Boston
and Albany Railroad - (en)
The Boston and Albany Railroad (AAR reporting marks BA) was a railroad
connecting Boston, Massachusetts to Albany, New York, later becoming part
of the New York Central Railroad system. Passenger service is still
operated on the line by Amtrak (as part of their Lake Shore Limited), and
the MBTA Commuter Rail system uses the section east of Worcester as their
Framingham/Worcester Line.
History
The Boston and Worcester Railroad was chartered June 23, 1831 and
construction began in August 1832. The line opened in sections — to
Newton April 16, 1833; Wellesley July 3, 1833; Ashland September 20, 1833;
Westborough November, 1834; and the full length to Worcester July 6, 1835.
A westbound freight train leaves Springfield, Massachusetts on August 22,
1933.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 the Eastern
Division to the Connecticut River in Springfield opened on October 1,
1839. 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 the Connecticut River) July 4, 1841, Pittsfield to "Summit"
August 9, 1841, and Chester to Summit September 13, 1841. On October 4,
1841 the first train ran along the full route.
The Castleton and West Stockbridge Railroad 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 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.
Two mergers, on September 4, 1867 and December 28, 1870 brought the three
companies together, along with the Hudson and Boston Railroad (a branch to
Hudson, New York — see below) 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.
Train #25 of the Boston & Albany Railroad, The 20th Century Limited,
is seen leaving Springfield, Massachusetts on August 22, 1933.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, from Kneeland Street south to a bit past 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 (which later became a freight house).
By the early part of the 20th century, commuter rail service was provided
east of Worcester, with intercity rail continuing on west. 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 Boston Subdivision of CSX retains rights to use certain MBTA-owned
track.
