The rail line between Boston and Albany dates back to the birth of American railroading in the 1830s. Its construction was fueled by the economic rivalry between New England and New York exacerbated by the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825. Today, a new effort is underway to better link Albany and Boston by passenger rail.
Despite Massachusetts being home to some of America’s first canals, building a water route across the Berkshires was impossible so the Bay State turned to the emerging railroad technology to bypass the city of New York and Hudson River route and secure for themselves a direct trade route to the west.
The Boston & Worcester Railroad, chartered in 1831, was one of New England‘s earliest railroads. When it fully opened in 1835, it covered about 45 miles between the two cities.
The Western Railroad was chartered in 1833, with the ambitious plan to conquer the Berkshires…