The Cape Cod Central Railroad is a heritage railroad located on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. It operates on a rail line known as the Cape Main Line which is owned by Massachusetts Department of Transportation. The line was previously owned and operated by the Cape Cod Railroad, the Old Colony Railroad, and later the New Haven Railroad, each of which operated passenger trains on the line from 1854 to 1959. Although its namesake is the former Cape Cod Central Railroad (1861–1868), the two companies are unrelated.
Founded in 1999, it operates a variety of excursion trains from downtown Hyannis to the Cape Cod Canal during spring, summer, and fall. Recently, it has expanded service in a limited capacity to offer rides that travel the reverse of the normal route. It also offers special trains that travel to Wareham. Most of their trips are made during the Scallop Festival or during the summer when the Family Supper Train and Scenic Train depart together from Buzzards Bay. It offers daily sightseeing trains known as the Shoreline Excursion, a Family Supper train, Brunch and Lunch trains, and an Elegant Dinner train that was rated one of the top three in the nation by the Food Network. Past offerings have also included special Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas trains.[citation needed]
On November 21, 2009, the railroad ran dinner service on the Falmouth Line via North Falmouth.[1]
This Railroad should not be confused with, although is affiliated with, the Massachusetts Coastal Railroad - the freight railroad that transports trash off of the Cape. Since 2006, the Cape Cod Central Railroad has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Cape Rail Inc., which also owns and operates the Massachusetts Coastal Railroad. In October 2012, Chicago-based Iowa Pacific Holdings acquired control of Cape Rail Inc., and its subsidiaries, Massachusetts Coastal Railroad, LLC and Cape Cod Central Railroad.[2]
Despite the four stations above all being served by the Cape Cod Central Railroad, most trains do not visit or even pass by all four stations. Trains typically either depart from Buzzards Bay station and turn around upon reaching Cape Cod Bay (usually near either Sandwich or Barnstable), or depart from Hyannis, stop at West Barnstable (on Saturdays), and turn around upon reaching Sagamore. There are some exceptions, as some trains departing from Hyannis travel all the way to Buzzards Bay and sometimes all the way into Rochester, but these trains usually do not stop at any stations after departure.
Despite not having formal stations, select trains also stop at the Pairpoint Glass facility in Sagamore,[4][11] and select dinner trains also depart from Falmouth.[5]
41°42′25″N 70°22′27″W / 41.70694°N 70.37417°W / 41.70694; -70.37417