Baltimore Amtrak tunnel replacement would cost $4 billion

By Scott Dance

sdance@baltsun.com
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The Baltimore Sun

The Federal Railroad Administration wants to go ahead with a $4 billion project to replace a 143-year-old Amtrak tunnel that passes under West Baltimore and is a major bottleneck in the rail corridor from Boston to Washington.

The agency's preferred route for a new Baltimore & Potomac Tunnel would take it in a wide arc beneath neighborhoods including Reservoir Hill, Penn North and Sandtown-Winchester, displacing 22 homes, five of which are vacant, according to a recently released final environmental impact statement.

The new tunnel would replace the existing 1.4-mile tunnel beneath Bolton Hill and Sandtown-Winchester, allowing more trains to pass through and at faster speeds.

The administration is accepting public comments on its plan through late December, before deciding next spring whether to approve it.
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The Associated Press contributed to this article.