Fore River Railroad

Fore River Railroad

A Fore River Railroad locomotive in Braintree in August 2018
Overview
Reporting mark	FRVT
Dates of operation	1903–present
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Length	2.7 miles (4.3 km)
Route map Map of the Fore River Railroad

The Fore River Railroad (reporting mark FRVT) is a class III railroad^[1] in eastern Massachusetts owned by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) and operated by the Fore River Transportation Corporation. It was originally built in 1902 and opened in 1903 as a rail link between the Fore River Shipyard at Quincy Point and the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad in East Braintree, a length of 2.7 miles (4.3 km). Originally an integral part of the shipyard, the Fore River Railroad was incorporated as a separate company in 1919 by Bethlehem Steel, which purchased the shipyard itself during World War I.

The railroad continued to serve the shipyard through both World Wars and was bought by General Dynamics in 1963. The new owner ran the shipyard and railroad until 1986, when the shipyard was closed. As local customers still used the railroad, General Dynamics leased train operations to the Colorado Eastern Railroad, before selling the railroad outright to the MWRA the following year. MWRA has used the railroad to transport solid sewage waste (sludge) and fertilizer produced from this sludge. In 1991, the MWRA leased railroad operations to a subsidiary of the New England Southern Railroad; ten years later, the contract was instead awarded to the Fore River Transportation Corporation, a subsidiary of the line's other significant customer, Twin Rivers Technologies. Twin Rivers uses the railroad to ship fatty acids from a facility at Quincy Point.

The Fore River Railroad connects with CSX Transportation in Braintree, via the Greenbush Line of MBTA Commuter Rail.