President Biden highlights upgrades to Frederick Douglass Tunnel at Baltimore conference
BALTIMORE - President Biden was in Baltimore Wednesday evening highlighting the upgrades to the Baltimore-Potomac tunnel.
The tunnel is now named the Frederick Douglass Tunnel, named after a prominent abolition who escaped from slavery in Maryland.
Biden addressed the House Democrats at the annual policy conference. Gov. Wes Moore also attended the conference.
"It's a 100-year-old tunnel," Biden said. "It's going to change transportation, not only on the Northeast corridor, but instead of traveling at 30 mph, it is going to travel at 100 mph, and it is a $4 billion investment, and these are the signs we are going to put up," Biden said holding a sign that read Frederick Douglass Tunnel.
President Biden was in Baltimore in January when he touted the upgrades to the nearly 150-year-old tunnel.
The Frederick Douglass Tunnel project is expected to allow MARC trains to go from downtown Baltimore to downtown Washington DC in just 30 minutes.
Once completed roughly a decade from now, the new tunnel is expected to have two tracks and allow trains to travel more than 100 mph.
Speed and capacity improvements as a result of replacing the tunnel would eliminate nearly seven hours of train delay for the average weekday and save rail customers nearly 450,000 hours annually, the White House said.
The total project, which includes related bridges and equipment modernization, could cost $6 billion.
Biden plans to announce labor agreements that are intended to smooth the tunnel's completion and ensure good wages for union workers, according to the White House.
The project will generate an estimated 30,000 jobs, including roughly 20,000 direct construction jobs, most of which don't require a college degree, the White House said. Maryland has also agreed to commit $450 million for construction.
No money has yet been awarded from the federal infrastructure legislation. However, the law signed by Mr. Biden includes $24 billion for rail improvements along the Northeast Corridor, and up to $4.7 billion could be provided for the Baltimore tunnel, covering the majority of its cost.
"I made 1,000 trips through this tunnel, so I've been through this tunnel 1,000 times," Biden said in January during a tour of the tunnel, recounting the miles he had logged on the train. "But when folks talk about how badly the Baltimore tunnel needs an upgrade, you don't need me to tell you. I've been there."
The tunnel connects from Philadelphia to Washington.
The tunnel that runs under some of Baltimore's residential neighborhoods has only one track, and trains need to slow down to just 30 mph to navigate a tight turn on the southern end, creating persistent delays — more than 10% of weekday trains are delayed, and delays happen on nearly all weekdays, the White House said.