Коннектикут және Массачусетс теміржолдары

Freight railroad in Connecticut and Massachusetts

The Connecticut Southern Railroad is a 90 mile (145 km) long short line railroad operating in Connecticut and Massachusetts. The company was formed in 1996 as a spinoff of Conrail by shortline holding company RailTex and subsequently acquired in 2000 by RailAmerica. Since 2012, it has been a subsidiary of Genesee & Wyoming. CSO is headquartered in Hartford, Connecticut, site of its Hartford Yard. The company also operates East Hartford Yard. Connecticut Southern connects with CSX Transportation at yards in West Springfield, Massachusetts and North Haven, Connecticut (Cedar Hill Yard). It also connects with the Providence and Worcester Railroad and Central New England Railroad in Hartford, and Pan Am Southern in Berlin. The company's main line is Amtrak's New Haven–Springfield Line, which CSO has trackage rights over; branches are also operated to Suffield, Windsor Locks, Manchester, and South Windsor. Much of the railroad's traffic comes from imports to Connecticut, such as lumber, steel, and carbon dioxide. The railroad also hauls exports of trash and recycling. As of 2022, CSO carries approximately 18,500 carloads annually.

The Connecticut Southern Railroad began operations on September 22, 1996, following the purchase of several Conrail routes in Connecticut and Massachusetts by RailTex, the CSO's initial parent. CSO purchased or leased trackage in East Hartford, Manchester, and East Windsor, along with a pair of branch lines to Suffield and Windsor Locks. To connect with Conrail trains, the Connecticut Southern paid for trackage rights over both the New Haven–Springfield Line, owned and operated by Amtrak, and portions of Conrail's remaining trackage in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Conrail's New England assets were absorbed by CSX Transportation in 1999, which became CSO's new connection in West Springfield and New Haven. Connecticut Southern was subsequently acquired by RailAmerica in 2000. Before the Great Recession, CSO peaked at 26,000 carloads per year. In 2012, the railroad opened a new $1.4 million headquarters in Hartford, moving from a previously rented space in East Hartford. The project included a 10,500 square foot indoor facility for repairing locomotives and railcars, as well as 3,500 square feet of office space. Genesee & Wyoming acquired the railroad as part of its acquisition of RailAmerica in 2012. Genesee & Wyoming subsequently purchased the Providence and Worcester Railroad in November 2016, which connects with the Connecticut Southern, bringing both railroads under the same parent company. The State of Connecticut began Hartford Line commuter rail service in June 2018. This significantly expanded passenger train service on the New Haven–Springfield Line, but CSO's freight service was also taken into account during the project. Despite shifting freight operations to nocturnal hours, conflicts with Amtrak's maintenance of way operations have had a negative impact on freight traffic by causing delays. As of 2022, the Connecticut Southern hauls approximately 18,500 carloads per year.

Connecticut Southern's main line is Amtrak's New Haven–Springfield Line, necessitating freight operations mostly at night with Amtrak compliant cab signal and PTC lead units. As Amtrak is strictly a passenger railroad, Connecticut Southern provides freight service over the entirety of the line, on which it has trackage rights. On this line, Connecticut Southern interchanges with CSX at Cedar Hill Yard in North Haven and at another yard in West Springfield, with Pan Am Southern in Berlin, and with both fellow Genesee and Wyoming subsidiary Providence and Worcester Railroad and the Central New England Railroad in Hartford. It was originally built in 1870 by the Windsor Locks and Suffield Railroad, which contracted operations to the Hartford and New Haven Railroad before the latter purchased it in 1871. The line was used by trolleys from the early 1900s until 1925, and then fully dedicated to freight services until 2008. Rail service to Suffield had ended by July 2009, and Connecticut Southern filed for abandonment of the 2.4 mile (4 km) of track leading to the town in 2012. CSO announced they would remove the railroad ties and steel tracks for salvage in their abandonment filing. The town of Suffield attempted to stop the abandonment and salvage of the tracks to preserve them for potential future use. Bradley Airport is a CSO customer, as is Camp Hartell, an Army National Guard facility in Windsor Locks.

This line travels between East Hartford, where it diverges from the Highland Division, and East Windsor Hill, where the track beyond is operated by the Central New England Railroad.