The City of Brockville Railway Tunnel Committee is campaigning to restore Canada’s First Railway Tunnel and open Brockville’s new Railway Tunnel Park, in celebration of Canada’s 150th birthday in 2017.
Tunnel Re-Opening Parade and CeremoniesCanada’s First Railway Tunnel was completed in 1860 for the Brockville and Ottawa Railway and later owned by the Canadian Pacific Railway until being acquired by the City of Brockville in 1983. The Tunnel is a remarkable example of Canada’s pre-Confederation industrial heritage that this restoration project will repurpose for the benefit of recreation, tourism and economic development. Key features of the Tunnel restoration include a new paved concrete floor and state-of-the-art energy efficient lighting for safety and to highlight the Tunnel’s architecture and geology.
Once open, Canada’s First Railway Tunnel and Brockville’s new Railway Tunnel Park will become the new central hub of our city’s Brock Trail recreational pathway. Phase one of Railway Tunnel Park will comprise restoration of the Tunnel and landscaping of the former CP property immediately north of the Tunnel, south of the main CN rail corridor. Phase two includes proposed redevelopment of the former Grand Trunk Railway lands also south of the CN corridor and west of the Tunnel, as well as proposed improvements at Brockville’s existing Armagh Sifton Price Park.
