Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Video: Journey Through Amtrak's UWS Graffiti Tunnels
By
Garth Johnston
Published Feb 8, 2012
Modified Feb 8, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Garth Johnston
Published Feb 8, 2012
Modified Feb 8, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Beneath New York City lies a vast network of abandoned tunnels, caverns, nooks and crannies that the average joe will never see. But urban explorer Steve Duncan is not your average joe! As you'll see in their Undercity series, he and filmmaker Andrew Wonder really like getting dirty below grade. This week they explore a series of tunnels quite familiar to graffiti fans and Manhattan kids with a penchent for exploration: The Amtrak "Freedom Tunnel" underneath the West Side.
Built by Robert Moses in the 1930s, the Amtrak Tunnels on the West Side were meant to allow for increased parking spaces for Upper West Siders (hello, expanded Riverside Park and the Henry Hudson Parkway!). But soon after they were finished they were pretty much abandoned, only going back into service in 1991 as part of the Amtrak Empire Connection. As far as the story goes, the northern part of the tunnels got their "Freedom" name from graffiti artist Chris "Freedom" Pape who used the walls for some of his more notable work (others say the name is a reference to the former shantytowns of "mole people" that used to live down there).
Though the tunnels are still popular with artists, they've been having a much harder time down there since the trains started running again. Recently Amtrak began buffing large chunks of art off the walls. And, as you can see in this video, new concrete walls have been put up in front of some of the natural stone walls.
Unlike a lot of the other places the Undercity guys have gone (sewers, abandoned subways), the Freedom Tunnel is actually not that hard to break into—even, as you can see, in the daytime. Which means there is a lot of interesting footage of it out there for you armchair spelunkers. Here, for instance, is a pretty look at some of the work in the tunnels a bit further north:
Meanwhile, Undercity has more photos from inside the tunnel here and here.
Tagged
amtrak
andrew wonder
freedom tunnel
manhattan
steve duncan
undercity
Upper West Side
urban spelunking
Garth Johnston
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
Ever wish you could get paid to walk through a stranger’s house? ‘The Scout’ is for you.
A new film focuses on the strange career of a location scout in New York City.
By
Sonia Rao
Published Sep 26, 2026
There are 100s of places to visit during Open House New York. Here's 5 of our favorites.
See the entire lineup for the weekend when the city opens its doors.
By
Hannah Frishberg
Arts & Entertainment
There are 100s of places to visit during Open House New York. Here's 5 of our favorites.
See the entire lineup for the weekend when the city opens its doors.
By
Hannah Frishberg
A massive MTA archive ended up in a Virginia warehouse. A Brooklyn man brought it home.
By
Hannah Frishberg
How a Harry Styles pop-up in the East Village led to a nearby bookstore owner's arrest
By
Sonia Rao
NYC’s creative workers are increasingly self-employed, report says
By
Hannah Frishberg
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .