The
Vermont Central Railroad was chartered October 31, 1843, to build a line across the center of Vermont, running from
Burlington on Lake Champlain east to the capital
Montpelier, and then southeast and south to
Windsor on the Connecticut River. Initial plans had the main line running through Montpelier. However, due to the difficulty of building through the Williamstown Gulf, a narrow valley south of
Barre, Vermont, and to land interests of Charles Paine in
Northfield, Vermont, a course to the west was selected. The state capital was to be served by a short branch line. Construction began on December 15, 1845, and the first section, from White River Junction west to
Bethel, opened on June 26, 1848. Subsequent sections opened to
Roxbury on September 17, 1848,
Northfield on October 10, 1848, Montpelier (including the branch from
Montpelier Junction) on June 20, 1849,
Middlesex on August 30, 1849,
Waterbury on September 29, 1849, and the full distance to Burlington on December 31, 1849. The part along the Connecticut River from Hartford south to Windsor opened on February 13, 1849. The
Vermont and Canada Railroad was chartered October 31, 1845, as a continuation of the Vermont Central north and west to
Rouses Point, New York, splitting at
Essex Junction, Vermont (east of
Burlington) and running north via
St. Albans and
Swanton. A branch split at Swanton and ran north to the border with
Canada. On August 24, 1849, the Vermont Central leased the Vermont and Canada, and it was completed in 1851. However, the Vermont Central defaulted on rental payments, and the Vermont and Canada returned to its original owners on June 28, 1852. The lease was later reinstated. The
Montreal and Vermont Junction Railway was chartered in 1860 and opened in the 1860s, extending the Vermont and Canada's branch from the international border north to
St. Johns, Quebec, on the
Grand Trunk Railway's
Montreal and Champlain Railroad. From opening, it was operated as an extension of the Vermont and Canada. The
Sullivan County Railroad continued south from
Windsor to
Bellows Falls, Vermont, where it met the
Cheshire Railroad toward
Boston. At first it was operated by the Central Vermont, but later the
Boston and Maine Railroad gained control of it, giving
trackage rights to the Central Vermont. Similarly, the
Vermont Valley Railroad, running south from Bellows Falls to the
New London Northern Railroad in
Brattleboro, was originally owned by the
Rutland Railroad and later by the B&M. In 1867 the Vermont Central leased the
Stanstead, Shefford and Chambly Railroad, running east from
St. Johns to
Waterloo, Quebec. The
Waterloo and Magog Railway was later built as an extension from Waterloo south to
Magog. The Vermont Central leased the
Ogdensburg and Lake Champlain Railroad on March 1, 1870, extending its line from
Rouses Point west to
Ogdensburg, New York. On January 1, 1871, the Vermont Central leased the
Rutland Railroad system, giving it routes from
Burlington to
Bellows Falls, Vermont, and
Chatham, New York. The
New London Northern Railroad was leased on December 1, 1871. On November 2, 1872, the name was changed to the
Central Vermont Railroad. Though the
Missisquoi Railroad was chartered as an independent entity in 1867, the Central Vermont RR gained control of it shortly thereafter. It was formally leased in July 1873, providing a branch from
St. Albans northeast to
Richford, Vermont. It was operated until November 15, 1877, when the
Connecticut and Passumpsic Rivers Railroad took it over. The company was reorganized in December 1886 as the
Missisquoi Valley Railway, and was once again leased to the Central Vermont. The
Montpelier and White River Railroad opened in 1876 and was leased to the Central Vermont, running from the end of the
Montpelier Branch south to and beyond
Barre. The
Consolidated Railway was formed on June 30, 1884, to consolidate the 'Central Vermont' and 'Vermont and Canada', and to settle litigation between the two companies. A new Central Vermont Railroad was formed on July 1, 1884 to take over from the Consolidated Railway. in 1909 In 1889, the
Burlington and Lamoille Railroad was reorganized as the
Burlington and Lamoille Valley Railroad and leased by the Central Vermont. This provided a branch from
Essex Junction to the
Lamoille Valley Railroad at Cambridge Junction in
Cambridge, Vermont, and a quickly abandoned redundant line from Essex Junction west to Burlington. This second connection crossed the
Winooski River near Essex Junction and connected to the
Rutland Railroad at the south end of Burlington near the present-day terminus of
I-189. The
Montreal and Province Line Railway was formed in 1896 as a reorganization of the
Montreal, Portland and Boston Railroad. Originally planned as a branch of the
Portland and Ogdensburg Railroad to
Montreal, and operated by the
Connecticut and Passumpsic Rivers Railroad, it was taken over by the Central Vermont upon reorganization. The main line ran from the
Grand Trunk Railway's
Montreal and Champlain Railroad at
Saint-Lambert, across the
St. Lawrence River from Montreal, southeast to
Farnham on the
Stanstead, Shefford and Chambly Railroad, with an extension continuing southeast to
Frelighsburg. A branch went east from
Marieville to
St. Cesaire. In 1896, the Central Vermont entered
receivership, and the
Rutland Railroad was separated. The Grand Trunk Railway bought the bankrupt company on March 20. The
Ogdensburg and Lake Champlain Railroad lease ended in 1898, and that company was leased by the Rutland in 1901. The Central Vermont Railroad was sold at
foreclosure on March 21, 1899, and was reorganized as the
Central Vermont Railway on May 1. During this process, on April 15, 1899, it purchased the
Missisquoi Valley Railroad outright. On July 12, 1920, the entire Grand Trunk system was placed under the control of a "Board of Management" by the federal
Department of Railways and Canals in
Canada after several years of financial difficulties. After several years of legal battles by Grand Trunk shareholders, intent on preventing the federal government from
nationalizing the company, the company was nationalized on January 20, 1923, and fully merged into the
Crown corporation Canadian National Railway.
CN and NECR: 1923-present On December 12, 1927, in the aftermath of the
Great Vermont Flood of 1927, the Central Vermont Railway entered
receivership again, and was reorganized January 31, 1930, to form a new company of the same name. While the Central Vermont was no longer independent, it kept much of its corporate identity and was run as a separate railroad from the rest of the CN system. As the grip of the Great Depression eased, the railroad became a relatively successful arm of the CN network until the postwar period. It moved a wide range of freight from general merchandise and furniture to milk and agricultural products. During the 1950s, diesels from CN began to appear on the Central Vermont, with the last steam locomotive ending service in 1957. The 1960s were an especially-rough period due to declining traffic, rising costs, and falling revenues. in 1968 Under the
Grand Trunk and later the
Canadian National, the Central Vermont system saw many of its unprofitable branch lines abandoned. The CN continued to operate the CV as a modestly successful system; however, in the process leading up to the
privatization of the CN, which took place on November 28, 1995, several non-core routes were identified for sale, one of then being the CV. On February 3, 1995, the CN sold the CV mainline from
New London, Connecticut, to
East Alburg, Vermont, to shortline operating company
RailTex, which renamed the operation the
New England Central Railroad. RailTex was merged into
RailAmerica in 2000.
Genesee & Wyoming acquired RailAmerica at the end of 2012. Operations have continued as before. ==Divisions and branches==