The Vale Tunnel is a railway tunnel south of

Raytown, Missouri Raytown is a city in Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson County, Missouri, United States, and is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, Kansas City. The population was at 30,012 in 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The current mayor of Raytown ...

in the

Kansas City metropolitan area The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more t ...

. It was built by the

Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific The original Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad (CRI&P RW, sometimes called ''Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway'') was an American Class I railroad. It was also known as the Rock Island Line, or, in its final years, The Rock. At ...

railroad in 1903-1904, and became the final tunnel of four to be built on the entire Rock Island railroad, all of which were in Missouri. The tunnel is part of the Kansas City to St. Louis, Missouri line, and travels beneath Bannister Road. In 1980, the Rock Island was liquidated in court and the tunnel and line across Missouri was eventually sold to the

St. Louis Southwestern Railway The St. Louis Southwestern Railway Company , known by its nickname of "The Cotton Belt Route" or simply "Cotton Belt", was a Class I railroad that operated between St. Louis, Missouri, and various points in the U.S. states of Arkansas, Tennessee ...

(or Cotton Belt). The tunnel is long. Since 1980, the line changed owners several times after the Rock Island went bankrupt. Most of the line remains intact, as does the tunnel, except for a few places where it has been cut for road improvements. In 2016, the line was bought by

Jackson County, Missouri Jackson County is located in the western portion of the U.S. state of Missouri, on the border with Kansas. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 717,204. making it the second-most populous county in the state (af ...

. The line was converted into the Rock Island Rail Trail. The first phase was completed in June 2019, and was . The second phase was opened in July 2021 with an additional 7 miles, for a total length of . Vale Tunnel has received lighting and is a centerpiece of the trail.

References

{{Authority control Transportation buildings and structures in Kansas City, Missouri Railway tunnels in Missouri Tunnels completed in 1905 1905 establishments in Missouri