Burlington Tunnel

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The Burlington Tunnel is a railroad tunnel located in Burlington, Vermont.

It was constructed in 1860 and completed in 1861 for a predecessor to the Central Vermont Railway. The tunnel runs in a northeast/southwest curve, however, the external approach trackage runs from south to east. The tunnel passes underneath North Avenue and measures approximately 340 feet long, 19 feet high and 16 feet wide.

[edit] Current condition

The Burlington Tunnel is currently owned and operated by the New England Central Railroad (NECR) and is in a state of internal deterioration^{[citation needed]}.

The tunnel has limited clearance for large freight cars. According to a 1998 study by Gordon, Bua, & Read, Inc. the tunnel was found to be "deficient in vertical clearance ... with respect to Plate H (i.e. Double-Stack rail-car clearance code designated by the Association of American Railroads) with 6-inch buffer requirements". The study thereby considered two alternatives to accommodate double-stack:

1. Lowering the track, and 2. Construct a new tunnel on a new alignment, reducing the curvature inside the tunnel.

In estimated 2003 dollars, the cost would be $5.2-$6 million v.s. $6.1-$7.1 million, respectively.

The current permitted speed limit for trains operating through the tunnel is less than 10 MPH.