Pioneer Valley Railroad facts for kids
 |
|
Westfield Yard in August 2018
|
|
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Westfield, Massachusetts |
| Reporting mark | PVRR |
| Locale | Hampden County, Massachusetts |
| Dates of operation | 1982– |
| Predecessor | Conrail |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
| Length | 17 miles (27 km) |
The Pioneer Valley Railroad, founded in 1982, is a Class III short line freight railroad operating the former Conrail (née-New York, New Haven & Hartford) trackage in the western part of Massachusetts in towns of Westfield, Holyoke, and Southampton. The railroad has been owned by the Pinsly Railroad Company since its founding, with headquarters in Westfield, Massachusetts.
Contents
History
Before the PVRR (1847 - 1982)
The tracks that the PVRR operates on were originally constructed by the New Haven and Northampton (also known as the Canal Line) from 1842 to 1856 as part of the company's line between its namesake cities. The branch line connecting Westfield and Holyoke was built in 1871. Both lines passed to the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad (reporting mark NH) when it took control of the New Haven and Northampton in 1887. The bankrupt New Haven was included in the newly formed Penn Central Railroad on January 1st, 1969, which abandoned the tracks north of Southampton. Penn Central promptly went bankrupt in what was at the time the largest corporate bankruptcy in U.S. history, and was folded into government created Conrail in 1976, which became the new operator. Conrail ended operations on the tracks around Westfield in 1982, claiming the two lines were no longer profitable to operate. At this time, Pinsly Railroad Company purchased both from Conrail for under $300,000, along with making a guarantee to the state of Massachusetts to commit $800,000 in spending to track repairs and improvements within four years of the purchase. Upon purchasing the two lines, Pinsly began railroad operations on the line under the Pioneer Valley Railroad name.
Pioneer Valley Railroad begins operations (1982 - 2000)
The Pioneer Valley Railroad began operations with three locomotives of 1939 and 1949 vintage, 13 employees, and 24 miles of trackage. In 1983, the railroad had a total of 40 customers. The company began to reverse the fortunes of its lines by dropping a $590 surcharge per car that was instated by Conrail, pursuing small customers that Conrail ignored, and forging good relationships with shippers.
As traffic began to grow in the 1980s, the railroad received part of a $5.3 million appropriation from the United States Congress in the summer of 1987 to install heavier rail on its line between Westfield and Holyoke.
The PVRR in the 21st century (2000 - present)
The PVRR was one of 6 railroad companies to receive a request for proposals from the state of Vermont in early 2000 to potentially operate a railroad line owned by the state between White River Junction and Wells River. Ultimately, the state chose a railroad based in Vermont to operate the line.
On October 5, 2017, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation awarded PVR a $495,000 grant to complete the PVR Knowledge Corridor Service Interchange project that is planned to reduce local truck traffic by improving the connection between Pan Am Railways and Pioneer Valley Railroad in Holyoke.
MassDOT awarded the railroad a grant of $384,022 in September 2021 to expand its yard facilities in Easthampton, matching PVRR's commitment of 40% of the total project cost.
Routes
The PVRR operates two lines which connect at Westfield Main Yard in Westfield, Massachusetts, where the railroad interchanges with CSX Transportation.
- Holyoke Branch: Westfield to Holyoke
- Southampton Branch: Westfield to Southampton
