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Canadian Pacific, the Windsor Port Authority and Borealis Infrastructure recently teamed up to form the Continental Rail Gateway coalition (CRG), which plans to pursue opportunities for developing, funding and constructing a new rail tunnel under the Detroit River.

The current tunnel, which is used by 350,000 rail cars annually, opened in 1909 and remains in excellent condition, according to CRG partners.  However, it can’t accommodate double-stack container trains from the Port of Montreal and some new generations of multi-level rail cars used by shippers and auto manufacturers, CRG officials said in a prepared statement. In addition, the tunnel’s clearance, which was raised in 1994, can't be further elevated.  

The tunnel needs to be replaced to help make the Windsor/Detroit area more competitive as a Midwestern logistics hub, CRG officials said. The project would take three years to complete after environmental reviews are approved in Canada and the United States.  

Each CRG partner plans to raise awareness of the tunnel replacement project among elected officials, transportation agency administrators and business leaders in the Windsor/Detroit area.