Freedom Tunnel 

The Freedom Tunnel is an Amtrack tube that runs under Manhattan's West side from Hell's Kitchen to Morningside Heights. Between 1980 and 1995 it was not in use and became home to hundreds of New York City's mole people who set up elaborate shacks and huts. Over time the tunnel became the site of legendary works of art by renown graffiti artists. Amtrak resumed service to the tunnel in '95 and evicted the squatters, bulldozing their makeshift homes. 

It is a story I found intriguing. One chilly Spring afternoon a few weeks ago I recruited a buddy of mine to join me on a mission to locate and infiltrate the tunnel. We aspired to travel its 80+ block length to see this piece of NYC history for ourselves, and to asses what remains of the homeless population and elaborate graffiti of the last generation.

We located the tracks at West 48th & 10th Ave but could not find s suitable way down as the tracks are 25-30 feet below street level. Following them south we discovered an access point at W 40th st. A climb over a cement wall and a short drop onto a ledge got us in.

When you are on the street you can't tell but it is actually elevated above the tunnel.

The tracks are open air from roughly W 40th to W 49th St. We hurried the length of this outside portion to avoid being seen by Passer-bies, police or Amtrak workers. As we approached the point where the tunnel goes underground we heard a rumbling noise quickly growing louder. An Amtrak passenger train was headed our way, giving us just enough time to duck out of sight. 

When the train passed we continued on into the tunnel and switched on our flashlights to lead ourselves deeper in. Although the tunnel is underground it is not pitch dark because there are grates and openings allowing in beams of light.

At a certain point, around the W 60's, the tunnel splits up into two. To the right is the tunnel that contains the active tracks, to the left an auxiliary tube no longer in use. We chose to take the later route.

Eventually we passed Riverside Park and the tunnels rejoined each other. Further north, in the W 90's, we came upon the real street art, the famous Freedom Tunnel murals.

There are rumors that Amtrak is painting over the old graffiti in the tunnel. I confirmed this, discovering that the famous mural by Freedom Smith, which in the 19 years since its creation was never tagged over, had upwards of 75% of its area buffed over, likely by the authorities.

 Another famed mural, the one depicting a mole person being oppressed by above-ground authorities, had only sections remaining intact.

We finally reached the north end of the tunnel at 125th St, coming out as dusk was settling over the city. We had seen little remaining debris and much graffiti covered over. We did not encounter a single homeless person. The finding of our mission was that Amtrak has taken bold steps to reclaim the tunnel and had almost successfully erased all evidence of its history.

More about the Freedom Tunnel here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Tunnel