Downtown Tunnel (St. Louis)
| Downtown Tunnel (St. Louis) | |
|---|---|
Platform at 8th & Pine | |
| Overview | |
| Other name(s) | St. Louis Freight Tunnel |
| Status | Operational |
| Owner | Bi-State Development Agency |
| Locale | St. Louis, Missouri, United States |
| Termini | |
| Stations | 4 |
| Service | |
| Type | Light rail |
| System | MetroLink |
| Services | Red Blue |
| Operator(s) |
|
| Rolling stock | |
| History | |
| Opened | 1874 |
| Closed | 1974 |
| Reopened | 1993 |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 0.9 mi (1.4 km) |
| Number of tracks | 2 |
| Character | Underground |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Electrification | Overhead line, 750 V DC |
The Downtown Tunnel, sometimes referred to as the St. Louis Freight Tunnel, is a historic railroad tunnel beneath Washington Avenue and Eighth Street in downtown St. Louis. Completed in 1874, it carried freight and passenger trains between the Eads Bridge and the rail yards in the Mill Creek Valley, bypassing busy downtown streets. It closed in 1974 and sat dormant for nearly two decades before its rehabilitation in 1993 for use by MetroLink, the light rail system in Greater St. Louis.