# Boston Subdivision > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Boston_Subdivision > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Boston_Subdivision.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Subdivision > Source revision: 1284960020 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Railway line in Massachusetts}} {{Use American English|date=February 2025}} [[File:CSX freight train in Ashland MA.jpg|thumb|right|A CSX freight train in [Ashland, Massachusetts](/source/Ashland%2C_Massachusetts), on the Boston Subdivision]] The '''Boston Subdivision''' is a [railroad](/source/railroad) line in the [U.S. state](/source/U.S._state) of [Massachusetts](/source/Massachusetts). The line runs from [Back Bay Station](/source/Back_Bay_Station) in [Boston](/source/Boston%2C_Massachusetts) west to [Wilbraham](/source/Wilbraham%2C_Massachusetts), just east of [Springfield](/source/Springfield%2C_Massachusetts). along a former [New York Central Railroad](/source/New_York_Central_Railroad) line. The line connects with the [Northeast Corridor](/source/Northeast_Corridor) at its east end and continues as the [Berkshire Subdivision](/source/Berkshire_Subdivision) at its west end. Along the way, the line junctions with the [Framingham Subdivision](/source/Framingham_Subdivision) and [Fitchburg Subdivision](/source/Fitchburg_Subdivision) at [Framingham](/source/Framingham%2C_MA).http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/BO-Boston_Sub CSX Boston Subhttp://www.multimodalways.org/docs/railroads/companies/CSX/CSX%20ETTs/CSX%20Albany%20Div%20ETT%20%234%2011-1-2004.pdf CSX Albany Division Timetable The line is owned by multiple agencies. The line from [Back Bay](/source/Back_Bay_Station) to [Riverside](/source/Riverside_(MBTA_station)) as well as from [Framingham station](/source/Framingham_station) to [Worcester Union Station](/source/Union_Station_(Worcester%2C_Massachusetts)) is owned by the [Massachusetts Department of Transportation](/source/Massachusetts_Department_of_Transportation), while the segment between Riverside and Framingham is owned by the [Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority](/source/Massachusetts_Bay_Transportation_Authority). West of Worcester Union Station to Wilbraham, the line is owned by [CSX Transportation](/source/CSX_Transportation), who has trackage rights over the entire line to reach the [Dorchester Branch](/source/Fairmount_Line) in Boston. [MBTA Commuter Rail](/source/MBTA_Commuter_Rail) [Framingham/Worcester Line](/source/Framingham%2FWorcester_Line) trains operate over the line east of [Worcester](/source/Worcester%2C_MA), where it is also called the MBTA Worcester Main Line, while Amtrak's ''[Lake Shore Limited](/source/Lake_Shore_Limited)'' uses the entire line. ==History== {{Main|Boston and Albany Railroad}} The line originally had four tracks to Riverside station (two curved to the south and are currently used by the MBTA's [Green Line D branch](/source/Green_Line_D_branch) [light rail](/source/light_rail) service). The number of tracks running into downtown Boston was reduced to two in the 1950s, in order to build the [Massachusetts Turnpike](/source/Massachusetts_Turnpike), which parallels the easternmost ten miles of trackage, although CSX retains the original [Boston and Albany Railroad](/source/Boston_and_Albany_Railroad) trackage rights. The [Boston and Worcester Railroad](/source/Boston_and_Worcester_Railroad) opened its line from Boston west to Worcester in 1834 and 1835.{{cite web|url= http://www.prrths.com/Hagley/PRR1834%20June%2004.wd.pdf |title=PRR Chronology, 1834 }} {{small|(79.7 [KiB](/source/Kibibyte))}}, June 2004 Edition{{cite web|url= http://www.prrths.com/Hagley/PRR1835%20June%2004.wd.pdf |title=PRR Chronology, 1835 }} {{small|(95.9 [KiB](/source/Kibibyte))}}, June 2004 Edition The [Western Railroad](/source/Western_Railroad_(Massachusetts)) opened from Worcester west to Springfield in 1839.Hon. Edward Appleton, Railway Commissioner, [http://www.catskillarchive.com/rrextra/abnere1.Html History of the Railways of Massachusetts] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090803012802/http://www.catskillarchive.com/rrextra/abnere1.Html |date=2009-08-03 }}, 1871 The line became part of the [Boston and Albany Railroad](/source/Boston_and_Albany_Railroad), New York Central, and Conrail through leases, mergers, and takeovers, and was assigned to CSX in the 1999 breakup of Conrail. The state took over ownership of the line between Worcester and Boston in 2012, and took over dispatching in 2013.{{cite web |url=http://blog.mass.gov/transportation/mbta/state-takes-absolute-control-over-worcester-to-boston-line/ |title=State Takes "Absolute Control" over Worcester to Boston Line |publisher=Massachusetts Department of Transportation |author=Jessen, Klark |date=7 August 2013 |accessdate=7 August 2013 |archive-date=20 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130820190012/http://blog.mass.gov/transportation/mbta/state-takes-absolute-control-over-worcester-to-boston-line/ |url-status=dead }} ==Freight== Major freight facilities served by the subdivision include [intermodal container](/source/intermodal_container) yards in Worcester and Springfield, a [transload](/source/transload) facility in Westboro, near [I-495](/source/I-495_(MA)), and the [Northeast Automotive Intermodal Gateway](/source/Northeast_Automotive_Intermodal_Gateway) in East Brookfield. ==See also== * [List of CSX Transportation lines](/source/List_of_CSX_Transportation_lines) ==References== {{Reflist}} Category:CSX Transportation lines Category:Rail infrastructure in Massachusetts Category:Boston and Albany Railroad lines --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Boston Subdivision](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Subdivision) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Subdivision?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.