Moffat Tunnel

tunnel, United States

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June 30, 2026

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The Moffat Tunnel is a railroad tunnel that is 6 miles (10 kilometers) long and passes through the Rocky Mountains in north-central Colorado. Completed in 1927, it was named after David Halliday Moffat, an American capitalist and railway promoter who envisioned a tunnel through the continental divide but died before it could be built. The tunnel was eventually constructed using public funds in the 1920s. Upon its completion, the Moffat Tunnel facilitated transcontinental rail travel and freight passage through Denver for the first time.12

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Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad Company
These included the Moffat Tunnel, which honoured Moffat posthumously for his vision of building a tunnel under Colorado’s Continental Divide. Opened to rail traffic in 1928, the Moffat Tunnel shortened the trip between Denver and Salt Lake City by eight hours, placing Denver on a transcontinental route for…
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These included the Moffat Tunnel, which honoured Moffat posthumously for his vision of building a tunnel under Colorado’s Continental Divide. Opened to rail traffic in 1928, the Moffat Tunnel shortened the trip between Denver and Salt Lake City by eight hours, placing Denver on a transcontinental route for…
Read More