This first tunnel was built by the La Crosse and Milwaukee railroad, and used by the
Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad (Milwaukee Road). The first tunnel was completed in 1858 as the last segment of the rail route from
Milwaukee to
La Crosse. The station was simply named "Tunnel". This tunnel was updated in 1861. It was replaced by another tunnel directly to its north in 1874. That tunnel, and the railroad itself, is now owned by the
Canadian Pacific Railway, whose
Soo Line subsidiary purchased the rail assets of the Milwaukee Road in February 1985. The CP also hosts
Amtrak’s
Empire Builder passenger train, though rail traffic is dominated by freight as the
Tomah Subdivision. The
Empire Builder does not stop in Tunnel City. The Soo Line had raised the bore of the tunnel completed in 1993 to accommodate double stack traffic. The Soo Line considered excavating the hill or "daylighting" the tunnel bore. ==Chicago and North Western tunnel==