On June 22, 2026 the State of Maryland and CSX cut the ribbon on double-stack rail operations at the Port of Baltimore. The Howard Street Tunnel under downtown had reopened on September 26, 2025, ahead of schedule, and the first revenue double-stack train ran on May 5, 2026. For the first time, a container can leave Seagirt Marine Terminal stacked two high and stay that way to Chicago. For an importer serving the Midwest, that is the biggest change in the Baltimore cost picture in a generation.
What the project did
The Howard Street Tunnel is a CSX freight tunnel under central Baltimore. Its height blocked double-stack trains, so for decades every Baltimore container headed inland by rail went single stack or by truck to a ramp with clearance. The project raised the tunnel clearance by 18 inches and fixed 21 other clearance points in Maryland, Delaware and Pennsylvania.
| Item | Fact |
|---|---|
| Tunnel reopened | September 26, 2025 |
| First revenue double-stack train | May 5, 2026 |
| Ribbon-cutting | June 22, 2026 |
| Clearance gained | 18 inches in the tunnel, plus 21 other locations |
| Cost | $495 million, against a $566 million projection |
| State share | $217 million |
| Expected volume | About 160,000 additional containers a year over time |
| Expected jobs | More than 13,000 |
CSX now has full double-stack clearance from Baltimore to the Midwest.
Why it changes the math for importers
Rail cost per container falls when a train carries twice the boxes. That is the whole mechanism. Before 2026, a Baltimore importer serving Columbus or Chicago usually trucked the box inland or routed the ocean leg through another port with double-stack access. Now the on-dock CSX yard at Seagirt, within 1,000 ft of the berth, loads a double-stack train straight from the vessel.
Combine that with geography. Baltimore is the closest Atlantic port to the Midwest. Approximate road miles from Seagirt:
| Destination | Road miles |
|---|---|
| Pittsburgh | 250 |
| Cleveland | 365 |
| Columbus | 420 |
| Detroit | 525 |
| Chicago | 700 |
Shorter rail miles and a double-stack train together are what move the landed cost. The MPA expects about 160,000 more containers a year through the port over time as a result.
How to use intermodal from Seagirt
- Ask your ocean carrier for a through rate to the inland ramp. Many carriers quote port-to-ramp as one bill of lading. If the carrier does not serve the ramp you need, the desk books the rail leg separately.
- Decide ramp versus door. The train delivers to a CSX ramp. From the ramp, a local drayage partner delivers to the customer. For a distribution center near a ramp, rail wins. For a rural consignee, compare against truck all the way.
- Check free time at both ends. Terminal free time at Seagirt and ramp free time at destination run on different clocks. The drayage and demurrage guide explains both.
- Weigh the box. Rail weight limits and highway weight limits differ. An overweight box for the highway may be fine for rail, and the reverse.
- Consider transload for mixed destinations. If one container splits between Pittsburgh and Baltimore customers, a transload partner on the east side sorts it, and the Midwest share goes to rail as a domestic container or trailer.
Which lanes to look at first
- Baltimore to Chicago. The lane that benefits most from stacked trains at 700 road miles.
- Baltimore to Columbus and Cleveland. Ohio distribution centers at 420 and 365 road miles, where truck and rail now compete closely.
- Baltimore to Pittsburgh. At 250 road miles truck often still wins on speed. Rail wins on cost for steady volume.
- Export lanes. The same clearance applies inbound to the port. Midwest exporters can rail a loaded container to Seagirt for one of the 15 weekly container services, and the new grain transload at Seagirt gives agricultural exporters a berth-side stuffing option.
What has not changed
Rail is slower than truck on short lanes. Ramp congestion still exists. Dundalk Marine Terminal is served directly by Norfolk Southern, not CSX, so the double-stack clearance applies to the Seagirt yard. And a container that goes by rail still needs a drayage partner at the far end. The clearance removed a cost penalty. It did not remove the planning.
How Baltimore 3PL uses this
The desk prices every Midwest lane two ways, truck and intermodal rail off the on-dock yard, and shows you both. Drayage partners handle the Seagirt side and the ramp side. Transloading partners on the east side split mixed containers so the Midwest share rides the train.
What to send for a quote
- Container count per month and the ocean carrier
- Inland destination addresses, or the ramp city if you already know it
- Gross weight per container
- Whether the consignee can receive a 40 ft container or needs a 53 ft trailer
- Service expectation in days from vessel discharge to door
Send it to the quote desk and you get a truck-versus-rail comparison within one business day.
Questions shippers ask
01What is double-stack rail?
A train that carries two containers stacked on each well car. It roughly doubles the containers per train and cuts the cost per box. It needs clearance under every bridge and tunnel on the route.
02Why was the Howard Street Tunnel a problem?
The CSX tunnel under downtown Baltimore was too low for a double stack, so every container leaving the port by rail went single stack or by truck to a ramp with clearance. The project raised the tunnel 18 inches and fixed 21 other clearance points in Maryland, Delaware and Pennsylvania.
03When did double-stack service start?
The tunnel reopened on September 26, 2025, the first revenue double-stack train ran on May 5, 2026, and the official ribbon-cutting was June 22, 2026.
04Which lanes benefit?
Baltimore to the Midwest on CSX: Pittsburgh, Columbus, Cleveland, Detroit and Chicago. Baltimore is the closest Atlantic port to those markets by road, and now by double-stack rail.
05How does a container get on the train?
The CSX intermodal yard sits on Seagirt within 1,000 ft of the berth. The box moves from the vessel to the rail yard on terminal without a street truck. The desk books the rail leg with your ocean carrier or as a separate move.