Woods Hole | |||||||||||||||
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General information | |||||||||||||||
Location | Railroad Avenue Woods Hole, Massachusetts | ||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 41°31′22.42″N70°40′08.99″W / 41.5228944°N 70.6691639°W | ||||||||||||||
Line(s) | Falmouth Branch | ||||||||||||||
Connections | ⛴ Ferry service to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket | ||||||||||||||
History | |||||||||||||||
Opened | 1872 | ||||||||||||||
Closed | 1964 | ||||||||||||||
Rebuilt | 1899 | ||||||||||||||
Former services | |||||||||||||||
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Woods Hole station was a station on the Old Colony Railroad located in the village of Woods Hole in the town of Falmouth, Massachusetts. [1] It served as the terminus for the railroad's branch line to Woods Hole and offered ferry connections to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket.
The original wooden station was built at the end of the Woods Hole branch of the Old Colony Railroad in 1872. [1] The station was located close to docks where passengers could board ferries to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, so it served as a transfer station for vacationers traveling to the islands. In 1893, the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad leased the Old Colony Railroad and took over operations on the line. In 1899, the station building was replaced by a brick structure. [1] Into the early 1960s the New Haven operated daily trains to Boston and seasonal trains such as the day and night versions of the Cape Codder to New York City.
In 1964, passenger rail service to Woods Hole ceased, and the station closed. The tracks were torn up in 1969, and the station building was demolished in 1970. [1] [2] In 1977, work began on the Shining Sea Bikeway, a rail trail on the Woods Hole branch line's right-of-way, and its southern trailhead is located on the site of the former Woods Hole station. Ferries continue to service the nearby docks, and the Steamship Authority uses the former rail yard as a parking lot.
The Old Colony Railroad (OC) was a major railroad system, mainly covering southeastern Massachusetts and parts of Rhode Island, which operated from 1845 to 1893. Old Colony trains ran from Boston to points such as Plymouth, Fall River, New Bedford, Newport, Providence, Fitchburg, Lowell and Cape Cod. For many years the Old Colony Railroad Company also operated steamboat and ferry lines, including those of the Fall River Line with express train service from Boston to its wharf in Fall River where passengers boarded luxury liners to New York City. The company also briefly operated a railroad line on Martha's Vineyard, as well as the freight-only Union Freight Railroad in Boston. The OC was named after the "Old Colony", the nickname for the Plymouth Colony.
The Cape Cod Railroad is a railroad in southeastern Massachusetts, running from Pilgrim Junction in Middleborough across the Cape Cod Canal Railroad Bridge, where it splits towards Hyannis in one direction and Falmouth in the other. It was incorporated in 1846 as the Cape Cod Branch Railroad to provide a rail link from the Fall River Railroad line in Middleborough to Cape Cod.
The Woods Hole, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority, doing business as The Steamship Authority (SSA), is the statutory regulatory body for all ferry operations between mainland Massachusetts and the islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, as well an operator of ferry services between the mainland and the islands. It is the only ferry operator to carry automobiles to and from the islands. The Authority also operates several freight vessels, thus serving as the main link for shipping any commercial goods that are not transported using the airports on Nantucket or Martha's Vineyard.
The Fairhaven Branch Railroad was a short-line railroad in Massachusetts. It ran from West Wareham on the Cape Cod main line of the Old Colony Railroad, southwest to Fairhaven, a town across the Acushnet River from New Bedford.
West Barnstable station is a railway station in West Barnstable, Massachusetts. The train station currently serves as a weekend stop for several excursion trains operated by the Cape Cod Central Railroad. The station building, which is owned by the Town of Barnstable, Massachusetts, is the headquarters on the Cape Cod Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society (NRHS).
Provincetown station was a train station located on Bradford Street between Alden and Standish Streets in Provincetown, Massachusetts.
Sandwich station is a railway station in Sandwich, Massachusetts on Cape Cod. It is currently only used by the Cape Cod Central Railroad as a whistle stop for its seasonal excursion trains.
The Hyannis Transportation Center (HTC) is an intermodal transportation center in Hyannis, Massachusetts, operated by the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority (CCRTA). It is the terminus for several CCRTA bus lines and its CapeFLYER passenger train that operates on summer weekends between Boston South Station and Hyannis. It is also used by the Plymouth and Brockton Street Railway, Peter Pan Bus Lines, and Greyhound via CapeBus intercity bus services. The Cape Cod Central Railroad uses a separate station building across the tracks for its excursion services. A rail yard used by the Cape Cod Central is located north of the station, along with a former roundhouse.
Hyannisport Wharf was a railroad wharf in the Hyannisport section of Hyannis, Massachusetts.
Yarmouth station was a railroad station in the Yarmouth Port section of Yarmouth, Massachusetts.
Falmouth station is a bus station and former railroad station in Falmouth, Massachusetts. Built in 1912 to replace an older station, it was used for rail service until 1964, with brief revivals in 1984 and 1988.
Monument Beach station is a former train station located in Monument Beach, Massachusetts.
Pocasset station was a railroad station in Pocasset, Massachusetts on Cape Cod.
Cataumet station is a former railroad station located on Post Office Square in Cataumet, Massachusetts.
North Falmouth station was a railroad station on the Old Colony Railroad on Depot Road in North Falmouth, Massachusetts. Service to the station began in 1872 and ended in 1964, and the station burned down in 1969.
Wareham Village station is a train station that is located on Merchants Way in Wareham, Massachusetts. Service to Wareham formerly ran from 1848 until 1959. A shelter, built in 1985 for short-lived Amtrak and commuter service, is currently unused. A new platform constructed nearby for the CapeFLYER summer weekend service opened for the CapeFLYER on June 27, 2014.
Bournedale station was a railroad station serving Bournedale, Massachusetts. Opened in 1848, it was relocated in 1911 during construction of the Cape Cod Canal and closed in the 1920s.
Onset station is a former train station located on Depot Street in the village of East Wareham, Massachusetts. Originally known as Agawam, then East Wareham, it was combined with a nearby station under the name Onset Junction in 1891. Known as Onset by the 1930s, it was closed in 1959. The station building remains in use by a business.
Bourne station is a train station in Bourne, Massachusetts, served by the CapeFlyer.
The Cape Codder was a pair of day and night passenger trains run by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad (NH) from the latter 1920s to the mid 1960s, with some brief interruptions. Its distinction was the longest tenure of direct summertime New York City to Cape Cod trains. With the improvement of highways in southeastern Massachusetts, passenger rail traffic diminished, and the Cape Codder service ended with the New Haven Railroad's discontinuing of passenger rail service to Cape Cod.
Media related to Woods Hole station at Wikimedia Commons