History
The Eastern Route main line between Boston and Portsmouth, New Hampshire opened in 1836 as the Eastern Railroad. Ferries were used to transport passengers between the East Boston terminal and Boston proper. The line was extended to Portland, Maine, in 1842 under a track-sharing agreement with the Boston and Maine Railroad. The Gloucester Branch was constructed in 1847, but despite local support, it was not extended to Rockport until November 1861. In 1854, with the opening of the Grand Junction Railroad, the Eastern Railroad acquired direct access to downtown Boston. This access was more convenient than its previous access, which required using the Saugus Branch or the South Reading Branch Railroad.
The Boston & Maine leased the Eastern Railroad in 1884, and in 1893 the new North Union Station became the terminus of the B&M, its subsidiaries the Eastern Railroad and Boston & Lowell Railroad, and the Fitchburg Railroad.
In the 1970s, the B&M passenger service - which by that time was almost exclusively commuter service - began to become financially inviable until the MBTA subsidized, and then acquired, the services. The line beyond Newburyport was abandoned in 1982; however, commuter service had been cut back from Newburyport to Ipswich in 1976. In 1998, service was restored to Newburyport.
Read more about this topic: Newburyport/Rockport Line
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