 The new line and tunnel were opened on 6 November 1837.The Loop was itself shortened at some point, when the Rotton Brunt Line was built, which cut across a large meander.The Wyrley and Essington Canal merged with the Birmingham Canal Navigations in 1840, and links between the two canal systems included the Walsall Extension Canal, which ran northwards from Walsall to meet the Wyrley and Essington at Birchills Junction.