Great Northern Tunnel

Great Northern Tunnel
South Portal of the tunnel
Overview
Location Seattle, Washington
Coordinates Coordinates: 47°36′14″N 122°19′59″W / 47.604°N 122.333°W / 47.604; -122.333
System Amtrak Empire Builder
Amtrak Cascades
Sounder commuter rail
Operation
Opened 1905
Owner BNSF
Great Northern Railway (original)
Operator BNSF
Character passenger, freight
Technical
Line length 1 mile (1.6 km)
No. of tracks 2
Track gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) (standard gauge)
Tunnel clearance 28 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.[1]

The southern portal is just north of King Street Station, and the northern in Victor Steinbrueck Park, below the Alaskan Way Viaduct, between Virginia and Pine Streets. The Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel passes four feet below the Great Northern Tunnel.[2]

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. ↑ Daryl C. McClary (November 27, 2002). "Great Northern Tunnel — Seattle (essay #4029)". HistoryLink. Retrieved 2007-12-07.
  2. ↑ "Pioneer Square Station-the Pioneering Spirit". King County Metro. April 15, 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-10.
  • Ahearn, Ashley (2014-10-09). "Seattle's Great Northern Tunnel Turns 110 Years Old". NWPR.org. Retrieved 2015-09-06.


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