List of railroad lines in Massachusetts
This is a list of all freight railroad (not streetcar or rapid transit) lines that have been built in Massachusetts, and does not deal with ownership changes from one company to another. The lines are named by the first company to build or consolidate them.
B&A lines and related railroads
These railroads were owned by or closely related to the Boston and Albany Railroad, later part of the New York Central Railroad.
Name | From | To | Branches | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Boston and Worcester Railroad | Boston | Worcester | Brookline Branch, Beacon Street to Brookline Milford Branch, Framingham to Milford Millbury Branch, Millbury Junction to Millbury Newton Highlands Branch, Riverside to Cook Street Junction Newton Lower Falls Branch, Riverside to Newton Lower Falls Saxonville Branch, Natick to Saxonville |
Framingham Branch became part of the NYNH&H |
Chester and Becket Railroad | Chester | Becket | ||
Grand Junction Railroad | Allston | East Boston | ||
North Brookfield Railroad | East Brookfield | North Brookfield | ||
Pittsfield and North Adams Railroad | North Adams Junction | North Adams | ||
Providence, Webster and Springfield Railroad | Webster Junction | Webster | East Village Branch, Webster Mills to East Village | |
Spencer Railroad | South Spencer | Spencer | ||
Springfield, Athol and North-eastern Railroad | Athol Junction | Athol | ||
Ware River Railroad | Palmer | Winchendon | Massachusetts Central Railroad today, operating between Palmer and South Barre | |
Western Railroad | Worcester | New York state line in West Stockbridge |
B&M lines and related railroads
These railroads were owned by or closely related to the Boston and Maine Railroad.
Connecticut River Division
The Connecticut River Division was the former Connecticut River Railroad.
Name | From | To | Branches | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Connecticut River Railroad | Springfield | Vermont state line in Northfield | Chicopee Falls Branch, Chicopee Junction to Chicopee Falls East Deerfield Branch, Deerfield Junction to East Deerfield Easthampton Branch, Mount Tom to Easthampton |
Eastern Division
The Eastern Division was the former Eastern Railroad.
Name | From | To | Branches | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Asbury Grove Railroad | Wenham | Asbury Grove | ||
Chelsea Beach Railroad | Oak Island Junction | Saugus River Junction | ||
Eastern Railroad | East Boston | New Hampshire state line in Salisbury | Amesbury Branch, Salisbury to Amesbury Charlestown Branch, Revere to Boston Essex Branch, Wenham to Essex Gloucester Branch, Beverly Junction to Rockport Marblehead Branch, Castle Hill to Marblehead Swampscott Branch, Swampscott to Marblehead | |
Essex Branch Railroad | Salem | North Andover | Salem Harbor Branch, Salem to Salem Harbor | |
Newburyport City Railroad | Newburyport | Newburyport Wharf | ||
Saugus Branch Railroad | West Lynn | Everett | ||
South Reading Branch Railroad | Peabody | Wakefield |
Fitchburg Division
The Fitchburg Division was the former Fitchburg Railroad.
Southern Division
The Southern Division was the former Boston and Lowell Railroad.
Name | From | To | Branches | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Andover and Haverhill Railroad | Andover | Bradford | ||
Andover and Wilmington Railroad | Wilmington | Andover | ||
Billerica and Bedford Railroad | North Billerica | Bedford | ||
Boston and Lowell Railroad | Boston | Lowell | Mystic River Branch in Charlestown branch, Somerville Junction to Lake Street | |
Central Massachusetts Railroad | North Cambridge Junction | Northampton | ||
Horn Pond Branch Railroad | Horn Pond | Woburn | ||
Lexington and West Cambridge Railroad | West Cambridge | Lexington | aka: Lexington and Arlington Railroad | |
Lowell and Lawrence Railroad | Lowell | Lawrence | ||
Lowell and Nashua Railroad | Lowell | New Hampshire state line in Tyngsborough | ||
Middlesex Central Railroad | Lexington | Middlesex Junction | ||
Salem and Lowell Railroad | Tewksbury Junction | Peabody | ||
Stoneham Branch Railroad | East Woburn | Stoneham | ||
Stony Brook Railroad | Chelmsford | Ayer | ||
Woburn Branch Railroad | Winchester | Woburn | ||
Woburn Branch Extension Railroad | Woburn | North Woburn Junction |
Western Division
The Western Division was the original Boston and Maine Railroad.
Name | From | To | Branches | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Boston and Maine Extension Railroad | Boston | Wilmington Junction | ||
Boston and Portland Railroad | Wilmington | New Hampshire state line in Haverhill | Methuen Branch, Lawrence to New Hampshire state line in Methuen | |
Danvers Railroad | Wakefield | Danvers Junction | ||
Danvers and Georgetown Railroad | Danvers Junction | Georgetown | ||
Lowell and Andover Railroad | Lowell Junction | Lowell | ||
Medford Branch Railroad | Medford Junction | Medford | ||
Nashua, Acton and Boston Railroad | Acton | New Hampshire state line in Dunstable | ||
Newburyport Railroad | Bradford | Newburyport | ||
West Amesbury Branch Railroad | Merrimac | New Hampshire state line in Merrimac |
Worcester, Nashua and Portland Division
The Worcester, Nashua and Portland Division was the former Worcester, Nashua and Rochester Railroad.
Name | From | To | Branches | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Worcester and Nashua Railroad | Worcester | New Hampshire state line in Dunstable |
Central Vermont lines and related railroads
These railroads were owned by or closely related to the Central Vermont Railroad.
Name | From | To | Branches | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Flynt's Granite Branch Railroad | Monson | Flynt and Company Granite Quarries (Flynt Quarry) | not owned by the Central Vermont | |
New London Northern Railroad | Connecticut state line in Monson | Millers Falls | ||
Vermont and Massachusetts Railroad | Millers Falls | Vermont state line in Northfield | The rest of the V&M became part of the Boston and Maine Railroad. |
NYNH&H lines and related railroads
These railroads were owned by or closely related to the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad.
Berkshire Division
The Berkshire Division was the former Berkshire Railroad.
Name | From | To | Branches | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Berkshire Railroad | West Stockbridge | Connecticut state line in Sheffield | ||
Stockbridge and Pittsfield Railroad | Van Deusenville | Pittsfield | ||
West Stockbridge Railroad | West Stockbridge | New York state line in West Stockbridge (at the Boston and Albany Railroad junction) |
Central New England Division
The Central New England Division was the former Central New England Railway.
Name | From | To | Branches | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Central New England Railway Springfield Branch | Connecticut state line in Agawam | Agawam Junction |
Hartford Division
The Hartford Division was the former Hartford and New Haven Railroad.
Name | From | To | Branches | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Hartford and Springfield Railroad | Connecticut state line in Longmeadow | Springfield |
Midland Division
The Midland Division was the former New England Railroad.
Name | From | To | Branches | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Charles River Railroad | Cook Street Junction | Rhode Island state line in Blackstone | Ridge Hill Branch, Charles River to Ridge Hill | east from Cook Street Junction to Brookline became part of the B&A |
Hopkinton Railway | Ashland | Milford | ||
Norfolk County Railroad | Dedham | Blackstone | ||
Medway Branch Railroad | Norfolk | Medway | ||
Midland Railroad | Boston | Dedham Junction | Dedham Branch, Dedham Junction to Dedham | |
Milford, Franklin and Providence Railroad | Bellingham Junction | Franklin Junction | ||
Milford and Woonsocket Railroad | Milford | Bellingham Junction | ||
Providence and Springfield Railroad | Rhode Island state line in Douglas | Douglas Junction | ||
Rhode Island and Massachusetts Railroad | Rhode Island state line in North Attleborough Rhode Island state line in Wrentham |
Rhode Island state line in North Attleborough Franklin Junction | ||
Southbridge and Blackstone Railroad | Blackstone Connecticut state line in Webster |
Connecticut state line in Douglas Southbridge | ||
Worcester and Norwich Railroad | Connecticut state line in Webster | Worcester |
Northampton Division
The Northampton Division was the former New Haven and Northampton Company.
Name | From | To | Branches | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Holyoke and Westfield Railroad | Holyoke | Westfield | ||
New Haven and Northampton Company | Connecticut state line in Southwick | Shelburne Junction | Turner's Falls Branch, South Deerfield to Turners Falls Williamsburg Branch, Williamsburg Junction to Williamsburg |
Old Colony Division
The Old Colony Division was the former Old Colony Railroad.
Providence and Worcester Division
The Providence and Worcester Division was the former Providence and Worcester Railroad.
Name | From | To | Branches | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Providence and Worcester Railroad | Connecticut state line in Blackstone | Worcester |
Other railroads
Name | From | To | Branches | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Boston, Revere Beach and Lynn Railroad | East Boston | Lynn | Winthrop Branch, Orient Heights to loop through Winthrop | see also Boston, Winthrop and Point Shirley Railroad and Eastern Junction, Broad Sound Pier and Point Shirley Railroad, which built lines and later abandoned them |
Cape Ann Granite Railroad | Pigeon Cove Harbor | Cape Ann Granite Company quarries | ||
Grafton and Upton Railroad | North Grafton | Milford | Upton Loop, West Upton to Upton | |
Hampden Railroad | Springfield | Bondsville | never opened, built by the Boston and Maine Railroad and New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad | |
Lancaster Railroad | Lancaster | Hudson | never opened, built by the Boston and Maine Railroad | |
Martha's Vineyard Railroad | Oak Bluffs | South Beach | ||
Nantucket Railroad | Nantucket | Siasconset | ||
Southern New England Railway | Palmer | Rhode Island state line in Blackstone | never finished, built by the Grand Trunk Railway | |
Union Freight Railroad | connecting lines in downtown Boston |