The oldest piece of the line, from Suffern to Newburgh Junction in
Woodbury, New York, opened in 1841 as part of the
New York and Erie Rail Road. Extensions opened to
Port Jervis and
Binghamton in 1848,
Owego in 1849, and
Dunkirk (leaving the Southern Tier Line at
Hornell) in 1851. At the Buffalo end, the
Attica and Buffalo Railroad opened from Buffalo east to
Attica in 1842, but was part of the
New York Central Railroad system until 1852, when it was sold to the
Buffalo and New York City Railroad east of
Depew. Also in 1852, the Buffalo and New York City Railroad built southeast from Attica to Hornell and west from Depew to Buffalo. The entire line became part of the Erie Railroad through leases and mergers. Norfolk Southern leased the section between Suffern and Port Jervis to the Metro-North Railroad on March 31, 2003. It leased the section between Port Jervis and Binghamton to the
Central New York Railroad on December 31, 2004. Nearer the western end, the line passes through
Letchworth State Park, and over the
Portage Viaduct. ==References==