CSX and the Port of Baltimore have launched double-stack rail service through the Howard Street Tunnel following completion of a $496 million infrastructure project designed to expand freight capacity and improve port connectivity.
The project increased vertical clearance within the 131-year-old tunnel by lowering the track approximately 18 inches. Crews also completed clearance improvements at 21 additional locations across Maryland, Delaware, and Pennsylvania to accommodate double-stack container trains moving to and from the Port of Baltimore.
The project was delivered through a public-private partnership between CSX, the Maryland Department of Transportation, and the Federal Railroad Administration. Maryland contributed $217 million toward the project, while federal funding provided an additional $125 million. Project costs came in below the original $566 million estimate.
The upgraded corridor allows double-stack container trains to move directly between the Port of Baltimore, East Coast markets, and inland destinations across the Midwest. The additional capacity is expected to increase container volumes at the port by approximately 160,000 containers annually.
State and port officials estimate the project will support more than 13,000 jobs through increased freight activity, logistics operations, warehousing, and related business growth. The improvements are also expected to reduce truck traffic by shifting more cargo to rail transportation.
The Howard Street Tunnel project forms part of broader efforts to strengthen freight mobility along the I-95 corridor and improve intermodal connections between the Port of Baltimore and national rail networks.