What changed: a clearance bottleneck is now cleared for double-stack trains

The Maryland Port Administration says the Howard Street Tunnel is a 1.7-mile-long rail passage under the heart of Baltimore City, originally constructed in 1895. MPA also says the corridor’s vertical clearances were up to 18 inches less than the roughly 21 feet needed for double-stack service—constraints that restricted double-stack movements along the CSX I-95 rail corridor, including to and from the Port of Baltimore.

Project scope: Howard Street Tunnel plus clearance work across the corridor

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) describes the Howard Street Tunnel Project as improving clearance at the tunnel in Baltimore City and 22 other locations along the CSX I-95 rail corridor between Baltimore and Philadelphia. FRA says the goal is to remove obstructions that restrict modern double-stack intermodal trains along that route.

What officials say comes next for residents: freight, jobs, and trucking impacts

In a June 22 announcement, the governor’s office said double-stack service is expected to increase the Port’s container business by about 160,000 containers annually and support more than 13,000 new jobs. The administration also tied the project to environmental and community goals, saying the ability to double-stack would reduce truck fuel consumption by about 137 million gallons and truck vehicle miles by 1.2 billion over 30 years.

What to watch: routing and truck patterns may adjust over time

Freight-focused reporting described how—before the tunnel improvements—some trains made detours or reroutes out of the Philadelphia area and at times shifted toward other rail connections (including toward Hagerstown, Md.). With double-stack clearance now enabled along the Baltimore-to-Philadelphia corridor, shippers may adjust routing choices. That kind of shift usually takes time, depending on how customers align schedules and equipment.

Bottom line

The June 22 ribbon-cutting marks a major operational milestone for Baltimore’s freight network: a clearance upgrade built around the Howard Street Tunnel is now intended to unlock double-stack service for the Port of Baltimore—benefits that officials say could build as container volumes and intermodal activity ramp up.

Sources

• Office of Governor Wes Moore (Press Release) — June 22, 2026
• Maryland Port Administration — Howard Street Tunnel Project page
• Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) — Howard Street Tunnel Project
• FreightWaves — CSX officially opens $495M Baltimore intermodal rail tunnel project