{{Short description|Rail line in Pennsylvania, US}} {{Redirect|Belmont Branch|the Norfolk Southern line|Harrisburg Line|the Long Island Rail Road service to Belmont Park racetrack|Belmont Park station}} {{Use American English|date=February 2025}} [[Image:West Philly.svg|thumb|251px|The Harrisburg Subdivision and other nearby lines in [[West Philadelphia]]]] The '''Harrisburg Subdivision''' is a [[railroad]] line owned by [[CSX Transportation]] in [[Pennsylvania]]. The line is located in [[Philadelphia]], and connects Greenwich Yard and the [[Philadelphia Subdivision]] with the [[Trenton Subdivision (CSX Transportation)|Trenton Subdivision]]<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20030120071113/http://www.trainweb.org/csxtimetables/Baltimore/Harrisburg.html CSX Timetables: Harrisburg Subdivision]</ref><ref>[http://www.csx.com/?fuseaction=customers.news-detail&i=23578 CSX Curfew Update for Week of August 15]: "Harrisburg Subdivision, From 58th Street to CP Gray and from CP Gray to Stadium"</ref> along a former [[Pennsylvania Railroad]] line. Much of the Harrisburg Subdivision is the High Line' or [[West Philadelphia Elevated]] along 31st Street over the [[30th Street Station]] area.

The line begins at Greenwich Yard in [[South Philadelphia]], where it meets the [[Philadelphia Belt Line Railroad]]. It heads west alongside the [[Delaware Expressway]] ([[Interstate 95 (Pennsylvania)|Interstate 95]]) and then north along and partially elevated over 25th Street, turning west at Washington Avenue to cross the [[Schuylkill River]] on the [[Arsenal Bridge (Philadelphia)|Arsenal Bridge]]. At Arsenal Interlocking, on the west side of the Schuylkill, a branch runs southwest alongside [[Amtrak]]'s [[Northeast Corridor]] to a junction with the [[Philadelphia Subdivision]] near Lindbergh Boulevard.

The main line heads north from Arsenal, rises onto the elevated structure, and crosses to the west side of the Northeast Corridor. It heads north above 31st Street, finally touching down in the southeast approach to [[Zoo Junction|Zoo Interlocking]]. It leaves that interlocking to the north, staying on the west side of the [[Schuylkill River]], and ending at the [[Trenton Subdivision (CSX Transportation)|Trenton Subdivision]] at [[Belmont, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|Belmont]].

==History== ===19th century=== The oldest portion of the Harrisburg Subdivision, along the west side of the [[Schuylkill River]] from [[Grays Ferry, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|Grays Ferry]] southwest to the Philadelphia Subdivision, was opened in 1838 by the [[Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad]].<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.prrths.com/Hagley/PRR1838%20June%2004.wd.pdf |title=PRR Chronology, 1838 }}&nbsp;{{small|(90.6&nbsp;[[Kibibyte|KiB]])}}, June 2004 Edition</ref> A new PW&B line, now the [[Northeast Corridor]], opened in 1872;<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.prrths.com/Hagley/PRR1872%20Feb%2005.pdf |title=PRR Chronology, 1872 }}&nbsp;{{small|(86.1&nbsp;[[Kibibyte|KiB]])}}, February 2005 Edition</ref> the old line was leased to the [[Philadelphia and Reading Rail Road]] the next year.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.prrths.com/Hagley/PRR1873%20Feb%2005.pdf |title=PRR Chronology, 1873 }}, February 2005 Edition</ref>

From Arsenal east over the Arsenal Bridge and south along 25th Street to near Packer Avenue, the [[Pennsylvania Railroad]] built the [[Delaware Extension (PRR)|Delaware Extension]], completing it in 1862.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.prrths.com/Hagley/PRR1862%20June%2004.wd.pdf |title=PRR Chronology, 1862 }}&nbsp;{{small|(140&nbsp;[[Kibibyte|KiB]])}}, June 2004 Edition</ref> The rest of the line, south and east to Greenwich Yard, opened in 1900 as the Schuylkill River Branch Extension to serve [[League Island]].<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.prrths.com/Hagley/PRR1900%20Mar%2005.pdf |title=PRR Chronology, 1900 }}&nbsp;{{small|(59.2&nbsp;[[Kibibyte|KiB]])}}, March 2005 Edition</ref><!--says it was from the Girard Point Branch near Penrose Avenue - that branch was curvier than the current line-->

The part of the Harrisburg Subdivision north of Zoo was built by the [[Junction Railroad (Philadelphia)|Junction Railroad]] and opened in 1863, connecting to what was then the main line of the [[Philadelphia and Reading Rail Road]] at Belmont.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.prrths.com/Hagley/PRR1863%20June%2004.wd.pdf |title=PRR Chronology, 1863 }}&nbsp;{{small|(140&nbsp;[[Kibibyte|KiB]])}}, June 2004 Edition</ref> The Junction Railroad also built the piece from Arsenal southwest to Grays Ferry, opened in 1866.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.prrths.com/Hagley/PRR1866%20June%2004.wd.pdf |title=PRR Chronology, 1866 }}&nbsp;{{small|(89.2&nbsp;[[Kibibyte|KiB]])}}, June 2004 Edition</ref> Through leases and mergers, the Junction Railroad became part of the [[Pennsylvania Railroad]]; the part from Zoo to Belmont was the Belmont Branch.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.prrths.com/Hagley/PRR1908%20Mar%2005.pdf |title=PRR Chronology, 1908 }}&nbsp;{{small|(52.2&nbsp;[[Kibibyte|KiB]])}}, March 2005 Edition</ref> The West Philadelphia Elevated, completed in 1904, was built by the PRR as a separate freight route through the 30th Street Station area between Arsenal and Zoo Interlockings.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.prrths.com/Hagley/PRR1904%20Mar%2005.pdf |title=PRR Chronology, 1904 }}&nbsp;{{small|(61.9&nbsp;[[Kibibyte|KiB]])}}, March 2005 Edition</ref>

===20th century=== The entire line became part of [[Conrail]] in 1976; the Delaware Extension, West Philadelphia Elevated, and Belmont Branch were grouped with the former [[Reading Company]] line to [[Reading, Pennsylvania|Reading]] and [[Harrisburg, Pennsylvania|Harrisburg]] as the [[Harrisburg Line]].<ref>[http://broadway.pennsyrr.com/Rail/Conrail/ Conrail System Map Showing The Proposed Allocation Of Conrail Lines & Rights] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120707010403/http://broadway.pennsyrr.com/Rail/Conrail/ |date=2012-07-07 }}, July 9, 1997</ref>

In 1998, Conrail reconstructed the south end of the line, adding a direct connection from the [[Chester Secondary]] to CSX's [[Philadelphia Subdivision]] and allowing CSX-Conrail freights to use the High Line.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://fp.users.fast.net/jprock/newspage.htm |title=Philadelphia Area Rail News, 1998-99 |access-date=2006-11-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070328050808/http://fp.users.fast.net/jprock/newspage.htm |archive-date=2007-03-28 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The entire line from south of Arsenal to Belmont was assigned to CSX in the 1999 breakup of Conrail, while the rest of the [[Harrisburg Line]] became a [[Norfolk Southern Railway]] line.

==See also== *[[List of CSX Transportation lines]] *[[Market–Frankford Line|Market Street Tunnel]]

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *{{HAER |survey=PA-38 |id=pa1645 |title=Pennsylvania Railroad, West Philadelphia Elevated}} *{{HAER |survey=PA-71 |id=pa1447 |title=Northeast Railroad Corridor |link=no}} *{{HAER |survey=PA-549 |id=pa3759 |title=Pennsylvania Railroad, 25th Street Elevated |link=no}}

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[[Category:CSX Transportation lines]] [[Category:Historic American Engineering Record in Pennsylvania]] [[Category:Pennsylvania Railroad lines]] [[Category:Rail infrastructure in Pennsylvania]] [[Category:Rail transportation in Philadelphia]]