| Schenley Tunnel | |
| Construction: | – |
| Length: | 2872.4feet |
| Notrack: | 1 (originally 2) |
| Line: | P&W Subdivision |
| Coordinates: | 40.4463°N -79.9474°W |
| Location: | beneath Neville Street in the Oakland and Shadyside neighborhood area. |
Schenley Tunnel (also known as the Neville Street Tunnel[1] and Pittsburgh Junction Railroad Tunnel) is a railroad tunnel in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The tunnel runs beneath Neville Street in the city's North Oakland neighborhood; the south portal is at the upper end of Junction Hollow emerging from under Filmore St., the north emerges from under Centre Ave. into a ravine that opens into Skunk Hollow, between North Oakland and Bloomfield.
Schenley Tunnel measures 2872feet in length and runs about 70feet beneath Neville Street. It carries CSX Transportation's P&W Subdivision. The Allegheny Valley Railroad, a short-line railroad, uses the tunnel for regional services. Amtrak's Capitol Limited also uses the tunnel when entering and leaving the city.
Excavation on the tunnel began about May 1883[2] and continued for nine months. By August 1883, a vertical shaft reached the tunnel's midpoint, and additional excavation began from the inside, working in both directions.[3] In May 1884, brick masons were hired to build the arched passage lining the tunnel.[4] The track was completed on September 24, 1884[5] and the Pittsburgh Daily Post reported that an informal opening for involved business leaders was held September 30, 1884, but noted that about of the tunnel remained to be bricked.[6] [7] The official opening was delayed until December 1884, when the Junction Railroad's bridge across the Allegheny River and Herr's Island was opened, completing the connecting railroad.[8]
Shaw, Stearns & Norris, railroad builders from Columbus, Ohio were the contractors. The entire Junction Railroad, about 4miles long, including the tunnel and a bridge crossing the Allegheny River at 33rd Street, cost about $1.9 million (equivalent to $ million in). While the original Schenley tunnel is still in use, the bridge was replaced in 1920.[9]