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71-402: The Newton Lower Falls Branch was a short branch of the Boston and Albany Railroad in Massachusetts , United States. The approximately 1.2-mile (1.9 km) line ran between Riverside station in Newton and Lower Falls in Wellesley , with one intermediate station. The branch opened in January 1847 and immediately saw commuter service. After the Highland branch opened in 1886,

142-675: A bridge built to carry the rail line above the highway. Route 128 was relocated slightly to the west in the early 1960s during the construction of the Massachusetts Turnpike extension to Boston. A new bridge for the Newton Lower Falls Branch was constructed over the new alignment, while the old alignment became an interchange ramp. In February 1957, the B&;A petitioned the state Public Utilities Commission for permission to discontinue passenger service on

213-522: A dairy building; he also provided designs for passenger cars. At the same time, the B&A hired landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted to design the grounds of several stations and to work with the railroad to establish a landscape beautification program for other stations. After Richardson's death, the B&A commissioned his successors, Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge , to design 23 additional stations between 1886 and 1894. The B&A's innovative program of well-designed stations and landscape served as

284-495: A debate on whether to build full-length high-level platforms. Those were ruled out because they interfere with freight traffic; instead, smaller "mini-high" platforms plus long low platforms were built. Southborough and Westborough opened on June 22, 2002, followed by Ashland on August 24. Construction of the station cost $ 7.4 million. Although the town originally insisted on no more than 450 parking spaces in an attempt to limit traffic on Route 135 , officials later agreed to

355-435: A long driveway leading from the south parking lot to the intersection of West Union Street ( Route 135 ) and Voyagers Lane. Like the other stations on the line west of Framingham, Ashland serves as a park-and-ride station with 678 parking spots. A station at Unionville (later Ashland, after the town separated from Hopkinton in 1846) was in use by 1838. Improvements to the station were made around 1846. Passenger service to

426-475: A major modernization program in 1924. The Castleton Cut-Off with a very large hi-level bridge over the Hudson River was built from the B&A at Post Road to a new rail yard at Selkirk, New York , to avoid the steep NYC grade from the Hudson River up West Albany Hill. Berkshire locomotives were designed to provide faster freight service over the B&A. In 1883, the B&A acquired track then owned by

497-547: A miner's strike. After a petition from residents, a single round trip for commuters was restored on February 6. Diesel locomotives – typically hauling a single coach – replaced steam locomotives on the branch in April 1951. The state constructed the northern section of the Circumferential Highway ( Route 128 ) in 1950–51. The highway crossed under the Newton Lower Falls Branch between Pine Grove and Riverside, with

568-543: A model for several other railroads around the turn of the 20th century. Mileposts noted here reflect the 1899 opening of South Station, which extended the line about 0.2 miles (0.32 km) from the previous Kneeland Street terminal. Ashland station (MBTA)#History Ashland station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in Ashland, Massachusetts . It serves the Framingham/Worcester Line . It has

639-462: A neighborhood working group was formed in 2009. The group identified 24 potential trail segments – some on streets, some on the railbed, and some on other alignments – that could be connected in various combinations to form a usable trail. The DCR proceeded with the southern portion of the rail trail, between Concord Street and Washington Street, which did not abut residential properties. It allocated state funds for reconstruction of three footbridges over

710-613: A significant program of improvement and beautification in the 1880s and 1890s. The B&A hired architect Alexander Rice Esty who designed the Boston passenger station which was completed in 1881, the year of Esty's death. That same year, the B&A hired architect Henry Hobson Richardson to design a series of passenger stations. Over the next five years, Richardson was responsible for nine B&A stations (Auburndale, Chestnut Hill, Elliot, Waban, and Woodland (Newton, MA), Wellesley Hills, Brighton, South Framingham, and Palmer), as well as

781-628: The Ashuwillticook Rail Trail , but tourist passenger trains now (2021) operate between North Adams and Adams. The Hudson and Berkshire Railroad was chartered in 1828 to build a line from Hudson, New York to the Massachusetts state line. Construction began in 1835 and was completed in 1838. The company was leased to the Berkshire Railroad , along with the connecting West Stockbridge Railroad , in 1844, but

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852-635: The Cheshire Railroad in Winchendon . The first section, from Palmer to Gilbertville , opened in 1870, and the rest in 1873. Until 1873 it was leased to and operated by the New London Northern Railroad ; at that time the lease was transferred to the B&A, as a reorganization of the earlier company. The Athol and Enfield Railroad and Springfield and North-Eastern Railroad were chartered in 1869, and succeeded by

923-693: The Grafton /Millbury line to Millbury . The Providence, Webster and Springfield Railroad was chartered in 1882, opened in 1884, and always leased to and operated by the B&A. The line formed a branch of the B&A from Webster Junction in Auburn to the Worcester and Norwich Railroad in Webster , with a short branch (East Village branch) in Webster to East Village . The Spencer Railroad opened and

994-492: The Greenbush Line . After the opening of Grafton in 2000 caused traffic congestion in the town, officials from Ashland, Southborough, and Westborough asked that their three stations open within a 90-day span to avoid overwhelming any one town with traffic. The three stations, which together cost $ 14.2 million, were originally scheduled to open on December 31, 2001. However, they were delayed by several factors, including

1065-601: The Hudson and Boston Railroad , together into one company, known as the Boston and Albany Railroad . The New York Central and Hudson River Railroad leased the B&A for 99 years from July 1, 1900. This lease passed to the New York Central Railroad in 1914; throughout this, the B&A kept its own branding in the public eye. The NYC merged into Penn Central on February 1, 1968. New York Central began

1136-544: The Middlesex and Boston Street Railway (M&B) – with electricity supplied from its Newton power station . The company's Newton–Framingham streetcar line on Washington Street, then part of the Newton Street Railway, crossed the line at Lower Falls. The southern track of the four-track B&A mainline was electrified for the short distance between the branch junction and Riverside station. All service on

1207-641: The New York and New England Railroad as far as Newton Highlands, and, in 1884, began the construction of a line northwest to the B&A mainline, creating a commuter loop. "The Circuit," as this route was called, officially opened in May 1886, providing double-track operation from downtown Boston through Brookline to Newton Highlands , then north into Riverside , and four tracks on the mainline from Riverside back to downtown so that commuter and mainline operations did not conflict. By 1889, as many as 35 trains traveled

1278-728: The Springfield, Athol and North-eastern Railroad in 1872, opening in 1873 as a branch from Athol Junction in Springfield to the Vermont and Massachusetts Railroad in Athol . The B&A bought the line in 1880. The majority of the line was closed in the 1930s due to the formation of the Quabbin Reservoir . The Chester and Becket Railroad was chartered in 1896 and opened in 1897 from Chester west to quarries in Becket . It

1349-599: The United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts dismissed a further suit by the 2014 plaintiffs, finding that the federal Surface Transportation Board (STB) had sole jurisdiction over railroad abandonments. At the request of the court, the STB filed an amicus curiae brief agreeing that it had sole jurisdiction and that the line had not been abandoned. In response to the controversy,

1420-859: The Weston side of the Charles River . The single track ran south, crossing the Charles into the Lower Falls section of Newton, with Pine Grove station located at Pine Grove Avenue. The line crossed the Charles River again into the Lower Falls section of Wellesley , where the Newton Lower Falls station was located just north of Washington Street . Tracks continued across the street to a freight yard and engine house. After 1926,

1491-553: The " Newton Circuit ", while Lower Falls Branch service was reduced to shuttle trains operating between Riverside and Lower Falls. By the turn of the century, the shuttle ran 20 daily round trips (seven on Sundays). The B&A was acquired by the New York Central Railroad (NYC) in 1900, but maintained its separate identity. Between 1881 and 1894, the B&A replaced 32 of its stations with Richardsonian Romanesque structures designed by H. H. Richardson and his successors Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge . The new Newton Lower Falls station

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1562-620: The 11.97 mile (19.3 km) Milford Branch , splitting at Framingham , opened. A connection was later made at Milford to the Milford and Woonsocket Railroad and Hopkinton Railway . Most of the right-of-way (except for the short active section in Framingham) has been converted to part of the Upper Charles Rail Trail. The 3.07 mile (4.9 km) Millbury Branch opened in 1846 from a split at Millbury Junction on

1633-445: The 1982 deed restriction prevented DCR from using the alignment for a trail. DCR argued that the restriction was intended to be a noncompete clause preventing railroad use of the alignment and did not preclude a trail. A second suit on similar grounds was filed in 2009. It was ultimately dismissed in 2015, as the 30-year deed restriction had expired in 2012. Additional lawsuits were filed in 2011 and 2014 by other abutters claiming that

1704-592: The B&A bought part of the Charles River Branch, and in 1884 they built a line from Riverside to the branch, forming the Highland branch , Newton Highlands branch, or " Newton circuit ". Service ended in 1958, and the MBTA Green Line D branch light rail line started using the tracks in 1959. The short 1.25-mile (2.01 km) Newton Lower Falls Branch opened in 1847, splitting from

1775-455: The Charles River bridge between Newton and Wellesley for trail use began in 2003. The trail proposal proved controversial in Newton Lower Falls – particularly the segment between Concord Street and Pine Grove Avenue, where the right-of-way is between residential properties. Trail supporters saw it as an opportunity to reconnect the neighborhood with the rest of Newton, which it is separated from by Route 128; opponents claimed it would further divide

1846-543: The Charles River, including the 1910-built former railroad bridge, in 2009. Construction took place from late 2010 to May 2011. The bridge and the trail portion opened in May 2012. In 2017, the DCR awarded a grant to a coalition of local nonprofit organizations for a study of the Two Bridges Trail. That short trail would cross the disused rail bridges over I-95 and the interchange ramp, connecting to Clearwater Road and

1917-597: The Circuit daily, providing commuter service. In 1899, the new South Station union station opened in Boston, a few blocks northeast of the old terminal. That terminal had been located on the west side of Utica Street (Boston, from Kneeland Street south to Harvard Street, now part of the South Bay Interchange . Even earlier, the terminal was in the block bounded by Kneeland Street, Beach Street, Albany Street (now Surface Artery ), and Lincoln Street. By

1988-549: The Connecticut River) July 4, 1841, Pittsfield to "Summit" August 9, 1841, and Chester to Summit September 13, 1841. The summit through the Berkshires is known as Washington Hill. Eastbound trains climb 6 mi (9.7 km) of 1.4% grade while westbound trains climb 10 mi (16 km) of slightly steeper grade to reach the 4 mi (6.4 km) of fairly level track across the drainage divide between

2059-608: The Connecticut and Hudson Rivers. On October 4, 1841, the first train ran along the full route. The only true tunnel on the B&A is State Line Tunnel in Canaan, New York, about 2 mi (3.2 km) west of the Massachusetts state line. The original bore was augmented by an improved-alignment second tunnel in 1912, and the original bore was abandoned in the late 20th century. The Castleton and West Stockbridge Railroad

2130-786: The Eastern Division to the Connecticut River in Springfield opened on October 1, 1839. The summit of Charlton Hill drainage divide between the Atlantic coast and the Connecticut River is a rock cut 57 mi (92 km) west of Boston. The Western Division, through the Berkshire Hills , opened in sections from both ends from the state line to Pittsfield May 4, 1841, West Springfield to Chester May 24, 1841, Springfield to West Springfield (across

2201-656: The Eastern). The Brookline branch split from the main line in the west part of Boston 's Back Bay , running southwest for 1.55 mi (2.5 km) to Brookline (the current location of Brookline Village station). It opened in 1847. In Summer 1852 the Charles River Branch Railroad extended the line to Newton Upper Falls ; this would eventually become part of the New England Railroad , an alternate route to New York . In 1882

Newton Lower Falls Branch - Misplaced Pages Continue

2272-652: The Lower Falls Branch connected to the Highland branch south of Riverside. The M&B replaced its Newton–Framingham streetcar line with buses in late 1929. Its final streetcar service, the Auburndale–Lake Street line , was replaced with buses around April 1, 1930. With power no longer readily available, the B&A switched the line back to steam operation on April 27, 1930. Service was reduced to 7 + 1 ⁄ 2 daily round trips at that time. It

2343-417: The Newton Lower Falls Branch was relegated to shuttle service. A streetcar-like electric railcar powered by overhead lines provided all passenger service on the branch from January 1904 to April 1930. The northern half of the branch was relocated in 1926. Passenger service dropped from 20 daily round trips in 1904 to just one in 1950; it ended entirely in 1957. Freight service continued until 1972. Ownership

2414-543: The Newton Lower Falls Branch. The commission approved the petition that July, citing "meager patronage" and the availability of other nearby stations. Passenger service on the branch ended in August 1957, though freight service continued. The Highland branch was abandoned in mid-1958 for conversion into a streetcar line (now the Green Line D branch ). The short section at Riverside connecting the Newton Lower Falls Branch with

2485-627: The Riverside station parking lot. In November 2020, the DCR released a study of potential trail alignments through the Lower Falls area between the Two Bridges Trail and Quinobequin Road. The preferred alignment would use the railbed between Route 128 and Pine Grove Avenue, and DCR land adjacent to a golf course between Pine Grove Avenue and Concord Street. Those two segments were estimated to cost $ 2 million and $ 3 million to construct. The disputed section of railbed between Pine Grove Avenue and Concord Street

2556-586: The Western Railroad for 50 years from November 11, 1841. This railroad replaced the Hudson and Berkshire Railroad east of Chatham, which was abandoned around 1860. The connection from Boston to Albany formed the longest and most expensive point-to-point railroad yet constructed in the United States. Two mergers, on September 4, 1867, and December 28, 1870, brought the three companies, along with

2627-529: The branch to Northborough , and to Pratts Junction in 1866. It was leased by the B&W in 1853, but consolidated into the Boston, Clinton, Fitchburg and New Bedford Railroad in 1876 and leased to the Old Colony Railroad in 1879 after changing its name to the Boston, Clinton and Fitchburg Railroad in 1867. This company also used the Framingham branch as part of its main line. In 1847,

2698-442: The branch was served by five daily round trips. Pine Grove station opened by 1856. Riverside station opened near the junction point with the main line around 1860. The Boston and Worcester Railroad merged into the Boston and Albany Railroad (B&A) in 1867. On May 16, 1886, the B&A opened its Highland branch , which also connected to the main line near Riverside. Highland branch and main line commuter service were linked into

2769-465: The downgrading of Pine Grove station to a flag stop , and poor freight service. At that time, the B&A was studying third rail electrification of the Lower Falls Branch and the Newton Circuit, though it did not plan to construct it for at least several years. In June 1903, the commission ruled that the B&A was not required to operate Sunday service on the line. However, it did require

2840-593: The early part of the 20th century, commuter rail service was provided east of Worcester , with intercity rail continuing on west. During the 1940s period of peak passenger volume, the New Haven Railroad (with the cooperation of the New York Central) ran several Boston-New York City trains along the route to Worcester and Springfield and then south. The service included an overnight train with sleeping car service. The last passenger service on

2911-580: The emerging railroad technology for a share of the freight to and from the Midwestern United States . The Boston and Worcester Railroad was chartered June 23, 1831 and construction began in August 1832. The line opened in sections: to West Newton on April 16, 1834; to Wellesley on July 3; to Ashland on September 20; to Westborough in November 1834; and the full length to Worcester on July 4, 1835. The original single-track line

Newton Lower Falls Branch - Misplaced Pages Continue

2982-541: The inhabitants of Newton Lower Falls and Newton Upper Falls requested that the B&W extend a branch to the two villages. The railroad was amenable to the proposal and ordered a survey. By 1846, the railroad approved plans to build a branch to Lower Falls. The Newton Lower Falls Branch opened on January 18, 1847. "Newton Special" commuter service was extended from West Newton to Lower Falls. The branch cost $ 39,050 to build. In 1848, it carried 26,381 passengers, most of them traveling between Lower Falls and Boston. By 1850,

3053-419: The line branched off the Highland branch south of Riverside and ran southwest, joining the original alignment at Pine Grove. Passenger trains typically covered the length of the branch in five minutes. The Boston and Worcester Railroad opened through northern Newton in 1834. It was originally planned to go through Lower Falls, but opposition from residents led it to be built to the north instead. Around 1845,

3124-513: The line in 1902 in an effort to recapture passengers from competing streetcar lines, but it was not found to be satisfactory. The B&A ended Sunday service on the line around the end of that year. In May 1903, residents appeared before the Massachusetts Railroad Commission to voice issues about the Lower Falls Branch. Their complaints included the lack of Sunday service, long waits at Riverside for connecting trains,

3195-774: The line on April 30, 1971, before the creation of Amtrak was an unnamed Chicago-bound successor to the New York Central's New England States . The intercity trips were taken over by Amtrak on May 1, 1971, and, on January 27, 1973, the MBTA acquired the line east of Framingham . Service beyond Framingham was discontinued October 27, 1975, as the state did not subsidize it. Conrail took over Penn Central on April 1, 1976. On September 26, 1994, some rush hour trains started to serve Worcester on Conrail trackage (which became CSX trackage on June 1, 1999), extending to other times beginning on December 14, 1996. The MBTA acquired

3266-444: The line was provided by the single electric car, originally numbered 11 and later 01, which was built in the company's Allston shops . The car resembled a typical interurban car save for the pilot on each end. It was a 60 feet (18 m) long combination car with a 40-passenger coach section, a small central baggage section, and a 20-passenger smoking section. Propulsion was a pair of 125 horsepower (93 kW) electric motors. It

3337-507: The main line just west of Riverside to Newton Lower Falls . The Saxonville Branch opened in 1846, running 3.87 miles (6.2 km) from Natick to Saxonville . It hase been converted into the Cochituate Rail Trail . The Framingham branch opened in 1849, running 2.06 miles (3.3 km) from Framingham to Framingham Centre . The Agricultural Branch Railroad was incorporated in 1847 and opened in 1855, continuing

3408-605: The mainline was kept in service. The B&A was fully merged into the NYC in 1961. The NYC in turn merged into Penn Central in 1968. Freight service to the final customer on the Lower Falls Branch, a lumber yard in Wellesley, ended on May 30, 1972. In January 1973, Penn Central sold most of its lines in eastern Massachusetts to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority . This included

3479-584: The neighborhood. Among the supporters was state representative Kay Khan , whose property abutted the right-of-way. Trail opponents dumped yard waste and trash on the disputed segment to prevent it from being used as an unofficial trail. A 2006 lawsuit filed by abutters against the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) – the successor to the Metropolitan District Commission – alleged that

3550-626: The old Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge –built downtown station ended on April 24, 1960, when Boston and Albany Railroad service west of Framingham was cut to stops at Worcester , Palmer , Springfield , and Pittsfield only. Service to Worcester ended entirely in 1975, but resumed in 1994. In 1994, service to Worcester was restored as mitigation for delays with reopening the Old Colony Lines . Service initially ran nonstop from Framingham to Worcester, but intermediate park and ride stops were added later as mitigation for delays in reopening

3621-493: The portion of the branch south of Route 128 to the Metropolitan District Commission. It included a deed restriction that disallowed the right-of-way from being used as "a transportation, communication, electrical or other corridor or right of way". A 1996 state study of the MetroWest region identified several disused rail lines, including the Newton Lower Falls Branch, as potential rail trails . Planning for rehabilitation of

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3692-507: The rail easement had reverted back to the adjacent property owners upon abandonment of the line. In 2014, the Massachusetts Land Court found in the latter case that the line had never actually been abandoned under Massachusetts state law, and that whether the line had been abandoned was a federal issue. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court affirmed in 2016, and the 2011 case was also dismissed for that reason. In 2017,

3763-401: The railroad to resume using a fireman on locomotives on the branch; the practice of only having an engineer was considered unsafe. The B&A also resolved the transfer delays at Riverside. In September 1903, the railroad announced that it would electrify the Newton Lower Falls Branch with overhead lines in the following months. The electrification was intended to reduce the cost of running

3834-501: The remaining grade crossings on the Newton Lower Falls Branch, the Highland branch, and the Charles River Branch within its borders. An 1898 city plan called for Pine Grove Avenue and Concord Street to be placed on bridges above the Newton Lower Falls Branch. The Highland branch crossings were eliminated in 1905–07, but those on the Newton Lower Falls Branch remained. The B&A tested a self-propelled steam railcar on

3905-540: The rest of the line from Framingham to Worcester as part of an agreement announced in 2009. As part of the deal, clearances on the line west of Interstate 495 were improved, permitting full double stack service from Selkirk Yard in New York to an expanded CSX intermodal freight facility in Worcester and a transload facility near I-495. The deal was closed on June 17, 2010. CSX's Boston Subdivision retains

3976-528: The right to use certain MBTA-owned track. Since 1959, the former "Circuit" line, later called the Highland branch, has been used as the grade-separated right-of-way of the MBTA's Green Line D branch light rail line. The Boston & Albany hosted many named long-distance trains of the New York Central system. Below is a list of named trains effective as of November 12, 1939. The Grand Junction Railroad

4047-429: The section of the Newton Lower Falls Branch north of the Route 128 bridge. In 1975, the United States Railway Association did not recommend that the branch be included in Conrail because of the lack of traffic on the line. Penn Central applied by 1975 to formally abandon the line; the company removed the rails on the branch in 1976, but formal abandonment did not actually occur. On November 1, 1982, Penn Central deeded

4118-433: The shuttle trains. Testing of the electrification took place on January 19, 1904. A single electric railcar replaced the shuttle trains the next day, operating on the same schedule. The electrification resembled that of suburban streetcar lines, with a single wire strung from lineside poles. Power was purchased from the Boston Suburban Electric Company – a holding firm for several streetcar lines that eventually were merged as

4189-504: Was always operated by the B&A. The Pittsfield and North Adams Railroad was incorporated in 1842 and opened in 1846, having been already leased to the Western Railroad. It ran from North Adams Junction in Pittsfield to North Adams , where it connected to the Troy and Greenfield Railroad . Surviving structures along this branch include the Pittsfield & North Adams Passenger Station and Baggage & Express House in Adams, Massachusetts . Most of this line has been turned into

4260-440: Was bought by the Western Railroad in 1854. The name was changed to the Hudson and Boston Railroad in 1855, and the part east of Chatham was abandoned around 1860, as it duplicated the newer Albany and West Stockbridge Railroad (part of the B&A main line). The rest of the line formed a cutoff between the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad towards New York City and the B&A. The Post Road branch or Selkirk branch

4331-416: Was built in 1887; later demolished, it was very similar to the still-extant Ashland station . Riverside station was replaced in 1893–94. Both Riverside and Newton Lower Falls were designed by Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge. Pine Grove station was not replaced; it remained a small wooden shelter. The B&A eliminated grade crossings on its mainline in Newton in 1895–97. The city then began planning to eliminate

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4402-435: Was chartered in 1847 as a reincorporation of the 1846 Chelsea Branch Railroad , meant to connect the lines north and west of Boston . The first section, from East Boston to Somerville , opened in 1849, and the extension to the B&W in Allston opened in 1856. The Eastern Railroad leased the line from 1852 to 1866, using part of it as their new main line. In 1866 the B&W bought the line (keeping trackage rights for

4473-424: Was double-tracked from Boston to Framingham in 1839, and on to Worcester by 1843. In 1843 the B&W introduced season passes to West Newton for $ 60, effectively introducing the concept of commuter rail . The Western Railroad was chartered February 15, 1833 and incorporated March 15, 1833 to connect the B&W to the Hudson and Berkshire Railroad at the New York state line. Construction began in 1837, and

4544-401: Was equipped with a dead man's switch – a "novel device" at the time. The car was locally known as the "Ping-Pong". In 1913, the B&A tested an Edison-Beach storage battery railcar on the branch, as the NYC was considering purchase of a fleet of the cars for lightly-used branch lines. However, the "Ping-Pong" remained the sole passenger car on the branch after the test. Service on the line

4615-418: Was further reduced to four daily round trips – two in the morning peak and two in the afternoon peak – by 1934. Saturday service ended in the 1940s; by 1949, Pine Grove was only served on peak-direction trips. Lower Falls station was demolished in 1944; Pine Grove and Riverside stations are also no longer extant. On January 9, 1950, all passenger service on the branch was suspended due to a coal shortage during

4686-399: Was incorporated in New York in 1834 as the New York part of the Western Railroad, and changed its name to the Albany and West Stockbridge Railroad (chartered May 5, 1836, organized May 20). Construction began in December 1840 and the line opened from Greenbush (east of Albany ) to Chatham on December 21, 1841, and to the Massachusetts state line on September 12, 1842. It was leased to

4757-427: Was leased to the B&A in 1879, as a short branch from South Spencer to Spencer . The B&A outright bought it in 1889. The North Brookfield Railroad was chartered in 1874, incorporated in 1875 and opened in 1876, branching from the B&A in East Brookfield and running to North Brookfield . It was leased to the B&A from opening. The Ware River Railroad was chartered in 1868, running from Palmer to

4828-432: Was not considered in the study due to the litigation. [REDACTED] Media related to Newton Lower Falls Branch at Wikimedia Commons Boston and Albany Railroad When the Erie Canal opened in 1825, New York City 's advantageous water connection through the Hudson River threatened Boston's historical dominance as a trade center. Since the Berkshires made construction of a canal infeasible, Boston turned to

4899-423: Was originally built as part of the Hudson River Connecting Railroad , a southern bypass of the Albany area. It opened in 1924, and the part of it from the B&A at Post Road Crossing (the crossing of the Albany Post Road ) to Schodack Junction on the east side of the Hudson River became the B&A Post Road branch. The rest became the New York Central Railroad 's Castleton Cut-off. The B&A undertook

4970-421: Was reduced during World War I and was down to 15 daily round trips by 1926. In February 1926, the state legislature approved plans for the B&A and the Metropolitan District Commission to swap land near Riverside. This allowed the B&A to relocate the northern half of the line to remove tracks from parkland and to avoid replacing the Charles River bridge. The relocation took place later in 1926, leaving

5041-449: Was transferred to the state in two segments in 1973 and 1982. Proposals in the early 21st century to convert the alignment to a rail trail resulted in a decade of litigation, which concluded that the line had never been formally abandoned . One section of rail trail opened in 2012; another portion is planned. The approximately 1.2-mile (1.9 km) line originally branched off the Boston and Albany main line west of Riverside station on

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