A working site was established at the eastern end of the tunnel, with huts, offices, a canteen, spoil heaps and sidings for the railway. The work was managed by a Resident Engineer called Chamberlain, who presented reports to meetings of the directors. Two shafts were built, allowing work to continue on six faces, but the works were lit by electricity, and the company spent £1,000 on drilling equipment from Schram & Co, which was powered by compressed air. A third shaft was later opened near the eastern end, providing eight faces for tunnelling. The tunnel was some long, and with so few shafts, boreholes were drilled down from the surface into the headings to check on its alignment. By 1903, one-third of the tunnel had been completed, and it was finished in 1905. One unfortunate consequence of the work was that the tunnel cut through the source of the spring that supplied Matfen village with water, and the company had to provide a new source. Once the works were completed, the railway between Matfen and Whittle Dene was lifted. The church at Ryal contains a memorial to those who died during the construction of the tunnel.