 | |
 A CSO freight train inSpringfield in 2018 | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Parent company | Genesee & Wyoming |
| Headquarters | Hartford, Connecticut |
| Reporting mark | CSO |
| Locale | Connecticut andMassachusetts |
| Dates of operation | 1996–present |
| Predecessor | Conrail |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)standard gauge |
| Length | 90 miles (140 km) |
| Other | |
| Website | CSO Website |
TheConnecticut Southern Railroad (reporting markCSO)[1] is a 90-mile (140 km) longshort-line railroad operating inConnecticut andMassachusetts. The company was formed in 1996 as a spinoff ofConrail by shortline holding companyRailTex and subsequently acquired in 2000 byRailAmerica. Since 2012, it has been a subsidiary ofGenesee & Wyoming. CSO is headquartered inHartford, Connecticut, site of itsHartford Yard. The company also operatesEast Hartford Yard.
Connecticut Southern connects withCSX Transportation at yards inWest Springfield, Massachusetts andNorth Haven, Connecticut (Cedar Hill Yard). It also connects with theProvidence and Worcester Railroad andCentral New England Railroad in Hartford, andPan Am Southern inBerlin. The company's main line isAmtrak'sNew Haven–Springfield Line, which CSO hastrackage rights over; branches are also operated toSuffield,Windsor Locks,Manchester, andSouth Windsor. Much of the railroad's traffic comes from imports to Connecticut, such aslumber,steel, andcarbon 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 severalConrail routes in Connecticut and Massachusetts byRailTex, the CSO's initial parent.[2] CSO purchased or leased trackage inEast Hartford,Manchester, andEast Windsor, along with a pair of branch lines toSuffield andWindsor Locks. To connect with Conrail trains, the Connecticut Southern paid fortrackage rights over both theNew Haven–Springfield Line, owned and operated byAmtrak, and portions of Conrail's remaining trackage in Connecticut and Massachusetts.[2]
Operations started with locomotives leased from Conrail, until the Connecticut Southern was able to acquire locomotives of its own. Conrail served as a partner of Connecticut Southern, supporting the company in working with customers, and in turn benefiting from increased customer satisfaction and carloads produced by the newshortline railroad.[2]
In 1998, the company was reported to still use acaboose on trains. To access the yard in West Springfield, CSO trains need to enter the yard with a reverse move. For safety, a caboose was used to allow a crew member to watch the rear of the train during the reverse movement.[3] Conrail's New England assets were absorbed byCSX Transportation in 1999, which became CSO's new connection in West Springfield and New Haven.[4] Connecticut Southern was subsequently acquired byRailAmerica in 2000.[5] Before theGreat Recession, CSO peaked at 26,000 carloads per year.[6]
In 2009, the Connecticut Department of Transportation filed a $7,775,000TIGER grant application which included bridge work and track improvements for the entirety of the Connecticut Southern's trackage.[7] 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.[6]Genesee & Wyoming acquired the railroad as part of its acquisition of RailAmerica in 2012.[8][9]
Genesee & Wyoming subsequently purchased theProvidence and Worcester Railroad in November 2016, which connects with the Connecticut Southern, bringing both railroads under the same parent company.[10] The State of Connecticut beganHartford 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.[11] Despite shifting freight operations to nocturnal hours, conflicts with Amtrak'smaintenance of way operations have had a negative impact on freight traffic by causing delays.[12]
As of December 2019, the Connecticut Southern Railroad owns or operates on 90 miles (140 km) of trackage in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Major commodities transported include lumber, steel, and carbon dioxide, which are mostly imported from elsewhere.[6] Another source of traffic is the export of trash and recycling from Connecticut.[6] The company's base of operations is atHartford Yard.[12] As of 2022, the Connecticut Southern hauls approximately 18,500 carloads per year.[12] As of 2018, CSO does not serve any customers within Massachusetts.[13]
Connecticut Southern's main line isAmtrak'sNew Haven–Springfield Line, necessitating freight operations mostly at night with Amtrak-compliant cab-signal andPTC lead units.[14] As Amtrak is strictly a passenger railroad, Connecticut Southern provides freight service over the entirety of the line, on which it has trackage rights.[2][15] On this line, Connecticut Southern interchanges withCSX atCedar Hill Yard inNorth Haven and at another yard inWest Springfield, withPan Am Southern inBerlin, and with both fellow Genesee and Wyoming subsidiaryProvidence and Worcester Railroad and theCentral New England Railroad in Hartford.[12][15]
This line is a spur between Windsor Locks and Suffield, with a second spur that reachesBradley International Airport.[16] It was originally built in 1870 by theWindsor Locks and Suffield Railroad, which contracted operations to theHartford and New Haven Railroad before the latter purchased it in 1871.[17] The line was used by trolleys from the early 1900s until 1925, and then fully dedicated to freight services until 2008.[4][18] The trackage leading to Suffield is now out of service and overgrown, leaving only the spur to the airport and the portion of the secondary leading to the second spur in operation.[19] Rail service to Suffield had ended by July 2009, and Connecticut Southern filed for abandonment of the 2.4 miles (3.9 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.[18] Bradley Airport is a CSO customer, as isCamp Hartell, anArmy National Guard facility in Windsor Locks.[11]
This line connects Hartford and Middletown. Connecticut Southern owns and operates the northernmost 3 miles (4.8 km) of the line; the remainder is owned by the state of Connecticut and operated by the Providence and Worcester Railroad.[12] A short spur on this line, known as the Market Spur, connects to the Hartford Regional Market.[16] The connection with the P&W was placed out of service in 2008, and restored to active use in 2019.[20]
This line travels betweenEast Hartford, where it diverges from the Highland Division, and East Windsor Hill, where the track beyond is operated by theCentral New England Railroad.[16]
Connecticut Southern operates this line between Hartford and the end of track inManchester, beyond which the right of way has been converted into theHop River State Park Trail.[15] This line formerly extended toWillimantic.[16] CSO filed for abandonment of the final mile of this line in November 2021; the right-of-way was then purchased by theConnecticut Department of Transportation to allow removal of a grade crossing as part of an intersection improvement project.[21][22]
