Great Northern Tunnel

Rail tunnel in Seattle, Washington, United States
4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) (standard gauge)Tunnel clearance28 feet (8.5 m)

The Great Northern Tunnel is a 1-mile (1.6 km) double-tracked railway tunnel under downtown Seattle, Washington, completed by the Great Northern Railway in 1905, and now owned by the BNSF Railway, on its Scenic Subdivision. At the time it was built, it was the tallest and widest tunnel in the United States, at 28 feet (8.5 m) high and 30 feet (9.1 m) wide.[2]

The southern portal is just north of King Street Station, and the northern in Victor Steinbrueck Park, between Virginia and Pine Streets. The Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel passes four feet below the Great Northern Tunnel.[3]

A plaque that reads, "Great Northern Tunnel - Completed in 1905, this one mile long railroad tunnel provided access to the new passenger depot and the expanded freight yards south of King Street. The tunnel was built at the suggestion of city engineer R. H. Thomson to relieve growing street congestion in downtown Seattle."
A plaque commemorating the completion of the Great Northern Tunnel in 1905.

Freight and passenger trains use the tunnel, including Amtrak service to Chicago (the Empire Builder) and Vancouver, B.C. (Cascades), and Sound Transit's Seattle–Everett Sounder commuter rail service.

A more distant view of the South Portal of the Great Northern Tunnel
A more distant view of the South Portal of the tunnel

References

  1. ^ Robinson, Robert A.; Cox, Edward; Dirks, Martin (2002), Tunneling in Seattle: A History of Innovation, North American Tunnelling Conference, Seattle, Wash., archived from the original on April 6, 2010, retrieved 2012-12-16
  2. ^ Daryl C. McClary (November 27, 2002). "Great Northern Tunnel — Seattle (essay #4029)". HistoryLink. Retrieved 2007-12-07.
  3. ^ "Pioneer Square Station-the Pioneering Spirit". King County Metro. April 15, 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-10.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Great Northern Tunnel.
  • Ahearn, Ashley (2014-10-09). "Seattle's Great Northern Tunnel Turns 110 Years Old". NWPR.org. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
  • v
  • t
  • e
Bridges and tunnels in and around Seattle
Bridges
Road
Rail
Tunnels
Road
Rail
Utility
Italics denote former bridges and tunnels.
Stub icon

This United States tunnel–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

  • v
  • t
  • e
Stub icon

This United States rail–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

  • v
  • t
  • e
Stub icon

This article about transportation in Washington is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

  • v
  • t
  • e