(The Associated Press circulated the following article on November 30.)
BALTIMORE — A U.S. study commissioned after the 2001 Howard Street Tunnel fire recommends an overhaul of the city’s convoluted passenger and freight systems, saying it is the only way to fix a network vital to the country’s transportation grid.
The network is so antiquated, the report says,that one tunnel was completed eight years after the Civil War ended.
The $1 million study was conducted by the Federal Railroad Administration at the request of Congress after the train derailment in which a CSX freight train partially derailed in the Howard Street Tunnel.
Four of the 11 cars that derailed were tankers carrying flammable and hazardous chemicals. One of them ruptured, igniting a fire which created an inferno in the tunnel that paralyzed the downtown for days.
Lawmakers wanted to study the possibility of eliminating all through freight service from the Howard Street Tunnel, which is owned by CSX Transportation, and replacing the 140-year-old Baltimore & Potomac Tunnel, owned by Amtrak.
The federal study recommended several plans that would change the city’s transportation network with a series of new tunnels, many west of downtown.
In a letter to the rail administration, state Department of Transportation Secretary Robert L. Flanagan called the study a good step, but said the report neglected to examine other alternatives, such as routing freight and passenger trains along Interstate 95.
On Tuesday, Flanagan said the state had secured $3 million in July in federal transportation funds that it will use to study other proposals.
The study recommends separating the city’s freight and passenger railway lines, which are intertwined at many points, though run by different companies.
Of the passenger train alternatives explored, the report points to the construction of a great-circle passenger tunnel as the most promising. Its portals would be close to the B&P tunnel, west of Pennsylvania Station.
The configuration would allow for faster trains, the report concludes. It would cost about $500 million.
For freight service, the report reviewed land and underwater alternatives, opting for two great-circle freight tunnels similar to the passenger tunnel.
The report also looked at constructing freight tunnels under Baltimore’s harbor, but noted that such plans are three times as expensive as land tunnels and include additional challenges, such as channel depth and limits on length.
A spokeswoman for Mayor Martin O’Malley, who has repeatedly raised concerns about the safety of the tunnel system, said the city welcomed the recommendations.
“We welcome any improvements along the lines that would improve safety and capacity,” said Raquel Guillory. “Ever since the Howard Street fire, we’ve had some serious concerns about the safety of the tunnels and rail lines. But unfortunately our hands are tied. There’s not much we can do about that.”