Frederick Douglass Tunnel Program
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Quick Facts

Pre-construction

Customer Benefits

  • State-of-the-art tunnel for all-electric passenger trains
  • Modernized rail infrastructure along 10 miles of the NEC
  • New ADA-accessible West Baltimore MARC Station
  • Improved travel times and reliability for MARC and Amtrak customers

 

Community Benefits

  • $50 million Community Investment Program
  • Modern fire/life safety systems
  • Improvements to West Baltimore roads and bridges

Awarded major contracts for tunnel construction (Package A) and the Southern Approach (Package B)

Groundbreaking

U.S. DOT Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Maryland Department of Transportion Maryland Transit Administration (MDOT MTA), City of Baltimore

IIJA FRA discretionary grants, MDOT/MTA, Amtrak

More than 150-years old, the B&P Tunnel dates from the Civil War era. It is also the largest bottleneck on the Northeast Corridor between Washington, D.C. and New Jersey.

The Baltimore & Potomac (B&P) Tunnel is the oldest Amtrak tunnel and a single point of failure for the 12 million MARC and Amtrak customers who rely on it. The 1.4-mile tunnel, connecting Baltimore’s Penn Station to Washington D.C. and Virginia, suffers from a variety of age-related issues such as excessive water infiltration, a deteriorating structure, and a sinking floor. The existing tunnel cannot be updated with modern fire and life safety systems and excessive costly maintenance is required. The tunnel is at capacity, and the tunnel’s tight curvature requires trains to reduce speeds to 30 mph. These issues create chronic delays — more than 10% of weekday trains are delayed, and delays occur on 99% of weekdays.

Without the roughly $6 billion replacement, these issues will persist, and the risk to Northeast Corridor operations will grow. This tunnel replacement program has already completed environmental (NEPA) review and preliminary work began in 2023. Funding will be a combination of Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding and contributions from Amtrak and the State of Maryland.

Program Elements

Frederick Douglass Tunnel

The centerpiece of this Program is a new tunnel named in honor of abolitionist Frederick Douglass, a Maryland native who was also a frequent railroad passenger after escaping to his freedom by boarding a train in Baltimore. 

The tunnel will feature two new high-capacity tunnel tubes designed for electrified Amtrak and MARC passenger trains, with each tube approximately two miles in length.

West Baltimore MARC Station

New, fully accessible station featuring restrooms, an enclosed waiting area, elevators, level boarding platforms, local transit connections, roadway improvements, public art and more.

Bridge Replacements

Five bridge replacements to accomodate the re-alignment of the Northeast Corridor:

  • Edmondson Avenue and Lafayette Avenue roadway bridges
  • Warwick Avenue, Mulberry Street, and Franklin Street railroad bridges

 

Modern Rail Infrastructure

New rail systems, track and railroad infrastructure, including modern fire and life safety systems.

Community Investment Program

$50 million will be invested in West Baltimore neighborhoods along the Program corridor as part of the Community Investment Program (CIP). Investments will be made through community grants and direct investments, with projects covering six categories:

  • Community Development
  • Workforce Development
  • Parks and Recreation
  • Community Gardens, Vacant Lots and Public Space
  • Transportation
  • Historic Preservation

 

For more details read the Community Investment Program Guide.

Stay in Touch

For additional information about the Frederick Douglass Tunnel Program, email [email protected] or call (443) 423-1115 to speak to a member of the program team.