Howard Street Tunnel
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Howard Street Tunnel
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Location | Beneath Howard St. from Mt. Royal Station to Camden Station, Baltimore, Maryland |
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Coordinates | 39°18′17″N 76°37′15″W / 39.30472°N 76.62083°WCoordinates: 39°18′17″N 76°37′15″W / 39.30472°N 76.62083°W |
Area | 3 acres (1.2 ha) |
Built | 1890 |
Architect | Raw, Samuel |
NRHP Reference # | 73002187 |
Added to NRHP | July 2, 1973 |
The Baltimore Belt Line was constructed by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) in the early 1890s to connect the railroad's newly constructed line to Philadelphia and New York City/Jersey City with the rest of the railroad at Baltimore, Maryland. It included the Howard Street Tunnel, the Mount Royal Station and the first mainline railroad electrification in the United States. The line is currently operated by CSX Transportation as part of its Baltimore Terminal Subdivision.
The B&O's original connection to New York in Baltimore was through surface street transfers to the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad (PW&B), pulled by horses along Pratt Street between the B&O's Camden Station and the PW&B's President Street Station. In 1884, the PW&B was purchased by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR), a major rival of the B&O, and the PRR cut off the connection. The B&O then proceeded to build its Philadelphia Branch (formally known as the Baltimore and Philadelphia Railroad) to connect to the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad, in turn connecting with the Central Railroad of New Jersey for B&O's New York service. The combination also provided a connection to the Staten Island Railway, which served as the terminal switching company for the B&O's New York freight service.