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Massachusetts Short Line Railroads: A Complete Guide

Published: March 31, 2025

By: Adam Burns

Providence & Worcester Railroad (reporting mark, PW):  See Connecticut.

Bay Colony Railroad (reporting mark, BCLR): This small short line serves the area southwest of Boston on former New Haven trackage.  It began service in 1982.

Connecticut Southern Railroad (reporting mark, CSO):  See Connecticut.

East Brookfield & Spencer Railroad (reporting mark, EBSR):  This independently-owned short line serves about 4 miles of the trackage in the East Brookfield area providing switching/terminal service where it connects with CSX.

Fore River Transportation Corporation/Fore River Railroad (reporting mark, FRVT): Owned by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) and operated under contract by the Fore River Transportation Corporation, the Fore River Railroad has been operation since 1902 providing switching and terminal service for the Fore River Shipyard at Quincy. 

Grafton & Upton Railroad (reporting mark, GU):  The historic Grafton & Upton began in 1873, then chartered as the Grafton Center Railroad.  Originally a narrow-gauge operation the G&U was born in 1887 and by 1889 and connected Grafton with Milford (16.5 miles).  

During the early 20th century it even operated, electrified streetcar service but this was abolished by 1946.  As the years passed the road languished as traffic disappeared sections of the property sat dormant but not abandoned.  

In March of 2008 the railroad was acquired by Jon Delli Priscoli with the express intent of reviving the system.  Since then the company has set its sights on growing freight business while working to reopen the entire line after years of neglect and disuse.

Housatonic Railroad (reporting mark, HRRC):  See Connecticut.

Massachusetts Central Railroad (reporting mark, MCER):  This road first began service in the 1970s over former Boston & Maine and Boston & Albany (New York Central) property, which would have otherwise been abandoned.  The trackage is owned by the state and leased to the railroad.

Massachusetts Coastal Railroad (reporting mark, MC): Also known as the Mass Coastal Railroad this short line operates much of the former New Haven Railroad trackage in the state's eastern peninsula.  The road took over the duties of the Bay Colony Railroad on the line in 2007 providing service to the state's Cape Cod region.

New England Central Railroad (reporting mark, NECR): See Connecticut.

Pioneer Valley Railroad (reporting mark, PVRR): The Pioneer Valley Railroad is owned by the Pinsly Railroad Company operating a short stretch of trackage in southwestern Massachusetts.  It has been in service since 1982 operating between Holyoke, Westfield, and Southampton while interchanging with CSX and Pan Am.