The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) recently unveiled a revamped proposal to restore the Civil War-era Baltimore and Potomac (B&P) Tunnel after receiving input from Baltimore residents.
The FRA had presented three options for the project, but after the agency received feedback over the past two years from residents during public hearings and open houses, and from several neighborhood associations, two options were ruled out. The FRA expects to make further modifications to the chosen option.
“Rebuilding the B&P Tunnel is a significant undertaking, and it is our responsibility to incorporate input from everyone it will serve and affect,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said.
The FRA said approximately 140 trains pass through the tunnel daily. It is a portion of the Northeast Corridor, which the FRA considers the busiest rail corridor in the U.S. This project has received approximately $60 million from the federal government to effect preliminary reviews for environmental and design purposes.
Another public hearing on the project will be held 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday in the Carver Vocational-Technical High School Cafeteria.
