The Tyne Vehicle Tunnel opened in 1967 at a cost of £13.5 million.The 1650 m stretch of tunnel provides a link between Howdon and Jarrow being the only link for motor vehicles to the East of the Newcastle/Gateshead conurbations.
Currently it comprises of a a single tunnel containing bi-directional traffic and requires a number of control measures in order to maintain its excellent safety record.

The site is continuously  monitored every day of the year from a single control room. The control room communicates with multi-skilled staff who provide a rapid response to any incident within the Tunnel areas. There is a range of equipment to enable staff to deal with incidents such as Fire fighting equipment, Mechanics Tools, First Aid equipment, Breathing Apparatus and Heavy Vehicle Recovery equipment.

The Tunnel is now providing a service to approximately 1 million customers each month and therefore requires an immediate response from in house maintenance teams. The maintenance section are multi skilled and provide electrical, mechanical  and civil maintenance to all plant equipment and electrical systems for the Vehicle Tunnel.