Connecticut River Line

Connecticut River Line
Union Station in Northampton, Massachusetts, with the temporary platform built in 2014 for the resumption of Vermonter service on the line
Overview
Type	Regional rail Freight rail
System	Amtrak Pan Am Railways
Locale	Western Massachusetts
Termini	Springfield, Massachusetts East Northfield, Massachusetts
Stations	3
Services	Vermonter (December 29, 2014) Commuter rail service (proposed)
Operation
Owner	MassDOT
Technical
Line length	50 mi (80 km)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge

The Connecticut River Line (colloquially known as the Conn River Line) is a railroad line owned by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) between Springfield and East Northfield, Massachusetts. Freight rail service along the line is operated by Pan Am Railways, and passenger rail service is operated by Amtrak.

In 2014, following several years of planning and construction, the original mainline was restored to modern standards, with a maximum authorized speed of 79 miles per hour (127 km/h) for passenger trains on the long straight sections of track between Hatfield and Deerfield. During this time, MassDOT purchased the line from Pan Am Railways. Amtrak's Vermonter was rerouted to the Conn River Line on December 29, 2014, with stops at Greenfield, Northampton, and later Holyoke.

Local commuter service is proposed to be added later, using either extended Amtrak Shuttle trains, Hartford Line trains, or surplus MBTA Commuter Rail equipment.

The original line between Springfield and Northampton was built by the Northampton and Springfield Railroad (chartered in 1842) during the early 1840s. While the line was under construction, the rail company merged with another company building a line from Greenfield, Massachusetts, south to Northampton. The Connecticut River Railroad (CRRR) was then formed in 1845 by the merger of the Northampton and Springfield Railroad with the Greenfield and Northampton Railroad.