Michigan Central Railway Tunnel
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Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
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The Michigan Central Railway Tunnel is a
History
Background
Prior to the construction of the tunnel, the
In 1891, the
Construction
Construction began in October 1906 under the engineering supervision of the New York Central Railway's engineering vice president, William J. Wilgus. Dredging to construct the tunnel was performed in part by Dunbar & Sullivan, who used a steel dredge (Tipperary Boy) to carry out the work.[1] The Michigan Central Railway Tunnel opened for passenger service July 26, 1910. Freight service began September 15 and on October 16 all traffic began running via the tunnel, ending the use of a train car ferry. From opening it was operated by the Michigan Central Railroad under lease of December 19, 1906. It was the first immersed tube tunnel to carry traffic.
On the east (Canadian) side, the tunnel connected to the line that had served a train ferry at
Ownership changes
In 1968, the tunnel passed from the
The north tube underwent a $27 million enlargement in 1993 to allow passage of certain types of modern rail cars such as those with stacked containers and auto carriers, which had been previously ferried across the Detroit River. However, the enlarged tunnel can still not accommodate the largest rail cars, such as those with stacked 9 ft 6 in "high-cube" shipping containers.[3]
In early 2000, CN agreed to sell its stake to Borealis Transportation Infrastructure Trust (a venture of the
In 2010, the Windsor Port Authority, Borealis Infrastructure, and Canadian Pacific announced plans to construct a new rail tunnel compatible with double-stacked trains. The initiative, called the Continental Rail Gateway, was scrapped in 2015, upon the approval of the proposed Gordie Howe International Bridge.[7]
Canadian Pacific took full ownership of the tunnel in December 2020[8] following an approximate US$312 million deal with OMERS.[9]
Amidst its merger negotiations with the Kansas City Southern Railway, Canadian Pacific agreed in early 2022 that Amtrak would be allowed to access the tunnel for passenger service as part of the terms of the merger. This followed three years of efforts by Amtrak to restore Detroit–Toronto passenger rail service.[10]
Gallery
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US entrance in November 2010
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A closer view
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A train in the US entrance
See also
- Detroit–Windsor Tunnel
- Ambassador Bridge
- Michigan Central Railway Bridge
References
- ^ "Marine Notes". Detroit Free Press. 16 January 1907. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Trackside Guide No. 3 - Detroit, Trains, June 2003
- ^ Shea, Bill (June 24, 2018). "Ford's Michigan Central Station office workers will still see and hear hundreds of thousands of train cars". Crain's Detroit Business.
- ^ "Borealis Transportation to Become CPR Partner in Detroit River Tunnel" (PDF) (Press release). Calgary: Borealis Transportation. PR Newswire. February 27, 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 18, 2016.
- ^ "Proposed New Rail Tunnel for Detroit". November 10, 2001. Archived from the original on 2014-08-08. Retrieved 2012-10-15.
- Fasken Martineau. June 2009. Archived from the originalon February 28, 2010.
- ^ Shea, Bill (29 June 2015). "Detroit-Windsor rail tunnel project put on hold; 'business case and economics' blamed". Crains Detroit Business. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
- ^ "CP completes acquisition of Detroit River Rail Tunnel" (Press release). Canadian Pacific Railway. 22 December 2020. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
- ^ Vantuono, William C. (16 October 2020). "CP: 100% Stake In Detroit River Rail Tunnel". Railway Age. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
- ^ Battagello, Dave (7 January 2022). "Cross-border rail tunnel passenger service moves step closer". Windsor Star. Retrieved 11 January 2022.