Work to begin on Baltimore rail tunnel reconstruction

Governor Larry Hogan and transportation officials took part in a gold-coloured shovel symbolic dig which signifies the end of seven years of tough negotiations between the State of Maryland, tunnel owner CSX and the Federal Railroad Administration. The event was made possible after agreement was reached on how to split the US$466m project costs: Maryland will provide US$202.5m, a federal grant will provide a further US$125m, and CSX and Pennsylvania will provide US$113m and US$22.5m respectively. Another US$3 million will come from federal highway formula funding.

For years the 126-year-old tunnel’s relatively small cross-section has created a bottleneck, hampering the port of Baltimore’s ability to handle the freight volumes needed to compete with East Coast rivals. An enlarged tunnel will allow double-stacked shipping containers to travel to and from the port, helping it become an East Coast hub and a conduit for the transfer of goods across the country. It is also expected to help boost regional growth and generate 6,550 construction jobs, plus an extra 7,300 jobs from increased business at the port.

Creating the necessary clearance is expected to be undertaken by breaking out the tunnel crown by 18in (457mm). But the work – which also includes improvements at 21 other locations, including three bridges – will have to be undertaken during rail service operation.