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Protesters rally against proposed Baltimore Tunnel Project vent
Amtrak is electrified through here, but Norfolk Southern freights will use the tunnel as well.
Protesters rally against proposed Baltimore and Potomac Tunnel Project diesel vent outside elementary school
September 4, 2018 9:15 PM
A crowd gathered Tuesday morning outside the new Dorothy I. Height Elementary School building in West Baltimore to protest Amtrak’s plans to replace the Baltimore and Potomac Tunnel with a new tunnel under the city with an exhaust shaft near the school. ... “Don’t poison our kids,” one sign read. “Make my future clean,” read another. ... “People won’t want to come here if they’re living next to something considered dangerous,” Baltimore artist Joyce J. Scott said.
The proposed $4.5 billion project would replace the 145-year-old B&P Tunnel, which acts as a bottleneck on the busy Northeast Corridor for Amtrak and MARC passenger trains due to its age and winding design. Trains must slow to a crawl to transit the two-track, 1.4-mile tunnel between Penn Station and points south and west. The tunnel also serves Norfolk Southern Railway freight trains. ... The Federal Railroad Administration identified the tunnel as structurally deficient, unable to meet projected transportation demands and unsuited for high-speed usage in March 2017. The agency’s Record of Decision calls for the tunnel to be rebuilt or replaced within the next 10 to 20 years.
{FRA picks plan to replace problematic Amtrak tunnel beneath Baltimore after years-long review}
The proposed project would entail building a new tunnel sweeping farther north in an arc under West Baltimore. Designed to accommodate growing demand, the new tunnel would be large enough to accommodate four tracks and freight trains with shipping containers stacked two high. Trains would be able to travel at higher speeds without the tight curves of the existing tunnel. .... Members of Residents Against the Tunnels argued the study did not account for the use of the additional tracks or changes in transport demand and diesel consumption over time.
{New West Baltimore rail tunnel could shake homes, displace people, study says}
“They misinformed the public of the scope of this,” said spokeswoman Laura Amlie, a Baltimore resident and member of Residents Against the Tunnels since its founding in 2015. “The objection to the tunnels is a much bigger picture.” .... “We are pro-transportation and pro-Baltimore. We just think this is a really bad plan,” Amlie said. .... “If the government is serious about making Baltimore a more freight-friendly port, don’t drag it through the city, it makes it less livable,” Amlie said. “They’re prioritizing corporate money over citizen safety.”
September 4, 2018 9:15 PM
A crowd gathered Tuesday morning outside the new Dorothy I. Height Elementary School building in West Baltimore to protest Amtrak’s plans to replace the Baltimore and Potomac Tunnel with a new tunnel under the city with an exhaust shaft near the school. ... “Don’t poison our kids,” one sign read. “Make my future clean,” read another. ... “People won’t want to come here if they’re living next to something considered dangerous,” Baltimore artist Joyce J. Scott said.
The proposed $4.5 billion project would replace the 145-year-old B&P Tunnel, which acts as a bottleneck on the busy Northeast Corridor for Amtrak and MARC passenger trains due to its age and winding design. Trains must slow to a crawl to transit the two-track, 1.4-mile tunnel between Penn Station and points south and west. The tunnel also serves Norfolk Southern Railway freight trains. ... The Federal Railroad Administration identified the tunnel as structurally deficient, unable to meet projected transportation demands and unsuited for high-speed usage in March 2017. The agency’s Record of Decision calls for the tunnel to be rebuilt or replaced within the next 10 to 20 years.
{FRA picks plan to replace problematic Amtrak tunnel beneath Baltimore after years-long review}
The proposed project would entail building a new tunnel sweeping farther north in an arc under West Baltimore. Designed to accommodate growing demand, the new tunnel would be large enough to accommodate four tracks and freight trains with shipping containers stacked two high. Trains would be able to travel at higher speeds without the tight curves of the existing tunnel. .... Members of Residents Against the Tunnels argued the study did not account for the use of the additional tracks or changes in transport demand and diesel consumption over time.
{New West Baltimore rail tunnel could shake homes, displace people, study says}
“They misinformed the public of the scope of this,” said spokeswoman Laura Amlie, a Baltimore resident and member of Residents Against the Tunnels since its founding in 2015. “The objection to the tunnels is a much bigger picture.” .... “We are pro-transportation and pro-Baltimore. We just think this is a really bad plan,” Amlie said. .... “If the government is serious about making Baltimore a more freight-friendly port, don’t drag it through the city, it makes it less livable,” Amlie said. “They’re prioritizing corporate money over citizen safety.”
Previously at DU:
Baltimore Amtrak tunnel replacement would cost $4 billion
Norfolk Southern in Baltimore?
RailroadRadio.net, Baltimore, Maryland
....
Norfolk Southern Operations:
Though NS plays second fiddle to CSX in this town, they are still quite busy. Due to the fact that NS must utilize Amtrak between Baltimore and Perryville, most road freights run after dark. Road freights have been known to make daylight appearences on Amtrak on occasion though. NS operates one yard in town, Bayview, adjacent to Amtrak's NEC. This hump yard is the base for many locals working local industries along Amtrak, and various NS branches in the area. All traffic out of Baltimore runs west to Harrisburg via the Port Road which connects to Amtrak's NEC at PERRY interlocking at Perryville, MD.
....
Norfolk Southern Operations:
Though NS plays second fiddle to CSX in this town, they are still quite busy. Due to the fact that NS must utilize Amtrak between Baltimore and Perryville, most road freights run after dark. Road freights have been known to make daylight appearences on Amtrak on occasion though. NS operates one yard in town, Bayview, adjacent to Amtrak's NEC. This hump yard is the base for many locals working local industries along Amtrak, and various NS branches in the area. All traffic out of Baltimore runs west to Harrisburg via the Port Road which connects to Amtrak's NEC at PERRY interlocking at Perryville, MD.
