Biden to highlight plans to replace 150-year-old rail tunnel in Baltimore visit

Ulysses S. Grant was still president when workers finished the Baltimore and Potomac Tunnel, which connected Philadelphia and Washington through rail travel for the first time.

But 150 years later, the tunnel that runs under some of Baltimore's residential neighborhoods is more of a chokepoint than a lifeline. There's 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.

It's a problem that President Biden knows well, having commuted from Delaware to Washington on Amtrak for decades while serving as a U.S. senator. Last week he recalled walking the length of the tunnel, illuminated only by lights on a string as water dripped from the roof.