Great Northern Tunnel
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.
North and South Portals of the tunnel | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Line | Scenic Subdivision |
| Location | Seattle, Washington |
| Coordinates | 47.604°N 122.333°W |
| Status | Active |
| System | Amtrak Empire Builder Amtrak Cascades Sounder commuter rail Northern Transcon |
| Operation | |
| Opened | 1905 |
| Owner | BNSF Burlington Northern Railroad (1970-1995) 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 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.
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.