The Woodstown and Swedesboro Railroad was incorporated on March 21, 1871. At the time,
Woodstown, New Jersey, lacked direct rail service. The
Salem Railroad, completed in 1863, passed several miles to the south. In 1869, the
Swedesboro Railroad reached
Swedesboro, New Jersey, roughly to the north. The new company had difficulty raising funds, and no work was done for over a decade. The company was finally organized on January 21, 1882. The
West Jersey Railroad, which had leased the Salem Railroad in 1868 and the Swedesboro Railroad in 1869, took an active interest in the project. The new line opened on February 1883, and the West Jersey Railroad formally leased the Woodstown and Swedesboro Railroad. At the southern end the line connected with the Salem Railroad's line at Riddleston, east of Salem. The new route shortened the distance from
Camden to
Salem, New Jersey, by . Under the
Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines the line between Woodbury and Salem was known as the
Salem Branch. The Woodstown and Swedesboro Railroad, Swedesboro Railroad, Salem Railroad,
Maurice River Railroad,
Salem Branch Railroad, and
West Jersey Terminal Railroad were consolidated with the West Jersey Railroad on December 31, 1887. == Notes ==