View source for Dighton and Somerset Railroad

{{short description|Former railroad in Massachusetts, United States}}
{{Infobox rail
| name              = Dighton and Somerset Railroad
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| locale            = [[Massachusetts]], United States
| start_year        = {{Start date|1863}}
| end_year          = {{End date|1865}}
| successors        = [[Old Colony and Newport Railway]] (1865),<br />[[Old Colony Railroad]] (1872),<br />[[New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad|New Haven Railroad]] (1893)
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{{Routemap
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|title = Dean Street Industrial Track
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~~{{BSto|[[South Coast Rail|South Coast Rail (2030)]]| to {{bts|Stoughton}} }}! !exCONTg
exSTR~~former track, currently being rebuilt
~~{{BSto|Former Whittendon Branch|to [[Middleboro Secondary]]}}! !exCONTgq\exSTRr!~exSTR\
ENDExa
~~{{bts|Taunton}} ''(2030)''! !\\eACC\CONT1+f\~~ ~~{{BSto|[[Middleboro Secondary]]| to Pilgrim Junction}}
~~{{BSto|[[Middleboro Secondary]]|to Northeast Corridor}}! !CONTgq\exSTR!~STRl+xr!~STRq\STRr~~ ~~Weir Junction
exSTR~~ ~~ ~~removed track
exSTR
~~{{BSto|[[Fall River Secondary]]|to Fall River|it=on}}! !CONTgq\exSTRr!~STRq\CONTfq~~{{BSto|[[Fall River Secondary]]|to New Bedford Subdivision|it=on}}
}}
The '''Dighton and Somerset Railroad''', currently referred to as the '''Dean Street Industrial Track''', is a railroad that ran between [[Fall River, Massachusetts|Fall River]] and [[Braintree, Massachusetts]]. It opened in 1866; from the 1890s to the 1930s and again in the late 1950s, it was the primary rail route from Boston to the South Coast. Passenger service ended in stages with the final regular service in 1958, though freight service on two short segments continues into the 21st century. [[MBTA Commuter Rail]] service is proposed to be extended onto the northern part of the line around 2030 as part of the [[South Coast Rail]] project.

==History==
===Old Colony era===
[[File:North Easton Train Station.jpg|thumb|North Easton, designed by [[H.H. Richardson]], was constructed on the Dighton and Somerset by the Old Colony and Newport Railway in 1881]]
In 1863, the Dighton and Somerset Railroad was chartered to build a new line from Taunton to [[Somerset, Massachusetts|Somerset]] (across the river from Fall River) via [[Dighton, Massachusetts|Dighton]]. In 1864, the charter was amended to allow extension north to [[Randolph, Massachusetts|Randolph]] or [[Braintree, Massachusetts|Braintree]]. This represented a significant threat to the [[Old Colony and Newport Railway]] (OC&N) and its [[Fall River Railroad (1846)|existing route to Fall River]]; the OC&N acquired the new railroad in 1865.<ref name=sne>{{cite book |title=The Rail Lines of Southern New England |edition=2 |last=Karr |first=Ronald Dale |publisher=Branch Line Press |year=2017 |isbn=9780942147124 |pages=389–395}}</ref> The OC&N was interested in having a route to the growing industrial city of Taunton, which was served by its competitor [[Boston and Providence Railroad]] (B&P) via the [[Taunton Branch Railroad]]. The line was opened in September 1866; it used part of the 1855-built Easton Branch Railroad (acquired from the B&P at that time) south of Stoughton Junction, which also gave the OC&N a new freight connection to [[Stoughton, Massachusetts|Stoughton]].<ref name=sne /> The new railroad passed east of downtown [[Taunton, Massachusetts|Taunton]] with a station at [[Taunton station (Old Colony Railroad)|Dean Street]] and crossed the tracks of the [[New Bedford and Taunton Railroad]] at Weir Junction near [[Weir Village]]. The line then ran along the west bank of the [[Taunton River]] through its namesake towns of Dighton and Somerset before crossing the river over a man-made causeway and bridge at the north end of [[Fall River, Massachusetts|Fall River]].

The OC&N became the Old Colony Railroad in 1872. Around 1882, the Old Colony began diverting trains on a new branch from Raynham to Whittenton Junction (the [[Whittenton Branch]], which allowed all service to stop at the new [[Taunton station (Amtrak)|Taunton Central Station]].<ref name=sne /> In 1888, the Old Colony acquired the B&P; the Easton Branch was upgraded between Stoughton and Stoughton Junction to allow use of the Dighton and Somerset as a through route to the South Coast via the B&P mainline rather than the Old Colony mainline. In 1893, the [[Old Colony Railroad]] was itself leased to The [[New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad]]. The New Haven further consolidated service to Taunton Central; by 1895, the [[Fall River Line]]'s ''Boat Train'' was the only passenger service between Raynham and Weir Junction. All passenger service through Dean Street ended in 1897.<ref name=sne />

In 1906, the [[Mount Hope Finishing Company]] built a {{convert|3|mile|adj=on}} freight branch from the Dighton and Somerset mainline to its textile plant in North Dighton. The branch was taken over by the New Haven three years later. The branch was abandoned when the plant closed in 1951, but most of the rails between Somerset Avenue and Warner Boulevard remain in place.<ref name=sne /> The Taunton River drawbridge was rebuilt in the late 1910s.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112355191/hartford-courant/ |title=Annual Report of N.Y., N.H. & H. |newspaper=Hartford Courant |date=October 3, 1907 |page=11 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

===Decline===
The New Haven began shifting through service onto the Dighton and Somerset in the 1890s, and was the New Haven's primary Boston-Fall River route by the late 1910s. Around 1927, all through trains were routed via Stoughton instead of the original route through Braintree.<ref name=150years>{{cite book |title=Boston's Commuter Rail: The First 150 Years |last1=Humphrey |first1=Thomas J.|last2=Clark |first2=Norton D. |publisher=Boston Street Railway Association |year=1985 |isbn=9780685412947 |pages=34–37}}</ref> Passenger service ended between Randolph and Stoughton Junction around 1927, and from Braintree Highlands to Randolph in 1938.<ref name=sne /> In 1932, all passenger service and through freight service ended south of Weir Junction when the drawbridge over the Taunton River was disabled after a ship hit another bridge carrying power cables. The line was taken out of service between Dean Street and Raynham that year and formally abandoned in 1937, along with the section south of Dighton.<ref name=sne /> The New Haven received ICC permission to abandon the section between Randolph and Stoughton Junction on June 11, 1937; it was abandoned in 1938.<ref name=sne /><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/70416130/the-boston-globe/ |title=Abandon 23 Miles of Road |newspaper=Boston Globe |date=June 11, 1937 |page=33 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref>

Also in 1937, South Coast service was rerouted via [[Mansfield station (MBTA)|Mansfield]]; shuttles ran from Canton Junction to North Easton and Whittendon, with a small amount of through service to Boston.<ref name=150years /> During the 1940s, service between Whittendon and North Easton was cut for several years, leaving just the North Easton shuttles. These too were cut in 1950, but New Bedford service was rerouted via Stoughton to maintain minimal service on the branch. South Coast service alternated between the Stoughton and Mansfield routes until 1955, when a grade separation project in Mansfield forced all service to the Stoughton route.<ref name=150years />

In the late 1950s, with the pending completion of the [[Southeast Expressway (Massachusetts)|Southeast Expressway]] and plans for the [[Southwest Corridor (Boston)|Southwest Expressway]], the New Haven received a court decision allowing it to begin cutting all Old Colony Division service. Service to Taunton, Fall River, and New Bedford was discontinued on September 5, 1958, ending all remaining regular passenger service on the former Dighton and Somerset. Stoughton service was retained because the branch was part of the former B&P and not subject to the court order allowing discontinuance.<ref name=150years /> A summer-only train to Cape Cod was operated via Stoughton and Taunton in 1961, but it made no local stops.<ref name=150years /><ref name="netransit">{{NETransit}}</ref>

===Later use===
[[File:Taunton River second RR bridge.JPG|thumb|right|Former railroad bridge in Taunton, carrying the 2007-built water main]]
The Whittendon Branch and the mainline from Raynham to Easton were abandoned in 1966, followed by Dighton to Weir Village in 1971, Easton to Stoughton in 1976, Weir Village to Weir Junction in 1982, and Randolph to near Braintree Highlands in 1982.<ref name=sne /> The state bought the abandoned line from Stoughton to Taunton on January 27, 1973 during an acquisition of [[Penn Central]]'s commuter rail assets.<ref name=netransit /> [[Conrail]] continued to operate the Braintree Highlands stub after being created from Penn Central in 1976, while the [[Bay Colony Railroad]] took over the Dean Street Industrial Track (Dean Street to Weir Junction) in 1982. CSX took over the former line from Conrail in 1999.<ref name=sne /> At the beginning of 2008, [[Massachusetts Coastal Railroad]] took over several former CSX and Bay Colony lines with a ten-year operating agreement.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2007/12/13/E7-23926/massachusetts-coastal-railroad-llc-modified-rail-certificate |title=Massachusetts Coastal Railroad, LLC-Modified Rail Certificate |publisher=Transportation Department and the Surface Transportation Board |date=December 13, 2007}}</ref> In April 2017, [[MassDOT]] released a [[Request for Information]] regarding potential operators for the Dean Street Industrial Track and other state-owned rail lines beginning in 2018.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nerailroadclub.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Rail-Lines-RFI.pdf |title=REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI): Maintenance and Operation of Selected MassDOT Rail Lines |publisher=Massachusetts Department of Transportation |date=April 4, 2017}}</ref>

In 2007, Aquaria Water constructed a 20-inch water line within portions of the former Dighton and Somerset right-of-way from its [[desalination]] plant in [[Dighton, Massachusetts|Dighton]] through [[Taunton, Massachusetts|Taunton]] and [[Raynham, Massachusetts|Raynham]] to serve the city of [[Brockton, Massachusetts|Brockton]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://raynham.wickedlocal.com/x465839040 |title=Raynham roads getting prepped for pipeline project |newspaper=Wicked Local Raynham |date=May 10, 2007 |first=Cameron |last=Woods |accessdate=September 12, 2017}}</ref>

Three former stations on the line still exist: the 1876-built [[Taunton station (Old Colony Railroad)|Dean Street station]], the 1881-built [[Old Colony Railroad Station (North Easton, Massachusetts)|North Easton station]], and the 1888-built [[Stoughton (MBTA station)|Stoughton station]]. All are listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name=depots>{{cite book |title=A Field Guide to Southern New England Railroad Depots and Freight Houses |last=Roy |first=John H. Jr. |publisher=Branch Line Press |year=2007 |isbn=9780942147087 |page=166}}</ref>

As of 2021, Massachusetts Coastal Railroad is the sole operator of rail traffic on the line, with freight trains running on the line several times per week.

== South Coast Rail ==
In the 1980s, the state began considering the expansion of [[MBTA Commuter Rail]] service to the South Coast cities of Taunton, Fall River, and New Bedford. By 1988, the MBTA was tentatively planning to extend service to Taunton via Stoughton and the former Dighton and Somerset.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/36783631/the_boston_globe/ |title=MBTA plans for big increase in rail service |newspaper=Boston Globe |author=Howe, Peter J. |date=January 24, 1988 |via=Newspapers.com |page=B1}} {{open access}}</ref> The first serious study, completed in January 1990, concluded that the Stoughton Branch was the most viable route.<ref name=1995report>{{cite web |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140728060409/http://www.southcoastrail.com/downloads/NBFR_CommuterRail_Expanded_Feasibility-Study_Draft_Report_March_1995.pdf |archivedate=July 28, 2014 |url=http://www.southcoastrail.com/downloads/NBFR_CommuterRail_Expanded_Feasibility-Study_Draft_Report_March_1995.pdf |title=Expanded Feasibility Study: Draft Report |date=March 1995 |work=New Bedford/Fall River Commuter Rail Project |author=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority}}</ref> The March 1995 ''Expanded Feasibility Study'' concluded that both the Stoughton and Attleboro routes would be viable and that a partial [[Stoughton Branch]] extension to [[North Easton]] would be most cost-effective.<ref name=1995report /> A route through Attleboro was nearly built beginning in 1995; however, in 1997 the ''Expanded Alternatives Analysis'' showed vastly increased costs - $410M via Attleboro, $426M via Stoughton, or $312M via Middleborough. The report recommended the Stoughton route as the most cost-effective due to its high ridership, despite the higher cost.<ref name=timeline>{{cite news |url=http://www.heraldnews.com/newsnow/x511634367/A-timeline-of-South-Coast-Rail-developments |title=A timeline of South Coast Rail developments |newspaper=The Herald News |date=5 October 2013 |accessdate=6 October 2013}}</ref><ref name=1997report>{{cite book <!--permanent dead link |url=http://www.southcoastrail.com/downloads/Expanded_Alternatives_Analysis_Report.pdf--> |title=Comparative Estimate Summary Worksheet |page=149 |work=Expanded Alternatives Analysis Report: Attleboro, Stoughton, and Middleborough Lines |author=Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority |date=February 1997}}</ref>

Based on an April 1999 analysis of South Station operations, the July 1999 ''Draft Environmental Impact Report'' concluded that the Stoughton route was the only viable route, with projected service of 20 trains per day to each of Fall River and New Bedford.<ref>{{cite book <!--permanent dead link |url=http://www.southcoastrail.com/downloads/April_1999_Operations_Analysis_Report.pdf--> |title=South Station Operations Analysis Report |date=April 1999 |author=Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority }}</ref><ref>{{cite book <!--permanent dead link |url=http://www.southcoastrail.com/downloads/Draft_Environmental_Impact_Report_Vol_I.pdf--> |title=Draft Environmental Impact Report |author=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority |date=July 1999}}</ref> The Draft Environmental Statement certificate was received in November 2000; the EPA confirmed that Stoughton was the only practical route but required a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS).<ref name=srpedd /> The FEIS was released in April 2002 and approved in August; however, in July 2002 the MBTA revised the project cost to $600 million with an opening date of 2007.<ref name=timeline /><ref name=srpedd /> Due to ballooning costs, Governor Romney's administration suspended the Growth Task Force and stopped project planning in November 2002; the environmental approval process was stopped in May 2003.<ref name=srpedd>{{cite web |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111112135214/http://srpedd.org/transportation/2012-documents/TPLANFINAL/chapter-10.pdf |archivedate=November 12, 2011 |url=http://www.srpedd.org/transportation/2012-documents/TPLANFINAL/chapter-10.pdf |title=Commuter Rail |author=Southeastern Massachusetts Metropolitan Planning Organization and Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District |year=2012 |work=2012 Regional Transportation Plan}}</ref>

Planning restarted several years later; the Phase 2 Alternatives Analysis Report (which indicated electric or diesel service through Stoughton as the best choice) was released in September 2009.<ref>{{cite web |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110827160743/http://southcoastrail.eot.state.ma.us/downloads/DRAFT%20Analysis%20of%20South%20Coast%20Rail%20Alternatives%20Phase%202%20Report%20with%20Figures.pdf |archivedate=August 27, 2011 |url=http://southcoastrail.eot.state.ma.us/downloads/DRAFT%20Analysis%20of%20South%20Coast%20Rail%20Alternatives%20Phase%202%20Report%20with%20Figures.pdf |title=Analysis of South Coast Rail Alternatives: Phase 2 Report |author=Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. |publisher=Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation and Public Works |date=September 2009 |accessdate=18 October 2013}}</ref> The Army Corps of Engineers released a Draft Environmental Impact Statement in March 2011.<ref name=DEIS>{{cite web |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111007032404/http://www.southcoastrail.com/downloads/Chapter_1_ExecSummary.pdf |archivedate=October 7, 2011 |url=http://www.southcoastrail.com/downloads/Chapter_1_ExecSummary.pdf |title=Draft Environmental Impact Statement/ Draft Environmental Impact Report on the South Coast Rail Project proposed by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation |publisher=U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New England District |date=February 2011 |accessdate=27 October 2013}}</ref> Concurring with previous documents it recommended that South Coast Rail be routed through Stoughton, citing in particular the need to add a billion-dollar fourth track from {{bts|Back Bay}} to {{bts|Forest Hills}} to accommodate service through Attleboro. However, the DEIS differed from the previous reports by strongly recommending that service be electric.<ref name=DEIS />

In June 2016, MBTA announced that the project cost had been revised to $3.42 billion, with completion not expected until 2030. The substantial delay and increase in cost caused officials to consider alternate plans, including an earlier, interim addition of service to New Bedford via Middleborough.<ref name=june2016>{{cite news |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2016/06/27/south-coast-rail-could-cost-billion-more-than-estimated/XxpSIfNX6FdNb7hnlz630L/story.html |title=South Coast rail could cost $1b more than estimated |newspaper=Boston Globe |date=27 June 2016 |first=Nicole |last=Dungca |accessdate=27 June 2016}}</ref> In March 2017, the state announced a revised plan intended to provide service sooner: Phase 1 would follow the Middleborough route and open in 2024; Phase 2 would follow the original route through Stoughton (including electrification) and open in 2029.<ref name=gears>{{cite news |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/03/22/rail/c8ofulFjRemeeDxTDNN2YK/story.html |title=State changes gears on Middleborough commuter rail plan |date=March 22, 2017 |newspaper=Boston Globe |first=Nicole |last=Dungca |accessdate=April 10, 2017}}</ref><ref name=npc>{{cite web |url=http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/Portals/41/Docs/NPC_2017Mar.pdf |title=Notice of Project Change |publisher=Massachusetts Department of Transportation |date=March 15, 2017 |access-date=August 13, 2017 |archive-date=April 18, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170418083248/http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/Portals/41/Docs/NPC_2017Mar.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> By June 2017, the planned completion dates were changed to Phase 1 in 2022 and Phase 2 in 2030. The revised plan has attracted criticism from several directions, including Stoughton, Easton, and Raynham officials who have long been opposed to the Dighton and Somerset line being reactivated through their towns.<ref name=sharp>{{cite news |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/regionals/south/2017/06/16/sharp-differences-over-latest-plan-for-south-coast-rail/Vlmt4rC3DXy8Wo5gIJWLYI/story.html |title=Sharp differences over latest plan for South Coast Rail |newspaper=Boston Globe |date=June 16, 2017 |first=John |last=Laidler |accessdate=June 18, 2017}}</ref>

== Conversion to rail trail ==
A 7-mile (11.3 km) segment of the former D&S mainline that runs between Weir Junction and Dighton is currently planned for [[rail trail]] conversion as a part of Phase 1 of the '''Taunton River Trail''' project. As planned, the Taunton River Trail would consist of over 22 miles (35.4 km) of continuous off-road and on-road [[Shared-use path|multi-use paths]] that will connect the communities of Taunton, Dighton, and Somerset along the [[Taunton River]]. Once complete, it will also intersect with the South Coast Bikeway at the [[Veterans Memorial Bridge (Bristol County, Massachusetts)|Veterans Memorial Bridge]] in Somerset; additionally, a [[Rails with trails|rail with trail]] connection is under consideration as a link to the [[Taunton Branch Railroad|Norton/Mansfield Rail Trail]] via the Middleboro Secondary.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Taunton River Trail |url=http://www.tauntonpathways.org/taunton-river-trail.html |access-date=2024-01-19 |website=Taunton Pathways |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Taunton River Trail |url=http://tauntonrivertrail.weebly.com/ |access-date=2024-01-19 |website=Taunton River Trail |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=kporter |date=2021-07-13 |title=Taunton River Trail - SRPEDD |url=https://srpedd.org/news/taunton-river-trail/ |access-date=2024-01-19 |website=srpedd.org |language=en-US}}</ref>

In June 2023, the town of Dighton was awarded a $74,000 MassTrails grant to advance construction of Phase 1 of the rail trail through Sweets Knoll State Park.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Taunton River Trail at Sweets Knoll State Park {{!}} Mass.gov |url=https://www.mass.gov/info-details/taunton-river-trail-at-sweets-knoll-state-park |access-date=2024-01-19 |website=www.mass.gov |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-06-16 |title=Town of Dighton Awarded $74,000 MassTrails Grant for Taunton River Trails Project |url=https://dightonportal.com/2023/06/16/town-of-dighton-awarded-74000-masstrails-grant-for-taunton-river-trails-project/ |access-date=2024-01-19 |website=Dighton News Portal |language=en-US}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Attached KML}}
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[[Category:Defunct Massachusetts railroads]]
[[Category:Railway companies established in 1863]]
[[Category:Railway companies disestablished in 1865]]
[[Category:Old Colony Railroad lines]]