a flagship scheme for overall development of infrastructure in the twin-cities.

Etymology
The name Hubballi comes from Kannada Hoovina Balli which means "Flowering creeper" in Kannada. Hubli is the anglicised version of Hubballi.

History
Rayara Hubli, also called 'Eleya Purvada Halli' or 'Purballi', was the old Hubli, and according to an inscription in the Bhavani Shankar Temple, the oldest temple in the city, was founded in the 11th Century. The impressive Chandramauleshwara Temple, Unkal is from Chalukyan times and was built in the 11th or 12th century.

Under Vijayanagara Rayas, Rayara Hubli grew as a commercial centre, famous for trade in cotton, saltpetre and iron. Under the rule of the Adilshahis, the British opened a factory here. The factory was looted by Shivaji in 1673. The Mughals conquered Rayara Hubli and it was then placed under the governance of the Nawab of Savanur, who built a new extension named Majidpura. In 1727, trader Basappa Shettar built the town and fort of new Hubli around the Durgadabail (fort maidan) part of Rayara Hubli.

Hubli's famous Moorusavira Matha is claimed to have been established by a Sharana of Basaveshwara's period. Hubli was conquered by the Marathas from the Nawab of Savanur in 1755–56. In the following years, Hubli was conquered by Hyder Ali, only to be recaptured by the Marathas in 1790. At this point in time, the old town was administered by a person named Phadke under the Peshwas and the new town was under the administration of the Sangli Patwardhan. The British took Old Hubli from the Peshwas in 1817. The new town, with 47 other villages, was handed over to the British by the Sangli Patwardhan in lieu of subsidy in 1820. Later in 1880, the British started the Railway workshop and with this, Hubli came to be reckoned as an industrial centre in this part of India.

The Sufi shrine, Sayed Fathesha Wali, was visited by Tipu Sultan.

Climate
Hubli-Dharwad has a tropical wet and dry climate. Summers are hot and dry, lasting from late February to early June. They are followed by the monsoon season, with moderate temperatures and a large amount of precipitation. Temperatures are fairly moderate from late October to early February, with virtually no rainfall. Hubli is 640 meters above sea level. The average yearly rainfall is 838 mm.

Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation
Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation (HDMC) was constituted in 1962 by combining the two cities separated by a distance of 20 kilometres. The area covered by the corporation is spread over 45 revenue villages and is the second-largest city corporation in Karnataka state. The population of the city as per the 1991 census was 700,000. The population of Hubli-Dharwad is 943,857 according to 2011 Census. Hubli Municipal Council was established under the Government of India Act of 1850, and the Dharwad Municipal Council first came into existence on 1 January 1856. Both were merged later. The headquarters of HDMC is situated in Hubli, comprising 82 members covering four Vidhan Sabha Constituencies of Hubli-Dharwad. There has been a huge demand by people of Dharwad to create a separate civic body and get itself detached by HDMC. Claims are that most of the funds are allocated to Hubli solely.

Economy
Hubli is the commercial hub of Karnataka state popularly known as Vanijya Nagari & Chota Mumbai. Hubli has a wide cluster of industries and has more than a lakh small and medium industries. The Government of India has set up a Software Technology Park of India on Dharwad Road and Aryabhata Tech Park in Navanagar region of Hubli. The city is situated on the dividing line between Malnad and the Deccan plateau. Malnad is well known for its forests and forest-based industries and the other three sides are known for their agricultural products including cotton, groundnut, and oilseeds, as well as manganese ore and granite.

The establishment of a new-generation diesel locomotive shed in the city by Indian Railways was another major boost for the development of industries in this region, as it was the first of its kind in Indian Railways history. The diesel locomotive shed at Hubli is the largest holder of EMD locomotives in India and was set up in 1880.

Demographics
The population of the twin cities as per provisional figures of Census 2011 is 943,857 and is urban. Hubli-Dharwad's population increased by 22.99% between 1981 and 1991, from 527,108 to 648,298, and by 21.2% between 1991 and 2001. The municipality covers 213 km2.

Education

Hubli, is an education centre in Karnataka, housing several educational institutions:
 * KLE Technological University, set up in 1947
 * Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences, Hubli, set up in 1957; also houses one of the largest hospitals in India
 * Karnataka State Law University, Hubli; all the law colleges in Karnataka are regulated from here
 * KLE Institute of Technology, set up in 2008
 * Nalanda BCA College
 * Nehru Arts, Science and Commerce College
 * Lamington High School, established in 1904 as Lamington Boys and Girls High School.

Air

Hubli Airport is a domestic airport serving the twin cities of Hubli-Dharwad and North Karnataka in the state of Karnataka, India. It is situated on Gokul Road, 8 kilometres from city centre and 20 km from Dharwad. It is the third busiest airport in Karnataka and the 45th busiest airport in India. In March 2020, Hubli airport received the best airport award under government of India's Regional connectivity scheme. Hubli airport connects to 10 destinations throughout the country. Efforts are being made to make Hubli Airport as international Airport.

Rail

The city currently has four stations and one Junction. The Hubballi Junction railway station is the main railway station in the city with a built-up area of 161,460 sq. ft. In September 2020, the union cabinet has approved the change of the station name to 'Shree Siddharoodha Swamiji Railway Station - Hubballi'. The other stations are Hubli South, Hubli East, Unkal, and Amargol. Hubli is the headquarters of the South Western Railway zone. It was carved out as a zone from the current South Central Railway. It is the centre for the Hubli Division. The Hubli Division is one of the highest revenue-generating divisions in India. Hubli is well-connected by the Indian Rail Network. Several trains ply from Hubli to Mumbai, New Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Varanasi Vijaywada, Rameshwaram & other cities In November 2019, the work for extending a platform was undertaken by the Railways at the estimated cost of 90 Cr. According to railway officials, the length of the renewed platform is estimated at 1,505 meters, which would be longest in the world. The work is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2020. Hubli also has a Heritage Rail museum. The Indian Railways currently has 11 railway museums across the country. For bringing glory to the proposed Rail Museum, narrow-gauge Railway Rolling Stocks, from different Railways are being displayed and work is moving at a rapid pace. It is proposed to collect photographs of Rail network going back to the 19th and early 20th century so that all old memories of Rail Journey can be part of the photo gallery in the proposed Rail Heritage Museum.

Road
Hubli lies on the "Golden Quadrilateral". Asian Highway 47 passes through Hubli. It lies on National Highway 63 (Ankola–Gooty) and National Highway 52 and National Highway 50 (India) (Hubli–Humnabad), which connect Hubli with major cities in the region. NWKRTC (North West Karnataka Road Transport Corporation) is a state-run corporation headquartered at Hubli. A semi ring road connecting National Highway 48 (India) (Mumbai-Chennai), National Highway 63 (India) (Ankola–Gooty) and National Highway 52 (India) and National Highway 50 (India) (Hubli–Humnabad) with cloverleaf Junction at Gabbur is already under construction.

Hubli-Dharwad Bus Rapid Transit System
Hubli-Dharwad Bus Rapid Transit System (also known as HDBRTS) is a bus rapid transit system built to serve the twin cities of Hubli and Dharwad, located in the North-Western part of Karnataka state in India. Hubli-Dharwad BRTS (HDBRTS) project is a Government of Karnataka initiative to foster long-term economic growth in the region. The project promotes fast, safe, comfortable, convenient and affordable public transportation between the twin cities and aims to reduce congestion and air pollution in the region.

The length of the Hubli-Dharwad BRTS corridor is 22.25 km from CBT Hubli to CBT–Dharwad with the width of the cross-sections ranging from 44 to 35 m. The BRTS corridor includes segregated bus lanes, access-controlled bus stations, physical and fare integration with BRT feeder services, off-board ticketing through smart cards and bar-coded paper tickets, intelligent transport system and high-quality buses (Standard AC buses). The corridor is designed for operating regular and express services. It consists of two lanes for BRTS buses on either side of the median bus station facilitating overtaking lanes for express services. Foot overbridges at six locations, PELICAN signals, and synchronised signal management are proposed to facilitate the easy approach of passengers to bus stations.

Notable people

 * Gururaj Deshpande, co-founder of Sycamore Networks, the Deshpande Center for Technological Innovation at MIT and the Deshpande Foundation
 * Gangubai Hangal, Hindustani classical vocalist and Padma Vibhushan awardee
 * Siddappa Kambli, politician who played an important role in the Karnataka Ekikarna Movement
 * Rao Sahib Ganpatrao Narayanrao Madiman, businessman and banker
 * Sudha Murty, Infosys co-founder & wife of Narayan Murthy
 * Akshata Murty, British-based fashion designer and Spouse of the prime minister of the United Kingdom
 * Vijay Sankeshwar, owner of VRL Group logistic company

title: Hubli


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Mersey Ferry

The Mersey Ferry is a ferry service operating on the River Mersey in northwest England, between Liverpool to the east and Birkenhead and Wallasey on the Wirral Peninsula to the west. Ferries have been used on this route since at least the 12th century and continue to be popular for both local people and visitors.

The current fleet consists of two vessels. A third ferry, Royal Daffodil was in service until 2012. The current ferries originally came into service in the 1960s and were named Mountwood and Woodchurch. Both ferries have been extensively refurbished and renamed Royal Iris of the Mersey and Snowdrop. The ferries share the workload of cross-river ferrying, charter cruises and the Manchester Ship Canal cruise. The service is operated by Merseytravel, under the "Mersey Ferries" brand.

Medieval ferries
In about 1150, the Benedictine Priory at Birkenhead was established. The monks used to charge a small fare to row passengers across the river. At this time, the Mersey was considerably wider with sand dunes and marshes to the north leading up to Ainsdale beach and sandstone cliffs and shorelines to the south near Otterspool. The only suitable landing point for the ferry was in the Pool, near the site of the present Merseyside Police headquarters. Weather often stopped crossings and passengers were delayed for days, taking shelter at the priory.

In 1317, a royal licence was issued, granting permission to the Priory to build lodging houses for men crossing the river at Woodside. King Edward II visited Liverpool in 1323, and the royal accounts show that he used local ferrymen to sail up the river to Ince. In 1330, his son Edward III granted a charter to the Priory and its successors forever: "the right of ferry there… for men, horses and goods, with leave to charge reasonable tolls". At the time, there was only a small hamlet at Birkenhead, and a slightly larger village at Liverpool. The Chester Indictments record criminal activities on the Mersey ferries in the 14th and early 15th centuries. In 1355, Richard, son of Simon de Becheton, was murdered on the ferry; the murderers escaped and took refuge at Shotwick. In 1365, it was recorded that there were four ferryboats operating without a licence, from Bromborough and Eastham. In 1414, William de Stanley, the servant of John Talbot, later Earl of Shrewsbury, was on the ferry between Birkenhead and Liverpool when about 200 men assaulted him and stole his bay horse valued at £5 (current value - over £2,800), a bow and 14 arrows valued at 3s 4d (current value - over £95) and a barge valued at £10 (current value - over £5,700). The thieves were fined.

A licence was issued in 1357 to the Poole family by Edward, the Black Prince, for a ferry from Eastham. The licence then passed to the Abbey of St Werburgh, in Chester, and became known as Job's Ferry. Early ferries also existed across the Mersey further upstream, at Ince and at Runcorn.

From the 16th to the 18th century
The monks of Birkenhead Priory operated a ferry service until the Dissolution of the Monasteries and the priory's destruction by Henry VIII's troops in 1536. Ownership reverted to the Crown, and in 1544 the ferry rights as well as the Priory properties were bought by Ralph Worsley of Lancashire for £586. 11s. 6d (current value - almost £205,000). The rights later passed to the Molyneux family. By 1541 William Bromley had the licence for ferries at Seacombe, and in 1586, Queen Elizabeth granted John Poole of Sutton the rights at Tranmere.

During this period, the private owners began to use fully rigged sailing ships. The use of sailing ships meant that bigger vessels could be employed, but in reality, these boats were even more at the bidding of the weather. The Mersey is famed for its thick fogs, and during these times during winter there was little wind and ferries could not operate. The frequency depended on demand and the weather.

By the 18th century, the commercial expansion of Liverpool and the increase in stage coach traffic from Chester spurred the growth of the transportation of passengers and goods across the river. Ferry services from Rock House on the Wirral – that is, Rock Ferry – were first recorded in 1709. By 1753 the Cheshire side of the Mersey had at least five ferry houses at Ince, Eastham, the Rock, Woodside and Seacombe. The service from New Ferry to Liverpool was first mentioned in 1774.

Steam ferries
The first steamship to operate on the Mersey was the Elizabeth, a wooden paddle steamer, which was introduced in 1815 to operate between Liverpool and Runcorn. There was considerable debate as to the best way of boarding a ferry vessel. For the steam ferry Etna, which entered service at Tranmere on 17 April 1817, the idea of extension stages was mooted. These were long piers that were mounted on wheels and, by using a steam engine, could be wheeled in and out depending on the level of the tide.

At Woodside, a small slipway was built on the beach to allow the boats to berth, and in 1822 the paddle steamer Royal Mail began commercial operation between Liverpool and Woodside. The town of Birkenhead was just starting to develop at this point. In 1820, the Birkenhead Ferry began operating from a new site just to the south; this closed in 1870. The Woodside, North Birkenhead and Liverpool Steam Ferry Company was formed in 1835, and the slipway at Woodside was widened and constructed as a stone pier. In 1838, the Monks Ferry Company began operating rival ferries from a new stone slip and hotel about 400 metres south of Woodside, but this service closed in 1878.

From about 1830, steam ferries also operated from the new resort developed by James Atherton at New Brighton, and from nearby Egremont. Steam ferries also began operating from Eastham.

By the 1840s, Birkenhead was developing into a busy new town. The railway to Chester had opened, the town was growing quickly, and the docks were under construction. There were also competing ferry services and disputes over the rights granted to the monks, and there was a need to improve the facilities at Woodside. In the early 1840s, the old slipway was replaced with a new stone pier with a small lighthouse at the end. However, this soon became inadequate.

In 1847, the first floating landing stage, which rose and fell with the tide so that boats could dock at any time, was opened at Liverpool. The first portion, known as the Georges' landing stage, was designed by William Cubitt and was 500 feet long. It was rebuilt and extended in 1874.

Corporation years
Until the establishment of the Mersey Railway in 1886, the ferries were the only means of crossing the river, and so all of the routes were heavily used. All of the ferry routes were owned by private interests before coming under municipal ownership in the mid 19th century. The Woodside ferry was taken over by the Birkenhead Commissioners in 1858 and, in 1861, the Wallasey Local Board took over the ferry services at Seacombe, Egremont and New Brighton. At Woodside, land between the Woodside Hotel and the end of the old pier was reclaimed, and in 1861 the floating landing stage was opened. The pontoons were towed into position, moored by chains originally made for the SS Great Eastern, and linked to the mainland by two double bridges.

The Cheshire, the first passenger ferry steamer to have a saloon, operated from Woodside in 1864. The iron pier at Eastham was built in 1874. On 26 November 1878, the ferry Gem, a paddle steamer operated from Seacombe by the Wallasey Local Board, collided with the Bowfell, a wooden sailing ship at anchor on the River Mersey; five people died as a result.

In 1886 the Mersey Railway Tunnel was opened, providing competition for the ferry services. The Woodside ferry service began using twin-screw passenger steamers in 1890, which replaced paddle steamers. In 1894 trains were carrying 25,000 passengers per day and the ferries 44,000 per day. The ferry service at Tranmere, which had operated since mediaeval times, closed in 1897. The pier and landing stage at Rock Ferry was built in 1899, and Birkenhead Corporation also operated the ferry service at New Ferry.

In 1914 King George V and Queen Mary travelled on the ferry Daffodil from Wallasey to Liverpool. During the First World War the steamers Iris and Daffodil were taken out of service from Wallasey to be used as troop ships in the naval raid on Zeebrugge in Belgium. The ferries had a shallow draft, allowing them to skim over the mines floating beneath the surface, and were robust enough to approach the heavily defended mole curling into the North Sea. They both saw action, which was described on 24 April 1918 by Vice–Admiral Sir Roger Keyes of the Royal Navy in a message to the ferries' manager: "I am sure it will interest you to know that your two stout vessels carried Bluejackets and Marines to Zeebrugge, and remained alongside the Mole for an hour, greatly contributing to the success of the operation... The damage caused by enemy gun fire has been repaired". Because of their work King George V allowed the vessels to use the word "Royal" in their name. They needed extensive refitting before they could resume peacetime activities.

In the boats themselves, there was quick development. The early incarnations of today's modern vessels can be seen in some of the early propeller driven ships, mainly the 1906 pair, Royal Iris and Royal Daffodil. The Wallasey twin screw vessels all had flying bridges with port and starboard docking cabs. As built, the two ferries still had the wheel at promenade deck level, however this was subsequently moved up onto the bridge, so navigation was all on one level. They were all fitted with ahead and astern reciprocating engines and most vessels could achieve a speed of around 12 knots, which is about the same as today's trio of ferries. On early paddlers, the wheelhouse and side cabs were open largely due to the transition from sail to steam, and most ships at the time had open navigation bridges with the ferries being no different. Birkenhead did not use flying bridges, instead having a central wheelhouse and two outer navigation boxes which were raised up higher above deck level. Wallasey ferries employed a funnel livery of white and black and Birkenhead red and black. Birkenhead changed to orange and black after the second world war.

When the railway tunnels were constructed and opened, the ferry service did suffer somewhat but it always remained popular. It was really the advent of the road tunnels that caused trouble. When the Queensway road tunnel opened in 1934, the ferry service from Seacombe lost two million passengers because people started to use the tunnel rather than the ferry. The opening of the road tunnel also had an effect on the luggage boats which were introduced in 1879. Both ferry companies earned a substantial amount from luggage boats, which carried vehicles and goods across the river. When the road tunnel opened, traffic dropped by 80%. By the 1940s, luggage boat services from both Woodside and Seacombe to Liverpool had ceased. From Woodside in 1941 and from Seacombe 1947.

Due to financial losses incurred from a gradual reduction in patronage, Birkenhead Corporation gradually closed its southern terminals; New Ferry (officially) on 22 September 1927, Eastham in 1929 and Rock Ferry on 30 June 1939. The closure of Eastham marked the last use of ferry paddle steamers on the river. Wallasey were always trying to close Egremont, but faced stiff opposition from locals who got petitions to keep the ferry open. The chance came to close Egremont during the Second World War for economic reasons, after the pier was damaged in a collision. This was in similar circumstances to the demise of New Ferry twenty years earlier. As a result, the Egremont service never reopened.

In 1941, mines which had drifted into the River Mersey stopped ferry crossings. The Oxton and Bebington vessels were fitted with cranes to enable them to unload United States aircraft from mid-river and deliver them to the Liverpool landing stage. The Upton vessel was taken by the army and used as a ferry and supply vessel for the anti-aircraft forts in Liverpool Bay.

In 1950, the ferries carried almost 30 million passengers a year, including 11 million on the Woodside ferries and 15 million on Seacombe ferries, but by 1970 the total number fell to 7 million. Night boats across the river were withdrawn and replaced by buses through the tunnel in 1956.

The MPTE takes over
As a result of the Transport Act 1968, the transport functions of both Wallasey and Birkenhead Corporations came under the control of the Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive (MPTE) on 1 December 1969. By this time, New Brighton had declined as a tourist destination and coupled with silting problems near the landing stage, the ferry service was withdrawn in 1971, with the stage and pier subsequently demolished.

In spite of the close proximity of Wallasey and Birkenhead and their respective ferry landing stages, each corporation had used different gangway spacing on their vessels. This meant that a Wallasey ferry could not utilise both gangways at Birkenhead's terminal at Woodside, and that a Birkenhead boat would be similarly disadvantaged at Seacombe and New Brighton. The Pier Head at Liverpool was obliged to have gangways to suit both sets of ships. When the combined ferry fleet was rationalised, Seacombe Ferry landing stage required the construction of an additional gangway to cater for the Birkenhead vessels.

The 1970s economic situation in Britain saw costs escalating, with funding limited by the MPTE, which was embarking on an expensive operation to construct the Merseyrail "Liverpool Loop" extension. Compounded with the opening of the Kingsway road tunnel on 28 June 1971 and a further decline in passenger numbers (only 4,000-5,000 a day), the future of the service was uncertain. It was sentimental, rather than economical grounds which resulted in the retention of the ferries, after much public protest to keep them. However, service frequency was reduced, with ferry fares being linked to bus and rail fares. During this period, maintenance on the ferries was limited considerably, with the Woodchurch being laid up as a salvage for parts for Mountwood and Overchurch. At this time, the large brass helm from Overchurch was damaged and was replaced by that from Woodchurch. After the damaged helm was repaired, it was placed on Woodchurch. This has remained the case, even after both vessels were extensively rebuilt.

1984 was a momentous year for the ferries and can be seen as the beginning of their rise from the slump of the 1970s. For the duration of the International Garden Festival, a special ferry service was provided to Otterspool Promenade. This service was usually operated by the Overchurch. The ferries also began to operate summer Manchester Ship Canal cruises, a service which had been popular for many years since the canal opened but declined somewhat in the 1960s and 1970s. Sailing ships from the Tall Ships' Race visited the river in August 1984, which helped bring patronage to 250,000 over four days, a level unseen for forty years.

Bus deregulation and the 1990 changes
On 26 October 1986 as a result of the Transport Act 1985, bus services were deregulated and restrictions which prevented regular bus services through the Mersey Tunnels were abolished. As a result, many buses which formerly stopped at the Birkenhead Woodside bus/ferry terminal were extended into Liverpool. This was another blow to the Mersey Ferries and the ferry service had to be re-focussed away from commuter traffic, which had declined, to tourist needs.

From 1990 a commuter shuttle has operated Monday-Friday peak period with an hourly River Explorer Cruise. At weekends River Explorer cruises operate from 10:00 to 18:00. The morning peak service until 2010 ran every 30 minutes on a Liverpool-Birkehead-Seacombe-Liverpool circuit, but since then only runs every 20 minutes from Liverpool-Seacombe Ferry and back.

The evening peak service runs Liverpool-Seacombe every 20 minutes. The Explorer cruises follow a Liverpool-Seacombe-Birkenhead-Liverpool pattern and sail slightly further upstream with a commentary of what can be seen.

These operations run with a bias towards Seacombe Ferry as the vicinity of Seacombe lacks the rail and bus connections of Birkenhead. In the summer there are also cruises up the Manchester Ship Canal.

Previous and present fleets
The "Royal" prefix was granted to the ferries Iris and Daffodil for their service during the First World War where they were instrumental at the Mole in Zeebrugge. Both ferries were badly damaged but returned home to a triumphant greeting. Since the original duo's withdrawal, there have been other Royals. The Royal Daffodil II of 1934 was hit by a bomb during the May Blitz and sunk at her berth at Seacombe on 8 May 1941. She was later raised and returned to service by 1943, with little of her pre-war splendour.

Royal Iris (1951)
Perhaps the most famous Royal is the MV Royal Iris of 1951. She was the first diesel-powered vessel of the Wallasey fleet, with four diesel generators connected to two Metrovick marine propulsion units. The vessel differed to all the other ferries as she had super smooth lines and a dummy funnel in place. She was the best loved of all the Mersey ferries and played host to hundreds of party cruises, with bands such as Gerry & The Pacemakers, The Searchers, The Beatles and Elvis Costello performing on her. The Royal Iris received a major refit in the 1970s and her popular fish and chip cafe - which earned her the name "the fish and chip boat" - was removed and replaced with a steak bar. The Royal Iris remained in service for nearly 40 years before being sold in 1993 - two years after withdrawal - for use as a floating nightclub. She was then berthed in a deteriorating condition at Woolwich, London. Attempts to bring her back to Merseyside have come to nothing due to the prohibitive cost of making her fit for a 1,000 mile journey coastwise.

Leasowe, Egremont and the Royal Daffodil II (1958)
The Leasowe and Egremont were built by Philip and Son in Dartmouth, Devon and entered service in late 1951 and early 1952 respectively. Named after suburbs of Wallasey, both vessels were commissioned by Wallasey Corporation.

They were of a traditional design by naval architects Graham and Woolnough, who are based in Liverpool, but boasted modern equipment including Crossley multi-speed engines for versatile control. They only had one single boarding gangway and their forward saloons extended to the whole width of the ship. This proved somewhat problematic especially at busy periods, so an additional gangway space was added on the promenade deck for use with the high level terminal gangways. The forward saloons also had facility for a bar area and dance floor, which meant the vessels could be used for cruising. The two vessels were primarily used on the Seacombe – Liverpool service, augmenting the New Brighton run during the summer seasons.

Egremont differed externally to Leasowe in that she had a canvas awning fitted around her funnel. Early photographs of Leasowe and Egremont show them to have deckhead compasses above the wheelhouse and side boxes, which appear to have been removed in the late 1950s. Upon the bridge there were numerous modern devices. Chadburn synchrostep telegraphs and rudder angle indicators, hydraulic steering telemotor and an automatic whistle control could be found in both the wheelhouse and the navigation boxes. There was also an internal communication system and a ship to shore radio system. Similar types of navigation equipment and deck fittings used on these vessels are extant on the pilot boat Edmund Gardner at Merseyside Maritime Museum. The Leasowe and Egremont were popular ferries with their crews as they had much improved crew accommodation compared to the earlier steamers, where much of the lower deck space was taken up with boilers and machinery. When the ferries entered service they all had Wallasey white and black funnel liveries.

The Royal Daffodil II was constructed by James Lamont & Co at Greenock and entered service in 1958. She was larger than the Dartmouth pair as she had three decks and was designed for the dual role of ferry and cruise service. The Roman 'II' was added to her name because of a Thames estuary cruise ship also called MV Royal Daffodil (1939) which existed from 1939 until 1967. The gross register tonnage of Royal Daffodil II was 609. A gross error was the size of her engines, developing 1360 bhp a piece she was underpowered and often struggled in strong tides. Aside from the engine order telegraphs, she also had helms in the side boxes meaning that the ship could be steered from them if required. The vessel ran aground on a sandbank in thick fog in September 1967 and was involved in a collision in January 1968. Taking on water from a hole near her bow, she was beached near Seacombe.

During the 1970s the fleet was rationalised, with surplus vessels being put up for sale. Leasowe was sold into Greek ownership in 1974 and renamed Naias II. By 1980 she had been sold on and was renamed Cavo Doro. She remained in service until the early 2000s and is reported to have since been scrapped. Royal Daffodil II was also sold to Greek owners and renamed Ioulis Keas II in 1977. It was converted into a roll-on/roll-off ferry in 1980, but still retained its forward section largely in its original condition. It was renamed Agia Kyriaki in 1992. Two years later the vessel was renamed again as Dolphin I and registered in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. The ferry sank in heavy seas on 7 November 2007, 20 mi off the coast of Cape Apostolos Andreas. The cause of the sinking was main engine and steering gear failure, and she claimed the lives of both her captain and mate. The Egremont was laid up in Morpeth Dock whilst on sale offer in 1975 and sprang a leak. Her engine room was flooded, ruining her engines and rendering her inoperable. She was stripped of her machinery and used as a floating headquarters for the Island Cruising Club in Salcombe, Devon, not far from her original birthplace. In 2016, the vessel underwent extensive repairs to her hull in Sharpness, Gloucestershire, before being again laid up. As of April 2019, the vessel is no longer in use by the ICC and has been offered for sale.

Mountwood, Woodchurch and Overchurch
The current Mersey Ferries fleet comprises two vessels, based on a similar design by naval architects Graham and Woolnough of Liverpool. Until 2012 a third ferry, Royal Daffodil, was also in service. Originally named Mountwood, Woodchurch and Overchurch after overspill post-war housing developments of Birkenhead, they were commissioned into service by Birkenhead Corporation.

Mountwood and Woodchurch were built at Dartmouth by Philip and Son. The Mountwood was launched on the 31 July 1959 and the Woodchurch on the 28 October of the same year. They were loosely based on designs of the Leasowe and Egremont of the Wallasey fleet, although they both weighed considerably more at 464 tonnes, compared with 311 tonnes for the earlier vessels. They are also larger than the older Wallasey pair, being approximately 19 ft longer, 6 ft broader and over 1 ft taller. Both vessels were externally identical in almost every way up until 1991 when the shroud protecting the aft funnel vent on the Mountwood was changed from square to rounded.

Compared to the earlier Wallasey twins, the Mountwood and Woodchurch were highly advanced. They benefited from an injection of cash from both Birkenhead Corporation and the Joint Tunnel Committee. They were given special Crossley eight-cylinder engines which were fitted with gears and automatic air brakes. New style telegraphs by Chadburns were designed which had a facility for braking the engines for rapid reversal, the telegraphs were part of a brand known as "Synchrostep" and were all originally unpainted brushed aluminium with shiny brass rimming. Overchurch had the same telegraph 'heads' however they were fitted into the wings and main control position in specially built units which also had instruments fitted to them. They entered service in 1960 and were a hit with ferry passengers. They were light, modern and boasted the latest in marine navigation equipment. They were given an orange and black funnel livery, with a red band just above the rubbing strake. In their early years of service both the ferries carried rope fenders to protect the strakes.

On the bridge was also a brass talk tube that linked down to the engine room. A prank amongst bridge crews was to call an engineer on the talk tube then pour water down it, thus soaking the engineer at the other end.

The Mountwood was used in the film "Ferry Cross The Mersey", a musical and subsequent Gerry & The Pacemakers song, crossing to Liverpool from Birkenhead. Her near sister Overchurch also appeared in the background of several shots. In her early years Mountwood was an unreliable ship. She had broken down whilst crossing the river and had to anchor. Her passengers were rescued by Woodchurch. She also collided with Bidston whilst berthing, due to an error in engine movements.

In 1962, Mountwood and Woodchurch were joined by a new ferry, the Overchurch. Built at the Birkenhead shipyard of Cammell Laird and Co., Overchurch was of all welded construction and also had a bridge that was completely enclosed rather than a wheelhouse and navigation boxes like Mountwood and Woodchurch. The addition of a totally enclosed bridge meant that there only needed to be one binnacle upon it, whereas on the two sisters there were three, one inside the main wheelhouse and two in the docking/navigation boxes. The Overchurch also had much of its instrumentation fitted into specially built units, meaning the ferry had a spacious bridge, rather than the more compact and cluttered bridges of the Mountwood and Woodchurch. Overchurch had a high funnel immediately behind the bridge and also a small bridge deck, giving the appearance of a somewhat forward top-heavy look, as a result. The Overchurch was fitted with the same navigation equipment as her near sisters. She differed slightly by being a few tonnes heavier and a few inches longer. The Overchurch also had only one access stairway to the promenade deck unlike the Dartmouth twins which had two. In her first year of service, the Overchurch conveyed Princess Alexandra to open the new Cammell Laird dry dock.

The trio of ferries all remained in near constant operation up until 1981, when cost-cutting measures saw Woodchurch withdrawn for almost three years. It was rumoured that she was cannibalised to help keep her sisters running. Whilst in lay up at Clarence dry docks, she was offered for sale, with one prospective buyer hoping to use her to operate cruises around the Isle of Man. She was not sold and after main engine repairs and a full repaint Woodchurch returned to service in 1983, freeing up Overchurch to become the primary ferry to be used on a new Otterspool service, set up for the 1984 International Garden Festival. The ferries all operated on a normal 20 minute route throughout this.

The late 1970s and early 1980s saw very limited budgets for maintenance and the ferries are noted to look in poor condition during this period.

In 1989, Mountwood and Woodchurch were withdrawn and extensively refurbished internally which resulted in complete rewiring and main engine repairs. They were given new modern interiors and their separate bridge wings and wheel houses were plated over to form one large bridge, although none of the original equipment was removed from the new bridge. They entered service by July 1990 in time for the QE2's first visit to the Mersey and also operated the new "heritage cruises". They also were given a new black and red livery replacing the red white and blue given for the Garden Festival season of 1984. The Overchurch also underwent some refurbishments at Bootle. She was then moved to the ferries' regular berth on the East Float, where she was used as a stand by vessel and during the busy summer season. In 1996 the Overchurch was given a small refit which involved the enclosing of the promenade deck shelter.

Liveries
The ferry companies were identifiable by their different colour liveries displayed on each vessel's funnel. Wallasey ferries carried a black and white colour scheme. Early Birkenhead steamers carried red and black, however this appears to have changed to orange in the 1920s or 1930s, remaining until the merger of the two fleets under the Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive in 1969. When the ferries were taken over by the MPTE, the liveries of Birkenhead and Wallasey were replaced initially with a primrose yellow and powder blue colour scheme. This was followed by a black and green livery, then in 1984 by the colours of the Union Flag for the International Garden Festival celebrations. By the 1990s the vessels carried a red and black colour scheme, similar to that previously used by Birkenhead Corporation.

From January 2015, MV Snowdrop had a special livery applied, based on the World War I dazzle camouflage and designed by Peter Blake.

Refits and renamings
The Overchurch was given her major refit in 1998 at Lengthline Ship Repairers in Manchester, which resulted in a major rebuilding of all decks and fitting of new engines and navigation equipment. She was renamed MV Royal Daffodil and returned to service in 1999. Mountwood and Woodchurch were also refitted and renamed MV Royal Iris of the Mersey and MV Snowdrop, respectively in 2002 and 2004. The ferries were re-designed by their original architects - Graham and Woolnough. When all three vessels were refitted, the previously used helms and binnacles with compasses were placed back on the refurbished bridges. The current two ferries have been in service for over 60 years, with 2019 marking the 60th anniversary of the launching of Royal Iris of the Mersey and the Snowdrop. The refitting of the ferries has extended their working lives by approximately thirty years, and this is steadily increasing with additional repairs that are carried out on the boats on a regular basis.

The Wärtsilä engines installed on the ferries during their last major refit are much more economical than the previous engines by Crossley Bros of Manchester. They are also much 'greener' and produce much less emissions than the original propulsion units.

The ferries' masts now carry several other navigation lights on their main masts at various points. Prior to refit, they had only a forward-facing white light. This is due to the classification of the ferries.

The Snowdrop and Royal Iris each carry two Kockums Super Tyfon TA 100/165 type fog horns. Royal Daffodil carries two Kockums Super Tyfon TA 100/195 horns. These are the original horns fitted when the ferries were first built. Both Royal Iris of the Mersey and Snowdrop have an E-flat tone, and Royal Daffodil's is in F Sharp. When berthing the vessel, the captain uses a combination of rudder positions and engine movements. The ferries all have twin rudders and propellers, making them very manoeuvrable.

The Mersey Ferries used to operate in fog, however, the service is usually suspended when visibility is very poor.

Liverpool 08
The ferries played a big part in Liverpool's European Capital of Culture 2008 celebrations. The ferries carried record numbers of passengers, and on the 18–21 July, the Tall Ships returned to the Mersey. A combination of the Tall Ships and the Golf Open at nearby Royal Birkdale ensured over 1 million visitors to the city over the weekend, with many of these taking a trip on the famous ferries. Sunday 20 July saw an unusual sight of all three ferries out on the river at night, with the Snowdrop being berthed at Woodside and the Royal Iris and Royal Daffodil at Seacombe. All three ferries were packed to capacity over the weekend, with the Royal Daffodil operating a special cruise to witness the parade of sail and departure of the ships on Monday 21 July.

Future
In August 2012, it was announced that Merseytravel were initiating a review into cost saving on Mersey Ferries operations after the service is running at a £1million annual loss. As a result of this review, the ferry Royal Daffodil was withdrawn from service in January 2013. Another threat to the ferries' future is the cost of replacing the current ferries, the oldest ever to ply the river, when required.

In December 2015 Merseytravel announced a 20-year plan for the ferries which included the possible closure of one of the two Wirral landing stages (possibly Woodside), a later start to commuter services which only operate from Seacombe to Liverpool, and one or two new vessels with better ability to hold social functions or musical events, a facility not available since the disposal of the 1951 Royal Iris.

The Mersey Ferries Long Term Strategy, whilst currently subject to approval, anticipates that a naval architect will be appointed with the intention of having a new vessel ready for service in 2020–21. The vessel will be used as the main day to day vessel with Snowdrop used as a secondary vessel.

In January 2018, the Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, Steve Rotheram announced that plans had been drawn up for a new vessel. The announcement stated that naval architects had prepared initial designs and there would be a period of public consultation on the designs.

Plans were announced in August 2019 for two new low-carbon ferries to be built and for improvement works to take place at Seacombe ferry terminal by using a share of a £172million 'Transforming Cities Fund'. In November 2022 a contract for one new vessel was placed jointly with Cammell Laird and Netherlands shipbuilders Damen Group.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Mersey Ferry


text:
Queensway Tunnel

The Queensway Tunnel is a road tunnel under the River Mersey, in the north west of England, between Liverpool and Birkenhead. Locally, it is often referred to as the "Birkenhead Tunnel" or "old tunnel", to distinguish it from the newer Kingsway Tunnel (1971), which serves Wallasey and the M53 motorway traffic. At 3.24 km in length, it is the longest road tunnel in the UK.

History
The first tunnel under the River Mersey was for the Mersey Railway in 1886. The first tunnel crossing was proposed in 1825, and again in 1827. A report in 1830 rejected the road tunnel due to concerns about building damage.

During the 1920s there were concerns about the long queues of cars and lorries at the Mersey Ferry terminal, so once royal assent to a parliamentary bill was received, construction of the first Mersey road tunnel started in 1925, to a design by consulting engineer Sir Basil Mott. Mott supervised the construction in association with John Brodie, who, as City Engineer of Liverpool, had co-ordinated the feasibility studies made by consultant Engineers Mott, Hay and Anderson. The main contractor was Edmund Nuttall. In 1928 the two pilot tunnels met to within less than 25 mm. Construction work continued, and in 1930 Brian Colquhoun was appointed Resident Engineer. The tunnel opened in 1934. From 1933 to 1936 Colquhoun was redesignated Resident Engineer-in-Charge.

The tunnel entrances, toll booths and ventilation building exteriors were designed by architect Herbert James Rowse, who is frequently but incorrectly credited with the whole civil engineering project. Their decoration is by Edmund Thompson. These are Grade II listed buildings. More than 1.2 million tons of rock, gravel, and clay were excavated; some of it was used to build Otterspool Promenade. Of the 1,700 men who worked on the tunnel during the nine years of its construction, 17 were killed.

At the time of its opening it was the longest road tunnel in the world, a title it held for 14 years until the opening of the Vielha Tunnel in Catalonia, Spain, in 1948, though it remained the longest underwater tunnel as of 1955. The tunnel, which cost a total of £8 million, was opened on 18 July 1934 by King George V; the opening ceremony was watched by 200,000 people. At the time it was known as the eighth wonder of the world.

By the 1960s, traffic volume had increased, and, in 1971, the Kingsway Tunnel opened to relieve congestion.

Description
The tunnel is 3.24 km long. It contains a single carriageway of four lanes, two in each direction. A lower deck, originally intended as a tramway, is used for ventilation and emergency refuges.

Different height restrictions apply to the nearside and offside lanes in each direction, because of the curvature of the tunnel. These are 3.9 m and 4.75 m respectively, and there is a 3.5 t weight limit for goods vehicles. All buses are required to use the offside lane, regardless of their height. Lane signals (consisting of an illuminated green arrow or red cross) are displayed at regular intervals, although in normal circumstances none of the lanes are currently used bidirectionally. This is in contrast to the Kingsway Tunnel, where lanes in toll concourse are alternated to prioritise higher traffic in one direction during peak hours.

The tunnel has two branches leading off the main tunnel to the dock areas on both sides of the river. The Birkenhead branch tunnel (known as the Rendel Street branch, or Dock Exit) was closed in 1965. When travelling in the Birkenhead direction, the branch can still be seen inside the tunnel on the right just before the left hand bend towards the Birkenhead exit. The exit of this branch can also be seen on the outside from Rendel Street near the junction with Marcus Street, just north of Cleveland Street in Birkenhead. This branch also carried two-way traffic, single lane each way. It was also controlled by traffic lights inside the tunnel. This branch mainly served Birkenhead docks and for people travelling to the Wirral resort of New Brighton. These are now best served by the Kingsway Tunnel. The Liverpool branch tunnel remains in use, in the exit direction only. It emerges opposite the Liver Building, next to the Atlantic Tower Hotel and Church of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas. Originally, it carried two-way traffic and the junction inside the tunnel was controlled by traffic lights, but this arrangement was discontinued to reduce the delays brought on by increasing traffic levels. Had it been built, the tunnel would have connected with the Liverpool urban motorway, the planned inner ring road.

The lighting inside the tunnel was updated in 1981 to replace the amber fluorescent tubes on the walls of the tunnel. The reason given for the change was that the old lighting was ineffective and inefficient. It also caused a flicker effect on vehicle windscreens, which could induce epileptic reactions in susceptible people.

The tunnel was closed for the day on 17 July 1994 and was used for pedestrians only to celebrate its 60th anniversary. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3flGlLsSD1w

Tolls
Tolls have been a feature of tunnel use since the Queensway Tunnel opened in 1934. Although residents were originally told tolls would be removed when debts were repaid, this position was dropped long ago. Debts and tolls were increased when the Kingsway Tunnel was built in 1971 to relieve congestion in the first tunnel. The County of Merseyside Act 1980 (c. x) enshrined in law the right to continue collecting tolls once the debts were repaid. The later Mersey Tunnels Act 2004 (c. ii) created a legal position where tolls charged must rise in line with the Retail Price Index (RPI) as published in November.

Ventilation
As a roadway the tunnel requires ventilation to clear vehicle exhaust fumes. As originally designed the tunnel would have used forced air for ventilation; fumes and noxious gases were simply to be expelled through the tunnel exits. However, in an incident in the Liberty Tunnel in Pittsburgh in May 1924, inadequate ventilation led to a number of drivers being overcome by carbon monoxide poisoning, though there were no fatalities; this led the Queensway engineers to re-examine the issue and to conduct experiments in a completed section under Hamilton Square. Extractors were installed in the planned ventilation stations, adding to their size and complexity, and also adding considerably to the budget.

The tunnel currently has six ventilation shafts, three on each side of the river. On the Wirral side the main shaft is at Woodside, with another (before the main exit) in Sidney Street, while the Dock Exit branch is served by the tower in Taylor Street. On the Liverpool side the main shaft is at the Pier head, in the George's Dock Building, with another (before the main exit) in North John Street, and the Strand Exit branch is served by the tower in Fazakerley Street. The Georges Dock Building also houses offices of the Tunnels Authority and of the Tunnels Police Force. All the ventilation buildings were designed by Herbert Rowse, chief architect for the Queensway tunnel exteriors, and all are Grade II listed.

Today
In April 2004 construction began on seven emergency refuges below the road deck, each capable of holding 180 people, as part of a £9 million project to bring the tunnel into line with the highest European safety standards. Each refuge is 21 m long and 3 m wide, accessible from the main tunnel walls. The refuges have fire resistant doors, ramps for wheelchair access, a supply of bottled water, a toilet, and a video link to the Mersey Tunnels Police control room. All seven refuges are linked by a walkway below the road surface, with exits at the Liverpool and Birkenhead ends.

In 2012 the tunnel was refurbished, with 5,999 added panels – ceramic steel cladding replacing the old plastic corrugated wall cladding to improve lighting and to give the tunnel a 21st century look.

As of May 2024 the toll is £2.10 per journey for a single passenger car of typical size, with progressively higher tolls for larger vehicles; solo motorcycles are free. Average daily traffic through the tunnel currently stands at 35,000 vehicles, which equates to just under £12.8 million per year.

Use in film
The tunnel was used in the 1993 film In the Name of the Father where Emma Thompson's character Gareth Peirce drives through the tunnel in one of the opening scenes.

In September 2009, a scene from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 set in the Dartford Crossing was filmed in Queensway Tunnel, where Harry skips on a bus while on Hagrid's enchanted motorbike was filmed in the tunnel.

In 2012 the tunnel was used for the filming of a chase scene for Fast & Furious 6.

In March 2018, the tunnel was used for the filming of Yesterday, directed by Danny Boyle. The two main characters are frolicking in an empty tunnel when the bright yellow words "Hello Goodbye" are rolling through the tunnel.

Also in 2018 the tunnel was a location for the BBC TV series The City and the City, where it served as the gateway between the two cities.

In popular culture
The Dubliners popularised the song "I Wish I Was Back in Liverpool", which includes a verse about the building of the Queensway Tunnel.

title: Queensway Tunnel


text:
Kingsway Tunnel

The Kingsway Tunnel (or Wallasey Tunnel) is a toll road tunnel under the River Mersey between Liverpool and Wallasey. The 1.5 mi tunnel carries the A59. It was built because the Queensway Tunnel – which was built in the 1930s to carry vehicles between Birkenhead and Liverpool – was unable to cope with the rise in postwar traffic.

History
Annual vehicle usage of the Queensway Tunnel had exceeded 11 million by 1959, causing severe traffic congestion at peak commute times, partially as a result of low toll costs. It was evident that a significant capacity increase was required, with considerations on various bridge and tunnel schemes ultimately concluding with a second tunnel as the favoured option, funded by tolls. In 1965, parliamentary powers granted construction of a new two-lane tunnel, approximately 1 mile downstream from the existing tunnel. A further bill for the tunnel's construction was promoted in 1967 with approval given in 1968, upon which construction started immediately.

Construction
The project was authorised by the Mersey Tunnel (Liverpool/Wallasey) &c. Act 1965 (c. xl). Edmund Nuttall Limited. Construction took around five years to fully complete. The approach to the tunnel on the Wirral side uses the former railway cutting that carried the Seacombe branch line. It was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 24 June 1971. At first, only the southernmost tunnel was open for traffic, one lane in each direction. The northernmost tunnel was completed in 1974 and opened to traffic on 13 February 1974.

Mersey Tunnel 10k
There is an annual 10k run that passes through the Kingsway Tunnel, starting in Liverpool city centre with the finish line in New Brighton. This is the only time during the year when one can travel through the tunnel on foot. In 2024, more than 2,000 people registered to take part in the event.

Operations
Kingsway comprises identical twin tunnels. Each has two 12 ft lanes. They carry on average 45,000 vehicles a day (almost 16.4million per year). , a single car journey through the tunnel cost £2.10 Staffed and automatic tollbooths are located on the Wallasey side. Of the two tunnels crossing the River Mersey, Kingsway is the only one able to take heavy goods vehicles (HGVs).

In a study following the fire in the Mont Blanc Tunnel in 1999, inspectors from the European Union rated the Kingsway Tunnel as "good", one of fourteen to receive that rating in Europe.

Over 75 mi of wiring was installed in the tunnel as part of a 2016 upgrade to the lighting, which saw the tunnel fitted with more energy efficient and longer-lasting LED lights.

title: Kingsway Tunnel


text:
Mont Blanc Tunnel

The Mont Blanc Tunnel is a highway tunnel between France and Italy, under Mont Blanc in the Alps. It links Chamonix, Haute-Savoie, France with Courmayeur, Aosta Valley, Italy, via the French Route Nationale 205 and the Italian Traforo T1 (forming the European route E25), in particular the motorways serving Geneva (A40 of France) and Turin (A5 of Italy). The passageway is one of the major trans-Alpine transport routes, particularly for Italy, which relies on this tunnel for transporting as much as one-third of its freight to northern Europe. It reduces the route from France to Turin by 50 km and to Milan by 100 km. Northeast of Mont Blanc's summit, the tunnel is about 15 km southwest of the tripoint with Switzerland, near Mont Dolent.

The agreement between France and Italy on building a tunnel was signed in 1949. Two operating companies were founded, each responsible for one half of the tunnel: the French Autoroutes et tunnel du Mont-Blanc (ATMB), founded on 30 April 1958, and the Italian Società italiana per azioni per il Traforo del Monte Bianco (SITMB), founded on 1 September 1957. Drilling began in 1959 and was completed in 1962; the tunnel was opened to traffic on 19 July 1965.

The tunnel is 11.611 km in length, 8.6 m in width, and 4.35 m in height. The passageway is not horizontal, but in a slightly inverted "V", which assists ventilation. The tunnel consists of a single gallery with a two-lane dual direction road. At the time of its construction, it was twice as long as any existing highway tunnel.

The tunnel passes almost exactly under the summit of the Aiguille du Midi. At this spot, it lies 2480 m beneath the surface, making it the world's second deepest operational tunnel after the Gotthard Base Tunnel.

The Mont Blanc Tunnel was originally managed by the two building companies. Following a fire in 1999 in which 39 people died, which showed how lack of coordination could hamper the safety of the tunnel, all the operations are managed by a single entity: MBT-EEIG, controlled by both ATMB and SITMB together, through a 50–50 shares distribution.

An alternative route for road traffic between France to Italy is the Fréjus Road Tunnel. Road traffic grew steadily until 1994, even with the opening of the Fréjus tunnel. Since then, the combined traffic volume of the former has remained roughly constant.

Construction statistics

 * Workforce: five engineers and 350 workmen worked an estimated grand total of 4.6 million man-hours to complete the project
 * Explosives: 711 t of explosives were used to blast 555000 m3 of rock
 * Energy: 37 million kilowatt-hours and 2700000 L of fuel for trucks and engines
 * Other facts: 771,240 bolts, 6,900 drill rods, and 300 t of iron were used to support the vault, 5000 m3 of formwork for 60000 t of cement (mixed with 280000 m3 of aggregates)

History
The idea of building a tunnel underneath Mont Blanc to avoid the need for long journeys dates back to the nineteenth century during the heyday of the railway. However, the idea did not receive widespread attention until 1907, when Francesco Farinet, a Member of Parliament of the Aosta Valley, advocated constructing of the tunnel. In 1908, a first design was presented by French engineer Arnold Monod, to much interest from Italian and French politicians.

Agreement between France and Italy and start of construction by 1959
Due to political turmoil and World War I and World War II, the project did not start until 1959, when excavations on the tunnel officially began. This was preceded by the signing of a national charter for the tunnel construction, ratified by the parliaments of France (1957) and Italy (1954). That same year, the STMB (Société du tunnel du Mont Blanc) was formed, which became ATMB (Autoroutes et Tunnel du Mont Blanc) in 1996. In 1962, the French and Italian drilling teams met on 4 August. The opening was successful, with an axis variation of less than 13 cm.

Opening
The tunnel was inaugurated by the French president, Charles de Gaulle, and the Italian President, Giuseppe Saragat on 16 July 1965. The tunnel opened to traffic on 19 July. Surveillance cameras were installed in 1978.

Updates in the 1990s
The tunnel underwent extensive modernisation works in 1990, including the addition of safety features such as new video surveillance cameras, 8 pressurized emergency shelters, a sprinkler system and other safety maintenance. In 1997, a fire detection system was installed along with centralized safety equipment management, and new variable message signs.

1999 fire
On the morning of 24 March 1999, the engine of a Belgian transport truck carrying volatile freight caught fire in the tunnel. The event expanded into a catastrophe which killed 39 people.

2002 reopening
The fire led to a tunnel closure until 9 March 2002. The reopening followed an extensive overhaul of the safety features. The highway trunk from Aosta to the tunnel on the Italian side was completed in 2007.

Traffic
In 2010, the average traffic volume was 4,945 vehicles per day, or around 1.80 million vehicles per year. In 2011, there were an average of 5,113 vehicles per day (about 1.87 million vehicles per year).

Although several lines of vehicles can queue up at the toll station, only a limited number of vehicles per unit time is allowed to transit the tunnel to ensure a safety distance between them.

Within the tunnel, a minimum speed of 50 km/h and a maximum speed of 70 km/h applies, while the prescribed distance between vehicles is 150 m; trucks are allowed to enter in groups of five. These security measures were taken as a consequence of the 1999 tunnel fire.

Pedestrians can cross the tunnel by bus; bicycles can also be carried through the tunnel with a reservation.

Toll
The tunnel crossing is subject to a toll; the toll differs from Italy to France because of their different VAT rates.

In 2013, the one-way ticket for a car was €40.90 (€41.40  on the Italian side), while the return ticket, valid for 7 days, was €51  (€51.60  on the Italian side). In 2016, the one-way ticket for a car cost €43.50 (€44.20  on the Italian side).

Mont Blanc Tunnel Tolls on the Italian side from 1 January 2022 (22% VAT included)

Mont Blanc Tunnel Tolls on the French side from 1 January 2022 (20% VAT included)

title: Mont Blanc Tunnel


text:
Phong reflection model

The Phong reflection model (also called Phong illumination or Phong lighting) is an empirical model of the local illumination of points on a surface designed by the computer graphics researcher Bui Tuong Phong. In 3D computer graphics, it is sometimes referred to as "Phong shading", particularly if the model is used with the interpolation method of the same name and in the context of pixel shaders or other places where a lighting calculation can be referred to as “shading”.

History
The Phong reflection model was developed by Bui Tuong Phong at the University of Utah, who published it in his 1975 Ph.D. dissertation. It was published in conjunction with a method for interpolating the calculation for each individual pixel that is rasterized from a polygonal surface model; the interpolation technique is known as Phong shading, even when it is used with a reflection model other than Phong's. Phong's methods were considered radical at the time of their introduction, but have since become the de facto baseline shading method for many rendering applications. Phong's methods have proven popular due to their generally efficient use of computation time per rendered pixel.

Description
Phong reflection is an empirical model of local illumination. It describes the way a surface reflects light as a combination of the diffuse reflection of rough surfaces with the specular reflection of shiny surfaces. It is based on Phong's informal observation that shiny surfaces have small intense specular highlights, while dull surfaces have large highlights that fall off more gradually. The model also includes an ambient term to account for the small amount of light that is scattered about the entire scene.

For each light source in the scene, components $$i_\text{s}$$ and $$i_\text{d}$$ are defined as the intensities (often as RGB values) of the specular and diffuse components of the light sources, respectively. A single term $$i_\text{a}$$ controls the ambient lighting; it is sometimes computed as a sum of contributions from all light sources.

For each material in the scene, the following parameters are defined:

 * $$k_\text{s}$$, which is a specular reflection constant, the ratio of reflection of the specular term of incoming light,
 * $$k_\text{d}$$, which is a diffuse reflection constant, the ratio of reflection of the diffuse term of incoming light (Lambertian reflectance),
 * $$k_\text{a}$$, which is an ambient reflection constant, the ratio of reflection of the ambient term present in all points in the scene rendered, and
 * $$\alpha$$, which is a shininess constant for this material, which is larger for surfaces that are smoother and more mirror-like. When this constant is large the specular highlight is small.

Furthermore, there is

 * $$\text{lights}$$, which is the set of all light sources,
 * $$\hat{L}_m$$, which is the direction vector from the point on the surface toward each light source ($$m$$ specifies the light source),
 * $$\hat{N}$$, which is the normal at this point on the surface,
 * $$\hat{R}_m$$, which is the direction that a perfectly reflected ray of light would take from this point on the surface, and
 * $$\hat{V}$$, which is the direction pointing towards the viewer (such as a virtual camera).

Then the Phong reflection model provides an equation for computing the illumination of each surface point $$I_\text{p}$$:

 * $$I_\text{p} = k_\text{a} i_\text{a} + \sum_{m\;\in\;\text{lights}} (k_\text{d} (\hat{L}_m \cdot \hat{N}) i_{m,\text{d}} + k_\text{s} (\hat{R}_m \cdot \hat{V})^{\alpha}i_{m,\text{s}}).$$

where the direction vector $$\hat{R}_m$$ is calculated as the reflection of $$\hat{L}_m$$ on the surface characterized by the surface normal $$\hat{N}$$ using

 * $$\hat{R}_m = 2(\hat{L}_m\cdot \hat{N})\hat{N} - \hat{L}_m$$

The hats indicate that the vectors are normalized. The diffuse term is not affected by the viewer direction ($$\hat{V}$$). The specular term is large only when the viewer direction ($$\hat{V}$$) is aligned with the reflection direction $$\hat{R}_m$$. Their alignment is measured by the $$\alpha$$ power of the cosine of the angle between them. The cosine of the angle between the normalized vectors $$\hat{R}_m$$ and $$\hat{V}$$ is equal to their dot product. When $$\alpha$$ is large, in the case of a nearly mirror-like reflection, the specular highlight will be small, because any viewpoint not aligned with the reflection will have a cosine less than one which rapidly approaches zero when raised to a high power.

Although the above formulation is the common way of presenting the Phong reflection model, each term should only be included if the term's dot product is positive. (Additionally, the specular term should only be included if the dot product of the diffuse term is positive.)

When the color is represented as RGB values, as often is the case in computer graphics, this equation is typically modeled separately for R, G and B intensities, allowing different reflection constants $$k_\text{a},$$ $$k_\text{d}$$ and $$k_\text{s}$$ for the different color channels.

Computationally more efficient alterations
When implementing the Phong reflection model, there are a number of methods for approximating the model, rather than implementing the exact formulas, which can speed up the calculation; for example, the Blinn–Phong reflection model is a modification of the Phong reflection model, which is more efficient if the viewer and the light source are treated to be at infinity.

Another approximation that addresses the calculation of the exponentiation in the specular term is the following: Considering that the specular term should be taken into account only if its dot product is positive, it can be approximated as

 * $$\max(0, \hat{R}_m \cdot \hat{V})^\alpha = \max(0, 1-\lambda)^{\beta \gamma} = \left(\max(0,1-\lambda)^\beta\right)^\gamma \approx \max(0, 1 - \beta \lambda)^\gamma $$

where $$\lambda = 1 - \hat{R}_m \cdot \hat{V}$$, and $$\beta = \alpha / \gamma\,$$ is a real number which doesn't have to be an integer. If $$\gamma$$ is chosen to be a power of 2, i.e. $$\gamma = 2^n$$ where $$n$$ is an integer, then the expression $$(1 - \beta\lambda)^\gamma$$ can be more efficiently calculated by squaring $$(1 - \beta\lambda)\ n$$ times, i.e.

 * $$(1 - \beta\lambda)^\gamma \,=\, (1 - \beta\lambda)^{2^n} \,=\, (1 - \beta\lambda)^{\overbrace{\scriptstyle 2\,\cdot\,2\,\cdot\,\dots\,\cdot\,2}^n} \,=\, (\dots((1 - \beta\lambda)\overbrace{^2)^2\dots)^2}^n.$$

This approximation of the specular term holds for a sufficiently large integer $$\gamma$$ (typically, 4 or 8 will be enough).

Furthermore, the value $$\lambda$$ can be approximated as $$\lambda = (\hat{R}_m - \hat{V})\cdot(\hat{R}_m - \hat{V}) / 2$$, or as $$\lambda = (\hat{R}_m \times \hat{V})\cdot(\hat{R}_m \times \hat{V}) / 2.$$ The latter is much less sensitive to normalization errors in $$\hat{R}_m$$ and $$\hat{V}$$ than Phong's dot-product-based $$\lambda = 1 - \hat{R}_m \cdot \hat{V}$$ is, and practically doesn't require $$\hat{R}_m$$ and $$\hat{V}$$ to be normalized except for very low-resolved triangle meshes.

This method substitutes a few multiplications for a variable exponentiation, and removes the need for an accurate reciprocal-square-root-based vector normalization.

Inverse Phong reflection model
The Phong reflection model in combination with Phong shading is an approximation of shading of objects in real life. This means that the Phong equation can relate the shading seen in a photograph with the surface normals of the visible object. Inverse refers to the wish to estimate the surface normals given a rendered image, natural or computer-made.

The Phong reflection model contains many parameters, such as the surface diffuse reflection parameter (albedo) which may vary within the object. Thus the normals of an object in a photograph can only be determined, by introducing additional information such as the number of lights, light directions and reflection parameters.

For example, we have a cylindrical object, for instance a finger, and wish to compute the normal $$N=[N_x, N_z]$$ on a line on the object. We assume only one light, no specular reflection, and uniform known (approximated) reflection parameters. We can then simplify the Phong equation to:

 * $$I_p(x) = C_a + C_d (L(x) \cdot N(x)) $$

With $$C_a$$ a constant equal to the ambient light and $$C_d$$ a constant equal to the diffusion reflection. We can re-write the equation to:

 * $$( I_p(x)- C_a ) / C_d = L(x) \cdot N(x) $$

Which can be rewritten for a line through the cylindrical object as:

 * $$( I_p- C_a ) / C_d = L_x N_x + L_z N_z $$

For instance if the light direction is 45 degrees above the object $$L=[0.71, 0.71]$$ we get two equations with two unknowns.

 * $$( I_p- C_a ) / C_d = 0.71 N_x + 0.71 N_z $$
 * $$1 = \sqrt{(N_x^2 + N_z^2)}$$

Because of the powers of two in the equation there are two possible solutions for the normal direction. Thus some prior information of the geometry is needed to define the correct normal direction. The normals are directly related to angles of inclination of the line on the object surface. Thus the normals allow the calculation of the relative surface heights of the line on the object using a line integral, if we assume a continuous surface.

If the object is not cylindrical, we have three unknown normal values $$N=[N_x, N_y, N_z]$$. Then the two equations still allow the normal to rotate around the view vector, thus additional constraints are needed from prior geometric information. For instance in face recognition those geometric constraints can be obtained using principal component analysis (PCA) on a database of depth-maps of faces, allowing only surface normals solutions which are found in a normal population.

Applications
The Phong reflection model is often used together with Phong shading to shade surfaces in 3D computer graphics software. Apart from this, it may also be used for other purposes. For example, it has been used to model the reflection of thermal radiation from the Pioneer probes in an attempt to explain the Pioneer anomaly.

title: Phong reflection model


text:
Kingsway tramway subway

The Kingsway tramway subway is a cut-and-cover tunnel in central London, built by the London County Council, and the only one of its kind in Britain. The decision in 1898 to clear slum districts in the Holborn area provided an opportunity to use the new streets for a tramway connecting the lines in the north and south. Following the pattern of tramways in New York (the Murray Hill Tunnel) and Boston (the MBTA Green Line), it was decided to build this as an underground connection.

The subway opened in 1906 and closed in 1952. The southern end was adapted as a traffic underpass in 1964. The separate northern section was listed at Grade II by Historic England in 1998.

1902–1905: Construction
The London County Council had for many years wanted to connect its "North Side" and "South Side" tramway networks in order to be able to send "North Side" trams for overhaul to the Central Repair Depot at Charlton in South East London. In 1902, it decided to build a subway from Theobalds Road in the north to the Embankment underneath Waterloo Bridge to the south, from where a surface line would continue over the bridge. Legal problems delayed permission to build the subway and tram route and it was not until 1906 that permission to build was granted, and then not to cross the bridge. Because of a sewer at the northern end and the District Railway to the south it was decided to build the subway for single-deck trams only. After leaving the subway at the south end, trams turned right along the Embankment to Westminster Bridge or left on a service from Bloomsbury to the Hop Exchange. This latter service was short-lived and the tracks were removed in 1930.

The approach from the north near Southampton Row was a 170 ft open cutting with a 1 in 10 (10%) gradient. The tracks passed through cast iron tubes underneath the Fleet sewer before rising slightly to enter Holborn tramway station. South from here the subway was built with a steel roof to Aldwych tramway station and, because it was not initially planned to run a public service south of here, the tracks leading towards the Strand were used as a depot with appropriate equipment and inspection pits.

In the parliamentary session of 1905, plans were submitted for an additional station at the south end of the tunnel, under Wellington Street. The opening of the new tramway along the Embankment meant it was decided to link up with this route instead and the station was never built. A new sharp curve was built under Lancaster Place to enable an exit through the western side wall of Waterloo Bridge and a triangular junction with the through line was constructed. The eastern side of this junction, leading to Blackfriars, was removed as part of the 1930s upgrade.

1906: Opening
Services opened to the public on 24 February 1906 from Angel to Aldwych, with a ceremonial opening by the chairman of the Highways Committee. The first journey took 12 minutes northbound and 10 minutes to return, despite horse-drawn vehicles also using the roads on the surface part of the route. On 16 November that year the routes were extended north from The Angel to Highbury station. Special trams were constructed from non-flammable materials – wooden trams, common on other routes, were not permitted through the subway.

Through services commenced on 10 April 1908 from Highbury station to Tower Bridge and to Kennington Gate, with a procession of six cars going south from Holborn through to Kennington, then to Elephant and Castle to return through the subway to Angel. The Kennington service was not commercially viable and services were diverted to operate to Queens Road in Battersea which, due to a low bridge, could be operated with single-deck vehicles only. Drivers of the trams recorded difficulty in climbing the ramp north from Holborn tramway station and would sometimes roll all the way back to the station. Drivers on routes through the subway had to have at least two years' experience on other services to be considered for these routes.

1929: Double-decker trams
Service patterns continued to change, especially with the opening of tram lines over Blackfriars Bridge on 14 September 1909, and during the 1920s it was realised that to remain profitable the subway needed to be able to take double-deck trams. In 1929 it was decided to increase the headroom to 16 ft. Work started on 11 September of that year, resulting in the replacement of the cast iron tubes by a new steel girder-supported roof and the diversion of the sewer. In places the trackbed was lowered by 5 ft, requiring the underpinning of the walls with concrete. After the last services ran on the night of 2 February 1930 the subway was closed until the formal re-opening on 14 January 1931 using E/3 type tram no. 1931 on new route 31, with public services starting the following day. The two tramway stations were also completely rebuilt. Routes were now Hackney to Wandsworth or Tooting, Leyton to Westminster, Highbury to Waterloo station or Norbury and Archway to Kennington.

A weekend service between Highgate (Archway) and Downham via Brockley ran until 1932. With a distance of 16 mi, this was the longest tram route entirely within the County of London.

1935–1940: Introduction of trolleybuses
The London Passenger Transport Board was formed in 1933, taking over the London County Council trams. It was decided soon after to replace all trams in London by "more modern vehicles". The abandonment programme began in 1935 with trams in South-West, West, North-West, North and East London mostly being replaced by trolleybuses. The replacement programme proceeded swiftly until 1940, when the last of the pre-war series of conversions occurred, leaving only the South London trams and the subway routes 31, 33 and 35, the only North London tram routes to survive the war.

Prototype Kingsway trolleybus no. 1379, with exits on both sides with folding doors, was constructed for feasibility tests through the subway, but these were unsuccessful as trolleybuses would have had to run on battery power through the subway, headroom restrictions making it impossible to use overhead current collection. The vehicle was retained and ran in normal service alongside conventional trolleybuses.

Waterloo Bridge rebuilding
In 1937, the rebuilding of Waterloo Bridge required the diversion of the side entrance to the tramway to a new position centrally underneath the bridge, which opened on 21 November of that year. There were metal doors covering this entrance until 2007, when construction began on the London Buddha Bar, which opened in autumn 2008.

1946–1952: Withdrawal of trams
In 1946, it was decided to replace London's remaining trams "as soon as possible", this time by diesel buses. The first subway route to be withdrawn was route 31, on 1 October 1950, with the remaining two routes, 33 and 35, being withdrawn after service on Saturday, 5 April 1952, the last public services being 'specials' on the Sunday, shortly after midnight. During the early hours of the next morning the remaining trams north of the subway were run through to the depots south of the Thames.

1952–1957: Closure
Trams were abandoned in London on 5 July 1952, after which street tracks were lifted, but those in the subway mostly remain in place. In 1953, London Transport used the tramway to store 120 unused buses and coaches in case they were needed for the Coronation but proposals to convert the tramway subway to a car park or a film studio failed and it was leased out as a storage facility from October 1957.

After closure, a number of cartoons appeared in London newspapers based on the closed tramway, with ghostly trams or 'lost' tube trains. On 23 November 1954 an edition of The Goon Show entitled 'The Last Tram' featured a driver and conductress (Henry Crun and Minnie Bannister) who hid in the subway for 2½ years in order to ensure they were London's last tram.

1958 to present: Strand Underpass and other uses
In June 1958, the London County Council proposed making use of the subway for light traffic from Waterloo Bridge in order to reduce traffic congestion at its junction with Strand and, in April 1962, the go-ahead was given for part of the southern end of the subway to be used. Construction began that September and it opened as the Strand Underpass on 21 January 1964.

The southern section of the abandoned subway between the Embankment and the Strand Underpass was converted into a branch of the Buddha Bar chain of bar/restaurants. This involved the demolition of the pedestrian subways under Waterloo Bridge and extensive construction in the bridge's undercroft. The site is now Proud Cabaret.

Until the opening of the Thames Barrier in 1984, a portable building near the north of the tunnel was used as a flood control headquarters for the Greater London Council.

Between 8 October and 8 November 2009, the tunnel hosted a site-specific art installation called Chord by the artist Conrad Shawcross. Although following the same route along Kingsway, it was not envisaged that the proposed Cross River Tram would use the subway. The Cross River Tram project was cancelled in 2008.

In 2012, it was announced that Crossrail's tunnel contractor BAM Nuttall/Ferrovial/Kier (BFK) would form a grout shaft beneath the original tunnel of the old central London subway. The purpose of the grout shafts was to stabilize the ground in anticipation of the arrival of tunnel boring equipment in 2013.

Crossrail agreed to restore the tunnel to its former condition on completion of the tunnel boring project, and a planning application to undertake this restoration was submitted in 2017.

The Greater London Authority publication Human Streets in March 2016 contained the proposal that the tunnel could be opened for cycling, in order to connect cyclists using the busy Theobalds Road route with the East-West Cycle Superhighway on the Embankment, thereby avoiding four junctions difficult for cyclists.

In July 2021 it was announced that visitors would be able to tour the tunnel, platforms and halls of the Kingsway station, in a programme organised by the London Transport Museum.

The remaining Grade II listed structure is currently used as storage for masonry (due to low fire risk) by London Borough of Camden and a fire suppression unit for the adjoining service tunnels which experienced a fire in 2015.

In popular culture

 * The remaining northern part of the subway is sometimes used in films, for example as itself in the Stephen Poliakoff film Hidden City, the secret entrance to the base in the film version of The Avengers and a railway tunnel in the film Bhowani Junction. It also appeared in The Escapist.
 * In an episode of The Goon Show, Neddie Seagoon discovers that a long-lost tram has been hijacked by its driver Henry Crun and is hidden in the Kingsway tunnel.

title: Kingsway tramway subway


text:
Talk:Wojciech Jaruzelski

Biography
Jaruzelski fought in World War II and became a general in 1956. He began his rise in the Polish Communist party in 1960.

As a leading figure in the Polish High Command he played a major role in oppressive ending of strikes in Gdansk and Szczecin in 1970. It was a military and special police forces operation that was characterized by brutality and bloodshed. Unofficial figures say several hundreds of protesters killed, many more wounded.

During the 1981 crisis involving Solidarity and other democratic movements in the country, Jaruzelski became prime minister and secretary general of the Communist Party. Known as a moderate, he was often viewed as a benevolent dictator. Jaruzelski sought a compromise but finally ordered a military crackdown, placed Poland under martial law in December 1981, outlawed Solidarity, and ordered the arrest of Solidarity leaders including Lech Walesa. By the end of 1982, Solidarity had been suppressed, the martial law was lifted, and Walesa was released.

By 1987 however, Jaruzelski found his attempts at economic reform thwarted by Solidarity, which forced him to a dialogue through a series of strikes which crippled the country. In April 1989 Solidarity was legalised and granted the right to campaign for the upcoming elections. In June, Solidarity members won almost every seat of the granted 35% margin in the Sejm. This restriction allowed Jaruzelski to be elected president by a one-vote margin in the national assembly. However, he was unable to maintain a Communist-led government, he was forced in September to agree to a Solidarity prime minister - Tadeusz Mazowiecki. Jaruzelski was succeeded as president by Walesa in the first fully democratic presidential elections, which were held in December 1990.

In 1993 Jaruzelski and others were put on trial charged with criminal conduct during 1970 protests. However, court proceedings, which began in 1996, have progressed slowly because of deliberate delays by Jaruzelski lawyers.

see also History of Poland, Presidents of Poland

Returned cross
“Due to a large protest amongst the population and Kaczynski admitting his mistake, Jaruzelski returned the medal.”

This is not true. Jaruzelski was exiled to Siberia in 1940 (his father died there), and was nominated to the cross by veteran organisations. Jaruzelski, when informed about the given decoration, said that he is happy that president Kaczyński was able to rise upon historical divisions. Later on, when the Head of Presidents Chamber (Kancelaria Prezydenta) announced that Jaruzelski was put on the list of people to decorate without the knowledge of the president, general decided to sent the crossl back (along with a Syberian Exile identity card).

In an open letter to the president, Jaruzelski has written that he is sending the decoration back because doesn't want the renewal of old divisions, because much more important is acting with the future of Poland in mind.

There where no protests against giving the cross to the general, since this is just a formal decoration, which he simply deserves as a Syberian Exile. The reason for returning it was the statement of Presidents Chamber claiming that it was given unintentionaly. In my opinion, returning the cross, was a clear demonstration of officer's honor.

It is uttermost hypocrisy, when right-wing Polish politicians attacking Jaruzelski praise general Pinochet who was responsible for at least 3000 deaths and 200000 other victims. Moreover, he strictly controlled police forces and intelligence agencies, killings were rather caused by flaws with this control. On the other hand he was suspected in many cases to cover up these crimes and responsible people. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 83.27.37.80 (talk) 23:59, 17 November 2007 (UTC)
 * This man cannot be described in black-and-white terms. I agree that he oppressed the democratic opposition, but it must be said, that despite using conservative and communist rhetoric, he avoided violence and bloodshed. Martial law in Poland resulted in 90 deaths.

I think that the reurned cross incident shows clearly how small Kaczynki is, depsite the fact that I am strongly in favor of clarification of the all circumstances of life of Wojciech Jaruzelski. He is not responsible for many deaths, but at the other had Poland lost 8 years in the development. At the same side, Pinochet was murderer, but he found modern Chile with its dynamic ecomony. Cautious (talk) 21:14, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

"Communist crimes"
What does the term "communist crimes" mean? Is there a category for every pickpocketry commited by a member of the Party? Cptukbo (talk) 08:31, 27 December 2007 (UTC)

What does the term "Nazi crimes" mean? Answer yourself. --HanzoHattori (talk) 12:13, 27 December 2007 (UTC)

But what sense does this term have when we just read he was a communist and statesman? It's like saying "the Nazis commited several Nazi crimes". I suggest replacing the phrase On March 31, 2006, the IPN charged him with committing communist crimes... with He was charged on ... of commiting ... crimes while being .... --Cptukbo (talk) 08:03, 28 December 2007 (UTC)

 * In this case, the term "Communist Crimes" makes sense as a descriptor of his actions. Under Polish law, state actions which violated the rights of citizens during the Communist period are referred to as "Communist Crimes" and carry restrictions on the right to hold public office. MLPfanficwriter (talk) 04:23, 5 January 2023 (UTC)

Roman Catholic or Atheist?
Atheism is common in communism, but wikipedia has Wojciech Jaruzelski listed as a Roman Catholic. Is he a Roman Catholic or an atheist? and if he is Roman Catholic, is Wojciech Jaruzelski the first or only theistic communist? Wearetherevolution (talk) 10:56, 29 December 2007 (UTC)

Spying
I've tagged the passage as unsourced - blogs are not acceptable. If something more reliable isn't found, the passage will be removed per WP:LIVING. Óðinn (talk) 12:31, 21 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Removed. Óðinn (talk) 16:56, 25 February 2008 (UTC)

Roman Catholic or Atheist?
Is he Roman Catholic or is he an atheist?

If he is Roman Catholic, this may make him the first theistic communist, right? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Chamaoloan (talk • contribs) 08:05, 20 March 2008 (UTC)
 * If my memory serves me well, Polish Communists were allowed to practice Catholicism. It was kinda unique situation. RJ CG (talk) 13:36, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

 * Members of the Communist party were not allowed to practice organized religion, neither openly nor privately. Even taking a church wedding or allowing their child to be baptized, neither of which is, by itself, a declaration of Catholicism, since it is enough for the church if only one of the betrothed/parents is a Catholic, could lead to expulsion from the party. (A number of people, especially in smaller towns, took that risk, nevertheless.)

 * Wojciech Jaruzelski, on his official home page, semi-jokingly calls his presidential visit to Jasna Góra monastery a "secular pilgrimage", so it seems he still considers himself an atheist. I'm changing the categorization accordingly. · Naive cynic · 13:07, 13 April 2008 (UTC)

'...so it seems he still considers himself an atheist'. Funny, it seems you want Jaruzelski to already become a theist. Asharidu 13:29, 5 November 2008 (UTC)

Birthplace
I'm not an expert in these matters, but if he was born in Kurow (in the Lublin Voivodeship), then the family estate at Wysokie must surely be the place of that name in the Lublin area, and not the place (as indicated) near Bialystok.

--Train guard (talk) 19:37, 13 December 2009 (UTC)

Democratic Left Alliance
Jaruzelski isn't a member of SLD. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 87.207.108.123 (talk) 00:38, 6 June 2013 (UTC)

b-class review
Close, but missing some inline cites. --Hanyangprofessor2 (talk) 04:05, 16 December 2013 (UTC)

Jaruzelski is still Roman Catholic
I've found a reference in Italian where it is clearly stated that Jaruzelski never really abandoned the Catholic Church, even when he was First Secretary of the Polish United Workers' Party (Communist Party). As for the "first theistic communist ever" thing, Italy is full of Communist practicing Catholics – there's a also a category on en.wiki called Christian communists; two of them (Crocetta and Vendola) are presidents of Italian regions and are Communists, Catholics and gays, all together.--Carnby (talk) 08:40, 23 April 2014 (UTC)
 * Could you please link the source? My Italian is rusty, but I'd take a look. I'm afraid this is rather Jaruzelski's post-deposal invention. A general secretary as cryptochristian? Kinda odd.--Advice Polack (talk) 21:20, 15 September 2014 (UTC)

Jaruzelski's death
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/25/wojciech-jaruzelski-poland-communist-leader-dies — Preceding unsigned comment added by 141.70.80.5 (talk) 17:56, 25 May 2014 (UTC)
 * Changed heading to something more suitable, also already in article. Thanks, Mat  ty  .  007  17:58, 25 May 2014 (UTC)

Tag
Hi, I added the orinal research tag as there are still unsourced, serious statements such as "Jaruzelski faced charges for a number of actions committed while he was Defense Minister during the Communist period, including charges of murder". Thanks, Mat  ty. 007 09:11, 26 May 2014 (UTC)
 * I think it would be easier just to use citation needed where needed. --Piotr Konieczny aka Prokonsul Piotrus| reply here 10:34, 26 May 2014 (UTC)
 * Done, but there are quite a few, which is why I thought the tag was better. Thanks, Mat  ty  .  007  10:37, 26 May 2014 (UTC)
 * This way we know exactly what to fix. You may want to ask at WT:POLAND if there are any editors interested in helping out. I'd like to, but I may not have time :( --Piotr Konieczny aka Prokonsul Piotrus| reply here 04:56, 28 May 2014 (UTC)
 * Well, the below linked discussion to ITN has a proposal to simply move all the unsourced stuff to the talk page. Thanks, Mat  ty  .  007  12:09, 28 May 2014 (UTC)

"Started to denounce????"
In the article someone wrote " in 1948[7] and started to denounce people for the Soviet supervised Main Directorate of Information of the Polish Army using the cover name Wolski."

It isn't true or acurate, as the article in the footnote says only:

"In March 1946, he became a full-fledged agent of the military intelligence. His codename was "Wolski." The fact of his registration is inconvertible but, as historian Piotr Gontarczyk notes, his case file was destroyed. We can assume Jaruzelski denounced his fellow officers and other assorted "reactionaries".

We do not know why author assumes, that anyone was denounced. There is no evidence that anyone was denounced by Jaruzelski, or that evidence is not presented in linked article. Important is that author of this article is know for bias, as he is a prominent writer for far right winged magazines. He can be hardly recognised as objective historian. Anyway, there is no evidence to support claim about "denuncing" anyone. Last, but not least, this "fact" is absent from polish version of this article (which is far more detailed), as there is no scientific evidence to support that.

This fragment needs either new sources to support it claims or claims about denunciations should be removed. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 89.77.58.154 (talk) 22:51, 27 May 2014 (UTC)

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 * AGAD Gen. Wojciech jaruzelski 13 grudnia 1981.png

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Pronunciation
is better, but I actually didn't mean to remove the second syllable. I've overlooked the fact that the vowels are different. Sorry for that. Kbb2 (ex. Mr KEBAB) (talk) 08:52, 24 August 2019 (UTC)
 * it’s fine, I just didn’t understand why you provided no explanation. :) [[File:Italy.png]] イヴァン スクルージ 九十八 （会話）[[File:Italy.png]] 08:55, 24 August 2019 (UTC)

Invalid reference
Hi all, just to bring to your attention to the fact that the statement 'However, his intention was to crush Solidarity.' is NOT supported by the BBC article given as a reference. I am not taking a position on whether the statement is true or not (it strikes me as entirely plausible), but another reference ought to be found, or the current reference deleted (and/or the statement changed to reflect the fact that it is currently unsupported by evidence). Cheers

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title: Talk:Wojciech Jaruzelski