Out of Service Rail Line to be Restored? - Housatonic's Maybrook Line - June 2026

Back in 2023 the Housatonic Railroad received a Federal Railroad Administration grant to restore the out of service Maybrook Line from Newtown, Connecticut out to Derby, CT. The line has a few customers between Danbury and Newtown but the tracks to the east haven’t been used regularly in years. The most recent moves were simple equipment moves but freight stopped running years prior. The over $5.3 million grant, titled the Housatonic Railroad Service Restoration and Safety Investment Project, reads: The proposed project involves final design and construction activities for various track-related improvements and upgrades to multiple bridges. The project aligns with the selection criteria by improving system and service performance and ability to meet existing and anticipated demand as it will restore a portion of HRRC’s rail line that is out of service and improve approximately 18 miles of rail line to increase freight rail capacity and improve operational safety. Also, the project will help HRRC maintain its connection with Pan Am Southern/CSX Transportation and Metro-North. A combination of funds from HRRC and two customers (Oak Ridge Waste and Interstate and Lakeland Lumber) will provide a 30 percent non-Federal match. This grant was probably written up in 2022 or even earlier as the eastern connection at Derby is listed as Pan Am Southern. Today that is the Berkshire Eastern Railroad operating part of the old Pan Am System. Pan Am was bought out by CSX transportation in 2022 but the former Pan Am Southern territory and lines going south in Connecticut were taken over by Berkshire & Eastern instead of CSX. The B&E handles both CSX and Norfolk Southern freight so its possible the Housatonic Railroad sees this as an opportunity for another Class 1 Railroad connection. Currently they interchange directly with CSX in Pittsfield, Mass but having a Norfolk Southern connection through the B&E could result in more competitive shipping rates and maybe even increased carloads. A comparable shortline with two interchanges is the pioneer valley railroad that runs between Westfield and Holyoke, Massachusetts. They maintain a direct CSX interchange in Westfield and a Berkshire & Eastern connection at Holyoke. B&E plays the middle man between Norfolk Southern and Pioneer Valley which gives them access to another competitive Class 1 connection. Similarly, Pioneer Valley restored their B&E/NS connection at Holyoke in 2018 thanks to a MassDOT industrial Rail Access Program grant. In addition to the connection at Derby, Providence & Worcester stone trains could be rerouted over the line like they ran some years ago. Currently the train operates on the busy Northeast Corridor so rerouting it to an alternative route is preferred to keep it out of the way of passenger traffic. The stone train operates to a Tilcon facility in Danbury, CT. Now its 2026 and the tracks are still unused so what’s up? Well in 2024 a major storm hit the area and created an impressive washout. The significant washout was created when water pushed through fill right over a culvert and washed two tracks out. I can only imagine how expensive that hole will be to fix so that’s probably a factor delaying the rail line’s restoration. I’m sure environmental laws and permitting may also be factors that slow down the process. The rest of the video will follow the line heading east to Derby showing various scenes of the line’s current conditions. Hopefully one of these days we’ll see if the railroad can get back to restoring the Maybrook Line so we can once again see this historic line back in action. Facebook:   / mslrailmedia   Comments? Questions? Just leave a note in the comment section and I'll get back to you. ©2026 South Coast Rail Videos