The tunnel was designed to provide a rail link from the timber trade of the Ottawa Valley to the Brockville port facilities on the St. Lawrence River ship route.

In 1982, the tunnel was turned over to the City of Brockville by Marathon Realty, the real-estate wing of the Canadian Pacific Railway.

In 2016–17, the railway tunnel underwent a major interior rehabilitation to make it possible to travel safely through it on foot.

It now features a modern LED coloured light system, which is programmed in various ways, along with a recorded music track playing while one walks through.

Adjacent to the tunnel is a refurbished CPR caboose or van, that was donated in 1987 to the city by the Canadian Pacific Railway.