North Falmouth station was a railroad station on the Old Colony Railroad on Depot Road in North Falmouth , Massachusetts . Service to the station began in 1872 and ended in 1964, and the station burned down in 1969.
75-627: The North Falmouth station was built in 1872 by the Old Colony Railroad as part of its Woods Hole Branch running from Buzzards Bay to Woods Hole , Massachusetts. In 1893, the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad (NH) leased the Old Colony Railroad and took over operations on its lines. In 1905, NH replaced the station with a larger building. When the nearby military training facility of Camp Edwards (now part of Joint Base Cape Cod )
150-529: A 99-year lease on the Boston and Providence Railroad , one of New England's earliest railroads, which had been chartered in Massachusetts in 1831 and began service between Providence and Boston in 1835. This major agreement gave the Old Colony Railroad operating rights on the busy double-tracked main line between the two capital cities, along with other branches to Dedham and Stoughton . The deal also included use of
225-546: A line between Taunton and New Bedford , but the name was changed to the New Bedford and Taunton Railroad in 1839 before service began in 1840. This line would later become part of OC in 1879. John Sever of Kingston, Massachusetts , served as the first president of the Old Colony Railroad Corporation from 1844-1845. Nathan Carruth served as the second president of the corporation from 1845 to 1848. Carruth
300-586: A new, more direct route between Fall River and Boston via South Braintree on September 24, 1866. Part of the new route was over the Easton Branch Railroad between Stoughton and North Easton . In 1871 the Old Colony purchased the Easton Branch. A portion of the old Granite Railway line was acquired in 1870 and later extended to form a loop through West Quincy off the original Plymouth line. In 1872,
375-658: A rail connection between Boston and Plymouth . Construction of the line began in South Boston in June 1844 and the 36.8-mile (59.2 km) line opened to Plymouth on November 10, 1845. The extension from South Boston to the newly completed Kneeland Street Station in Boston opened on June 19, 1847. Kneeland Street also served as the headquarters for the OC until the 1893 consolidation. There had previously been an Old Colony Railroad formed in 1838 for
450-537: A report evaluating the possibility of extending regular full-year commuter rail service to Buzzards Bay (on the north side of the Cape Cod Canal opposite Bourne ), including several intermediate stops. However, other projects (such as the restoration of service on the Greenbush Line ) received priority, and the extension to Buzzards Bay was not constructed. The CapeFLYER service to Hyannis on Cape Cod via
525-431: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Old Colony Railroad The Old Colony Railroad (OC) was a major railroad system, mainly covering southeastern Massachusetts and parts of Rhode Island , which operated from 1845 to 1893. Old Colony trains ran from Boston to points such as Plymouth , Fall River , New Bedford , Newport , Providence , Fitchburg , Lowell and Cape Cod . For many years
600-852: Is used as the bike path's northern terminus and parking lot. As of 2017, the Woods Hole Branch north of the former station site and the spur to Joint Base Cape Cod are in active use. The tracks are used by the Massachusetts Coastal Railroad to haul trash from the Upper Cape Regional Transfer Station to the Southeastern Massachusetts Resource Recovery Facility (SEMASS) waste-to-energy and recycling facility. [REDACTED] Media related to North Falmouth station at Wikimedia Commons This United States rail–related article
675-687: The Ashmont–Mattapan High Speed Line . The MBTA also currently operates commuter rail service over portions of the former Old Colony Railroad network, including its Providence/Stoughton Line and portions of the Needham Line . The MBTA also restored service on the Plymouth/Kingston Line and Middleborough/Lakeville Line in the 1990s, and the Greenbush Line (part of the South Shore Branch ) opened in 2007. Two portions of
750-504: The Boston and Albany Railroad as a local freight office. It was demolished in 1918 after being deemed unsafe. By the 1930s, the New Haven's largest freight terminal and only steam locomotive shop were both on the ex-Old Colony system; more passengers entered Boston on Old Colony lines than entered New York on the New Haven. However, during its 1935–47 bankruptcy proceedings, the New Haven attempted to rid itself of unprofitable portions of
825-629: The Cape Cod Branch Railroad with a line off the Fall River Railroad from Middleborough to Sandwich opening in 1848. Among the proponents of the Cape Cod Branch Railroad was Richard Borden of Fall River, who saw the new line as an opportunity to bring more traffic and business through his hometown. In 1853, the extension of the line to Hyannis was started, reaching West Barnstable on December 22, 1853. On February 22, 1854,
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#1733106589982900-738: The Kingston Line . As part of that schedule change, the regional rail -style service introduced in November 2020 was resumed on the Middleborough/Lakeville Line and added on the Kingston Line. Additionally, the last Kingston-bound train of the night departs from Braintree station, with a timed transfer from a Middleborough/Lakeville Line train. Weekend service on the Kingston line and the six other lines resumed on July 3, 2021. In June 2021,
975-571: The MBTA . Since 1997, other former OC lines have been reopened to passenger service, including the MBTA's Old Colony Lines with service from Boston to Plymouth and Middleborough/Lakeville . In 2007, MBTA passenger service was restored on the Greenbush Line between Braintree and Greenbush Station in Scituate . The MBTA currently has plans to also restore passenger service to Fall River and New Bedford as part of
1050-605: The Middleborough and Taunton Railroad in 1874 and the South Shore Railroad in 1877, which it had once leased until 1854. A year later in 1878 it acquired the Duxbury and Cohasset Railroad which gave the Old Colony a connection with its original 1845 main line at Kingston . Beginning in 1874, the Old Colony operated the "South Shore, Duxbury and Cohasset and Plymouth Express" between Boston and Plymouth on this line. In 1875,
1125-553: The South Coast Rail project. Other parts of the former OC system continue to be used for freight service by CSX Transportation and other short line railroads , including the Massachusetts Coastal Railroad which operates on Cape Cod and in southeastern Massachusetts. Parts of the former OC on Cape Cod are also still used to operate the Cape Cod Central Railroad tourist train from Hyannis to Buzzards Bay during
1200-666: The South Shore Railroad for a period of five years. By 1851, traffic on the line had increased enough to warrant the opening of a second track running between Boston and South Braintree . The OC and Fall River Railroad merged with a joint stock vote on June 20, 1854, forming the Old Colony and Fall River Railroad Company , which provided a two-pronged line from Boston to Plymouth and Boston to Fall River , splitting at South Braintree. Alexander Holmes from Kingston served as company president during this period, from 1854 to 1866. The Fall River Railroad had been formed on August 8, 1845, with
1275-467: The "Old Colony Division" of the huge "New Haven" system. During this period, the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad enjoyed a virtual monopoly on all passenger and freight rail service in southern New England . Passenger service on the New Haven's Old Colony Division ended in 1959, except for the main line between Boston and Providence, which continues to be used for passenger service by Amtrak and
1350-489: The "Old Colony", the nickname for the Plymouth Colony . From 1845 to 1893, the OC network grew extensively largely through a series of mergers and acquisitions with other established railroads, until it was itself acquired by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad under lease agreement on March 1, 1893, for its entire 617-mile (993 km) network. After this date, all trains, lines, and stations became known as
1425-677: The Boston and Providence Railroad's Park Square Station in Boston. In 1891 the OCRR signed a 99-year lease of the Providence, Warren and Bristol Railroad . In December 1892, the OCRR signed a 99-year lease of the Plymouth and Middleborough Railroad properties. In 1896 the OCRR acquired the Fall River Railroad (1874) , which it had been leasing since 1882. On March 1, 1893, the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad (NYNH&H) – commonly known as
1500-466: The Cape Cod Branch Railroad was renamed the Cape Cod Railroad Company. In the spring of 1854, construction continued, with the railroad reaching Barnstable village on May 8, Yarmouth Port on May 19, and finally Hyannis on July 8, 1854. Connecting steamboat service to Nantucket commenced from Hyannis in late September and would continue until 1872, when the railroad branch to Woods Hole
1575-500: The Cape Main Line through Brockton and Middleborough and the Old Colony mainline to Plymouth even after passenger service ended, so the lines were not abandoned when restoration planning began around 1990. Both lines received a full restoration for 59 miles per hour (95 km/h) passenger service, including passing sidings and fully handicapped accessible stations with full-length high-level platforms. Tracks were laid parallel to
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#17331065899821650-581: The Fall River Branch Railroad – which had been completed in 1845. On May 19, 1847, the first "boat train" left the OC's Kneeland Street Station in Boston bound for Fall River, where passengers would board a steamship for New York City. Over the years, the Old Colony Steamboat Express train would become the most famous line of the Old Colony Railroad, with the finest and most up-to-date engines, cars and attention to detail. In 1863
1725-590: The July 4th holiday. Middleborough/Lakeville service continued to operate on weekends. In fiscal year 2013, the Middleborough/Lakeville line averaged 7,182 and the Kingston/Plymouth Line 6,560 one-way riders per weekday, for a combined daily ridership of 13,742 – a substantial decrease from daily averages exceeding 19,000 several years before. In early 2014, local and state officials began agitating for
1800-455: The MBTA Board voted to enact a more limited set of cuts, including indefinitely closing Plymouth and four of the other five stations. That day, temporary reduced schedules were again put into place. On January 23, 2021, reduced schedules went into place with no weekend service on seven lines, including the Kingston/Plymouth Line. Plymouth station closed on April 5, 2021, with the line renamed
1875-429: The MBTA announced that Plymouth/Kingston Line service would no longer operate on weekends, as with the Needham Line and Greenbush Line . The move came as a part of fare increases and service cuts in order to close the agency's operating budget shortfall for the following year. Weekend service was eliminated beginning July 7, 2012; weekend service was kept for the first week of the new fiscal year to allow for service on
1950-419: The MBTA indicated that Plymouth station would reopen on July 5, 2022 (the start of a new fiscal year). The station did not reopen at that time, however, with a date for service restoration not announced. As of February 2022 , the Kingston Line has 13 weekday round trips and eight on weekends, while the Middleborough/Lakeville Line has 15 weekday round trips and 10 on weekends. By October 2022, Kingston service
2025-675: The Middleborough/Lakeville Line began in May 2013. The service is operated by the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority (CCRTA), in collaboration with the MBTA and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) ; it uses standard MBTA commuter equipment. The CapeFLYER is the first regular passenger service to Cape Cod from Boston since the 1960s. The relative success of the CapeFLYER has brought new attention to
2100-514: The Middleborough/Lakeville Line, though a pilot of late-night service was discontinued. The fork at the end of the Kingston/Plymouth Line (which lacks a wye ) creates operational issues – a single train cannot serve both terminal stations efficiently. The MBTA had intended to address this issue with schedule changes since 2015. In November 2020, as part of service cuts during the pandemic, the MBTA proposed to close Plymouth along with five other low-ridership stations on other lines. On December 14,
2175-609: The New Haven Railroad – leased the entire Old Colony system for 99 years, which by then included the leased Boston and Providence Railroad and everything substantially east of it, as well as long branches northwest to Fitchburg and Lowell. Along with the lease of the New England Railroad in 1898, the 1893 lease arrangement gave the NYNH&;H a virtual monopoly on rail transport in southern New England. On September 22, 1895,
2250-469: The New Haven converted all former Old Colony lines from left-hand running to right-hand running. On April 6, 1902, a new alignment was opened from Broadway to Crescent Avenue station , eliminating a grade crossing of Dorchester Avenue. The former right-of-way was later paved as Old Colony Avenue. With the opening of Boston's South Station in 1899, the Kneeland Street Station was taken over by
2325-520: The OC network are also currently used for tourist trains during certain parts of the year, including the Cape Cod Central Railroad and the Newport and Narragansett Bay Railroad . Between 1986 and 2016, the Old Colony & Fall River Railroad Museum operated in Fall River. The museum had four train cars and exhibits. The following is a description of the Old Colony Railroad lines and branches at about
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2400-590: The Old Colony & Newport Railway Corporation built the Shawmut Railroad as a connection between the Dorchester and Milton Branch and the main line to Boston. The Old Colony and Newport Railway merged with the Cape Cod Railroad on May 1, 1872, and the two companies were consolidated on October 1, forming a new Old Colony Railroad Company under the leadership of Onslow Stearns , who served as president of
2475-526: The Old Colony Railroad Company also operated steamboat and ferry lines, including those of the Fall River Line with express train service from Boston to its wharf in Fall River where passengers boarded luxury liners to New York City. The company also briefly operated a railroad line on Martha's Vineyard , as well as the freight-only Union Freight Railroad in Boston. The OC was named after
2550-634: The Old Colony Railroad acquired the Lowell and Framingham Railroad , which before 1871 had been known as the Framingham and Lowell Railroad . In 1887 the Old Colony Railroad acquired the Hanover Branch Railroad . On April 1, 1888, the Old Colony Railroad signed a 99-year lease agreement the Nantasket Beach Railroad with service to Hull . Several days later, on April 7, 1888 the OCRR signed
2625-651: The Old Colony Railroad began operating the Fall River, Warren and Providence Railroad , which had been formed in 1863 as a merger between the Warren and Fall River and Fall River and Warren Railroad Companies. The Old Colony would later acquire this line outright in 1892. In 1879, the Old Colony Railroad greatly expanded its network into Central Massachusetts by leasing the Boston, Clinton, Fitchburg and New Bedford Railroad for 999 years, then purchasing it outright in 1883. The acquisition of this line provided important connections for
2700-481: The Old Colony and Fall River Railroad acquired the Dorchester and Milton Branch Railroad Company, which it had been leasing since 1848. The Old Colony and Newport Railway was formed in July 1863 when the Old Colony and Fall River Railroad merged with the Newport and Fall River Railroad, which had been incorporated in 1846 to build a road from Newport, Rhode Island to the Massachusetts state line at Fall River. However,
2775-569: The Old Colony right-of-way in many sections. The approaches to the bridge over the Neponset River burned soon afterwards, making any restoration of service significantly more difficult. As congestion and pollution became issues on the expressway, projects were undertaken to revive service on these railways. In 1971, the South Shore branch of the Red Line opened to Quincy Center , and, in 1980, it
2850-465: The Old Colony's "Northern Division", with headquarters in Fitchburg, while the older OCRR lines became known as the "Central Division" with headquarters in Boston. In 1882 the Old Colony Railroad signed a 99-year lease on a line between Fall River and New Bedford through the towns of Dartmouth and Westport owned by the Fall River Railroad (1874) – not to be confused with its 1846 namesake . In 1886
2925-466: The Old Colony, such as with the Boston and Providence Railroad at Mansfield , the Boston and Albany Railroad at South Framingham and the Fitchburg Railroad at Fitchburg , among others. This deal also gave the Old Colony Railroad direct access to the important industrial port of New Bedford. Upon this acquisition, the lines of the former Boston, Clinton and Fitchburg Railroad became known as
3000-474: The Old Colony. The New Haven's bankruptcy trustees rejected the Old Colony lease in June 1936, but were forced to continue operating it under court order. In the 88 stations case , the railroad abandoned 88 stations in Massachusetts and five in Rhode Island on a single day in 1938. The Supreme Court ruled in November 1939 ( Palmer v. Massachusetts ) that the railroad had not been given proper permission, and 32 of
3075-552: The Plymouth branch. Limited service to Plymouth was provided prior to April 2021 but was cut due to low ridership and budget constraints. The Greenbush Line , which was also part of the Old Colony Division, was reactivated in 2007 as a separate project. Historically, train service extended beyond the current terminus of the three branches. Greenbush service continued on a now-abandoned right-of-way to Kingston, where it joined
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3150-415: The Plymouth line. The Plymouth line extended into downtown Plymouth, and a branch connected to Middleborough through Carver. Trains continued southeast from Middleboro to four different termini on Cape Cod : Woods Hole , Hyannis , Chatham , and Provincetown . Another major branch continued southwest to New Bedford , and another to Newport via Fall River . A number of minor branches also extended off
3225-642: The Red Line along the original right-of-way, including a new two-track bridge over the Neponset River. The first trains ran on September 26, 1997, with full rush hour service on the 29th. The third leg of the project, the Greenbush Line , was planned to reopen at the same time. Due to public opposition, the Greenbush Line did not open until 2007. Weekend and off-peak service on the Old Colony Lines (including
3300-492: The company from 1866 to 1877. The 1872 merger formed a system with three main branches; Boston to Plymouth, South Braintree to Fall River and Newport, and a third splitting from the Newport branch at Middleborough to Hyannis . At this point, the newly acquired lines became known as the Cape Cod Division, with a new superintendent's office located at Hyannis. The Cape Cod Railroad Company had been established in 1846 as
3375-640: The consolidation of three companies; the Fall River Branch Railroad , the Randolph and Bridgewater Railroad and the Middleborough Railroad. The Fall River Railroad was led by Richard Borden , a prominent Fall River mill owner who wanted a direct route to Boston that did not require the use of the Boston and Providence Railroad lines. The line from South Braintree to Myricks in the town of Berkley opened on December 16, 1846, as an extension of
3450-402: The early 1840s, the city of Boston had six major rail lines connecting it with other places including Lowell , Maine , Fitchburg , and Salem to the north, Worcester to the west and Providence, Rhode Island to the southwest. The southeastern part of Massachusetts had yet to be served by a rail link to Boston. On March 16, 1844, the Old Colony Railroad Corporation was formed to provide
3525-467: The early 1970s, Amtrak has provided passenger service from South Station in Boston over the former Boston and Providence lines of the Old Colony Railroad. Since December 2000, Amtrak has also used this line for the Acela Express high-speed passenger rail service to Washington, D.C. Between 1986 and 1996 Amtrak also operated regular passenger service between New York City and Hyannis on Cape Cod during
3600-505: The early engines were the Mayflower , Governor Carver , Governor Bradford , and Miles Standish . The new railroad company also built the Samoset Hotel near the end of its line in Plymouth. In 1847, the OC completed a short 6.2-mile (10.0 km) connector line from its main line at Whitman to the Fall River Railroad line at Bridgewater Junction. On April 1, 1849, OC signed a lease of
3675-446: The existing lot, or a 400-to-600-space structure (including a realignment of Academy Drive). The CTPS data estimated ridership at 875 daily riders if all Middleborough trains were extended to Buzzards Bay, or slightly fewer with a limited number of trains. Bourne voted to join the MBTA district in 2015 and began paying an assessment in mid 2016 (for FY 2017), although there was no guarantee that commuter rail service would be provided in
3750-401: The first service to Plymouth , which is not served during rush hours) began as planned on November 29, 1997, two months after rush hour service began. Greenbush service included weekend and off-peak service from the beginning of operations. In May 2010, the MBTA announced a plan to temporarily stop all weekend service and to replace non-peak weekday service with buses. The shutdowns were for
3825-528: The fiscally constrained environment. For FY 2017, Bourne paid $ 41,707 to the MBTA (plus an existing $ 88,429 to the CCRTA for existing bus service). MassDOT began planning a possible commuter rail trial service in October 2015. In February 2016, state representatives and CCRTA administrator Thomas Cahir said that the state wished to begin trial service during FY 2017—possibly by the end of 2016. While such trial service
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#17331065899823900-586: The former Old Colony Railroad network, including lines in Taunton , Fall River, New Bedford and Leominster . Since 2008, the Massachusetts Coastal Railroad has taken over operation of the state-owned freight lines on Cape Cod from the Bay Colony Railroad. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) currently operates passenger service on portions of the network, including the Red Line rapid transit service to Dorchester , Quincy and Braintree, and
3975-458: The fortunes of the New Haven. The reorganization continued; the railroad was ultimately required to continue Old Colony passenger service unless losses exceeded $ 850,000 in a single calendar year. The New Haven emerged from bankruptcy on September 11, 1947, and fully acquired the Old Colony a week later; the B&P was kept as a separate New Haven-owned company. Palmer v. Massachusetts had been just one of eight Supreme Court cases generated by
4050-424: The idea later that year, and a public forum was held in January 2014. Bourne's Transportation Advisory Committee began studying the possibility in mid-2014, with the addition of work by MassDOT 's Central Transportation Planning Staff (CTPS) in November 2014. A Local Impact Report released in April 2015 proposed an 800 foot (240 m) high-level platform and two parking alternatives: a 120-space modification of
4125-448: The late 1950s. All service to Taunton, Fall River, and New Bedford (which used the B&P rather than the Old Colony mainline) ended in 1958. All remaining year-round Old Colony Division service ended on June 30, 1959, after the completion of the Southeast Expressway , though limited seasonal service continued for several more years. The NYNH&H merged into Penn Central in 1969, which in turn merged into Conrail in 1976. Since
4200-455: The line to the Old Colony stockholders; however, this drove the Old Colony, which had not run trains in over thirty years, to bankruptcy in one day, and the New Haven was forced to run the trains by court order, with a provision that, if losses exceeded a certain amount, they could abandon the line. The Old Colony Division enjoyed a brief renaissance in the early 1950s under the pro-commuter term of President Frederick C. Dumaine, Jr.; however, this
4275-457: The main lines. These included branches to Hull , East Bridgewater, West Bridgewater, North Hanover, and Fairhaven. None of these branches are currently operational. Passenger service along the Old Colony Railroad was discontinued in 1959. Despite high ridership, this line had been a source of problems for the New Haven Railroad , which leased the system. In 1935, the bankrupt New Haven attempted to default on its lease and return ownership of
4350-404: The possibility of extending the Middleborough/Lakeville Line to Buzzards Bay . The possibility was seriously discussed before the end of its first summer season. In September 2013, the Wareham Chamber of Commerce announced that, based on the success of the CapeFLYER, the Chamber supported the extension of commuter rail service to Buzzards Bay. The Buzzards Bay town selectmen similarly supported
4425-399: The purposes of replacing defective concrete ties (which had begun failing far earlier than expected) with wooden ones. Tie replacement started in March 2011 and was substantially complete by September, although the full project – which includes grade crossing and bridge work – was expected to take until the summer of 2012. The project was fully completed by May 26, 2012. On March 28, 2012,
4500-499: The reorganization. Losses on the Old Colony reached the critical value in October 1948; after threatening to discontinue all service, the New Haven cut back to a 26-train peak-only schedule on the Boston Group in March 1949. Under the 1951–1954 presidency of Frederic C. Dumaine Jr. , the New Haven increased passenger service, using new Budd Rail Diesel Cars to reduce costs. Boston service reached 86 trains in April 1954. As losses mounted, Boston-area railroads made major cuts in
4575-746: The return of weekend service on the Plymouth/Kingston Line. Weekend service on the Plymouth/Kingston Line, as well as weekend service on the Greenbush Line and Saturday service on the Needham Line , resumed on December 27, 2014. Prior to the return of weekend service on the Kingston/Plymouth Line, the MBTA held special weekend service to Plymouth for two weekends leading up to the 2014 Thanksgiving holiday. The two trains per day were intended only for tourists going to Plymouth; they did not run on schedules allowing day trips to Boston. Substantially reduced schedules were in effect from March 16 to June 23, 2020. Schedule changes effective November 2, 2020, added midday service with consistent 60–70 minute midday headways on
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#17331065899824650-429: The road from Fall River to the Rhode Island state line was not authorized by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts until 1860. The newly formed and renamed Old Colony and Newport Railway Company completed the final section of the line from Fall River to Newport which finally opened for service on February 5, 1864. In 1865, the Old Colony and Newport Railway Company acquired the Dighton and Somerset Railroad . It completed
4725-475: The south and southeast. The two branches operate concurrently for 10 miles (16 km) via the Old Colony Mainline from South Station to Braintree station . The Middleborough/Lakeville Line then winds south through Holbrook , Brockton , Bridgewater , Middleborough , and Lakeville via the Middleborough Main Line and Cape Main Line . The Kingston Line heads southeast to serve Weymouth , Abington , Whitman , Hanson , Halifax , and Kingston by way of
4800-475: The stations were reopened in 1940. After several attempts to end Old Colony passenger service - including a 1939–41 plan to outright abandon the Boston-area lines - the New Haven continued to operate the service. Whether to incorporate the Old Colony into the New Haven, and whether the Old Colony should be required to continue passenger service, continued to be argued as part of the reorganization. Increased passenger and freight traffic during World War II lifted
4875-419: The summer and fall months. Another tourist railroad, the Old Colony and Newport Scenic Railway operates on part of the former OC from Newport on Aquidneck Island . Several abandoned portions of the OC have been converted into multi-use rail trails . These include the East Bay Bike Path in Rhode Island , as well as others in Lowell, Mansfield , Fairhaven , and the Cape Cod Rail Trail on Cape Cod. By
4950-431: The summer months. With the establishment of Conrail, freight service continued over various portions of the former Old Colony network after 1976. Beginning in 1982, the Bay Colony Railroad provided freight service on various lines which the Commonwealth of Massachusetts had purchased from Conrail, including lines on Cape Cod and in Middlesex County . Since 1999, CSX has provided freight service over several portions of
5025-400: The time of the 1893 lease to the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad , and shortly thereafter. [REDACTED] Media related to Old Colony Railroad at Wikimedia Commons Old Colony Lines (MBTA) The Old Colony Lines are a pair of branches of the MBTA Commuter Rail system, connecting downtown Boston , Massachusetts with the South Shore and cranberry -farming country to
5100-447: The very tip of Cape Cod, opening on July 23, 1873. In 1874, Old Colony founded the Martha's Vineyard Railroad , built across nine miles (14.5 km) on sand of the island of Martha's Vineyard , running from the Oak Bluffs steamer wharf to Mattakeeset Lodge in Katama , Edgartown . The locomotive Active (later renamed the South Beach ) was the sole operating train. This branch existed until 1896. The Old Colony Railroad acquired
5175-508: Was a successful businessman and enthusiastic supporter of the expansion of railroads in Massachusetts and elsewhere in New England . With the opening of the Old Colony line through Dorchester in 1845, Carruth became actively involved in the development of the area. He built an estate on the east side of Dorchester Avenue called Beechmont/Beaumont which would become one of the first railroad suburbs in America. All OC locomotives were named until 1884, after which they were simply numbered. Among
5250-406: Was at 69% of pre-COVID ridership, with Middleborough/Lakeville service at 77%. Original plans for the reopening of the Middleborough/Lakeville Line in the 1990s called for service to Wareham or beyond; however, plans were scaled back, and, when the line reopened in 1997, service was restored only to Middleborough/Lakeville . In 2007, the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization released
5325-430: Was built in 1940–1941, a spur line was built from North Falmouth station to serve the base. Scheduled service to North Falmouth ended in 1964 when NH discontinued its passenger service to Cape Cod, and in 1969, the station building burned down. In 2009, the Woods Hole Branch's right-of-way south of the former North Falmouth station was paved as part of the extension of the Shining Sea Bikeway . The former station site
5400-438: Was extended to Braintree . The line, with state-of-the-art park-and-ride stations, proved an instant success, lending strength to proposals to restore commuter rail service to the Old Colony lines via Braintree. The Cape Cod and Hyannis Railroad ran passenger service from Cape Cod to Braintree (and briefly to Attleboro ) in the 1980s, but failed when its state subsidy was ended amid budget cuts. Freight service continued on
5475-522: Was not to last. The New Haven's accountants used somewhat dubious practices to shift a greater amount of debt to the Old Colony Division, and the railroad announced that all passenger service would end in 1958. An emergency subsidy was approved by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for another year, and service finally ended in 1959 with the opening of the Southeast Expressway , which runs alongside
5550-527: Was opened. The Cape Cod Central Railroad was incorporated in 1861 as a branch from the Cape Cod Railroad, running from Yarmouth east and northeast to Orleans , and opening in 1865. The Cape Cod Central was purchased by the Cape Cod Railroad April 21, 1868, and the two railroads were consolidated on July 28, 1868. The newly formed Old Colony Railroad extended the line to Provincetown , at
5625-520: Was ultimately not implemented, the MBTA began conducting a study in late 2020 to evaluate the feasibility of implementing Buzzards Bay commuter rail service in conjunction with the currently-underway South Coast Rail project. The first phase of the South Coast Rail project, expected to open in 2025, will be an extension of the Middleborough/Lakeville Line. The existing Middleborough/Lakeville station will be replaced by Middleborough station for commuter service, though it will continue to be served by
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