The was a part of the
New York, New Haven And Hartford Railroad system, running east from
New Haven, Connecticut to
New London along the north shore of
Long Island Sound . It is now part of
Amtrak 's
High-speed Northeast Corridor .
The was chartered May 1848 to build a line from
New Haven , the east end of the
New York And New Haven Railroad , east to
New London on the
Thames River and the south end of the
New London, Willimantic And Palmer Railroad . Construction began in 1850 and the line opened from New Haven to the
Connecticut River in
Old Saybrook on
July 1 1852 . Later that month the rest of the line opened, from the other side of the river in
Old Lyme east to New London; a
Train Ferry took trains across the river.
and
Boston ]]
The was chartered May 1852 to continue east from New London to
Stonington , the west end of the existing
New York, Providence And Boston Railroad . On
March 6 1857 the New Haven and New London merged with the New London and Stonington to form the '''New Haven, New London and Stonington Railroad'''. The line west from Stonington opened
December 30 1858 , ending at
Groton , with another
Car Ferry across the Thames River to New London. This completed the "Shore Line" route between
New York City and
Boston ; through passenger service began
December 12 1859 , with night trains first running
August 19 1861 and
Sleeping Car s
November 11 .
On
November 1 1859 the New York, Providence and Boston Railroad leased the NHNL&S, giving it a line from
Providence, Rhode Island to New Haven. In 1864 the NYP&B bought the part east of New London, and the rest was reorganized as the . The New York and New Haven Railroad (which became part of the
New York, New Haven And Hartford Railroad in 1872) leased it on
November 1 1870 . (The NYNH&H acquired the NYP&B in 1892.) Soon after, a bridge was built over the Connecticut River, and in 1889 a bridge opened over the Thames River, directly connecting the end in New London with the NYP&B in Groton.
]]
In the early 1890s the line was double-tracked, and some areas had new straighter alignments built. Most prominent was in eastern New Haven and
East Haven , where the old alignment took it across many streets
At-grade . The new line ran further east, requiring a
Tunnel to pass under the hills to merge with the NYNH&H main line at
Air Line Junction , also the junction with the
Boston And New York Air-Line Railroad . Other realignments include a section in
Branford , where the old alignment is still partially in use to access the
Branford Steam Railroad .
The Shore Line Railway was merged into the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad on
March 17 1897 , becoming its . In 1969 the New Haven merged into
Penn Central , and then at the latest the '''Shore Line''' was extended along the whole New York City-Boston route. In 1976, Penn Central merged into
Conrail , and
Amtrak bought much of the Shore Line, now known as the
Northeast Corridor , including the former Shore Line Railway.
Shore Line East now provides
Commuter Rail service between New Haven and New London, connecting at New Haven to
Metro-North 's
New Haven Line for continuing service to New York City.
