Fall River Subdivision

The Fall River Subdivision is a railroad line previously owned by CSX Transportation in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. The line runs from the New Bedford Subdivision at Myricks (in Berkley) south to Fall River[1] along a former New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad line. At its south end, at the Rhode Island state line in Fall River, it becomes a line of the Providence and Worcester Railroad.

History

The Fall River Branch Railroad completed the line from Myricks south to Fall River in 1845.[2] The Old Colony and Newport Railway extended the line to Newport, Rhode Island in 1864.[3] The line later became part of the NYNH&H and Conrail through leases, mergers, and takeovers; the part in Massachusetts was assigned to CSX in the 1999 breakup of Conrail.

In 2010 the state purchased the track from CSX for $21 million, along with sections of track in nearby New Bedford and Dartmouth for the proposed South Coast Rail commuter rail project.[4]

The line is currently used primarily to transport chemicals to Borden & Remington in Fall River.[5]

References

  1. ^ CSX Timetables: Fall River Subdivision
  2. ^ PRR Chronology, 1845PDF (40.4 KiB), March 2005 Edition
  3. ^ Hon. Edward Appleton, Railway Commissioner, History of the Railways of Massachusetts, 1871
  4. ^ Herald News article, June 16, 2010
  5. ^ Boremco