Union Station’s passenger tunnel is familiar to nearly everyone and was the topic of Update #46 and Update #56. Lesser known is the fact that there are three tunnels behind Union Station: the passenger tunnel, a mail tunnel, and a baggage tunnel.
The passenger tunnel is scheduled for demolition this week. For the past two days, workers have been excavating the area around it. Below is a distant photo of it taken this afternoon. The parallel slabs of concrete in the center of the photo are on the roof of the tunnel which connects with Union Station near the spot occupied by the green lift.
The mail tunnel still exists, but it was sealed and filled with sand many years ago. It is a few dozen feet from 16th Street and runs parallel to the passenger tunnel. Obvious from its name, it was the passageway for the mail cars towed by Amtrak passenger trains to the Post Office space in the 16th Street end of Union Station. A related Post Office building was across 16th Street where the EPA building sits today. The recent excavation behind the historic station has exposed part of the mail tunnel making it visible from 16th Street. Here is a photo of it from inside the construction fence.
The baggage tunnel is closer to 18th Street and is parallel to the others. Like the mail tunnel, it has not been used or seen in many years. Since it is well out of the way of the area to be excavated, it is not expected to be demolished or even revealed during the project.
Does anyone know the fate of the cool old steel bridges that crossed the tunnel and were visible from it? There was other hardware like the track numbers, and even the brick itself was cool.
Paul, the hardware such as track numbers, doors, signs, etc has been removed and is being saved. There is a chance that some or all of it will be used in pieces of public art. But that’s a long way from being decided. Otherwise, I am not aware of bridges or bricks being saved.
Demolition of the passenger tunnel roof started a few minutes ago.