The following railroads operate or once operated in the District of Columbia.
Current railroads
Freight
- CSX Transportation (CSXT)
Passenger
- Amtrak (AMTK)
Commuter
- MARC Train (MARC)
- Virginia Railway Express (VREX)
- Washington Metro
- DC Streetcar
Defunct railroads
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Name
!Reporting mark
!System
!From
!To
!Successor
!Notes
|-
|Alexandria and Fredericksburg Railway
|
|RF&P
|1872<!--began operating the Alexandria and Washington Railroad-->
|1890<!--?-->
|Baltimore and Potomac Railroad
|
|-
|Alexandria and Washington Railroad
|
|RF&P
|1854<!--authorized to enter DC, but only at Georgetown until 1855-->
|1872
|Alexandria and Fredericksburg Railway
|
|-
|Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
|B&O, BO
|B&O
|1831<!--authorized to enter DC-->
|1987
|Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
|
|-
|Baltimore and Potomac Railroad
|
|PRR
|1867<!--authorized to enter DC-->
|1902
|Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington Railroad
|
|-
|Chesapeake Beach Railway
|
|
|1896<!--? they opened in 1898 and presumably began using the Washington and Potomac Railroad's line then, but they began construction earlier; did the Washington and Chesapeake Beach Railway do anything in DC?-->
|1935
|East Washington Railway
|
|-
|Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
|C&O, CO
|C&O
|1891<!--got trackage rights over Southern from Orange-->
|1987
|CSX Transportation
|
|-
|Consolidated Rail Corporation
|CR
|
|1976
|1999
|CSX Transportation/Norfolk Southern Railway
|
|-
|East Washington Railway
|
|
|1935
|1976<!--?-->
| N/A
|
|-
|Georgetown Barge, Dock, Elevator and Railway Company
|
|B&O
|1888
|1972<!--?-->
|Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
|
|-
|Orange, Alexandria and Manassas Railroad
|
|SOU
|1872<!--authorized to enter DC over the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad - did any predecessors enter earlier?-->
|1872
|Virginia and North Carolina Railroad
|
|-
|Penn Central Transportation Company
|PC
|
|1968
|1976
|Consolidated Rail Corporation
|
|-
|Pennsylvania Railroad
|PRR
|PRR
|1918<!--leased the PB&W-->
|1968
|Penn Central Transportation Company
|
|-
|Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington Railroad
|
|PRR
|1902
|1976
|Consolidated Rail Corporation
|
|-
|Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad
|
|PRR
|1891<!--leased the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad-->
|1902
|Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington Railroad
|
|-
|Richmond and Danville Railroad
|
|SOU
|1886
|1894
|Southern Railway
|
|-
|Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad
|RF&P, RFP
|RF&P
|1920
|1991
|Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railway
|
|-
|Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railway
|RFP
|
|1991
|
|
|Still exists as a <!--nonoperating?--> subsidiary of CSX Transportation
|-
|Southern Railway
|SOU
|SOU
|1894
|1990
|Norfolk Southern Railway
|
|-
|Southern Maryland Railroad
|
|
|1882<!--authorized to enter DC-->
|1886
|Washington and Potomac Railroad
|
|-
|Virginia Midland Railway
|
|SOU
|1880
|1886<!--leased to R&D-->
|Richmond and Danville Railroad
|
|-
|Virginia and North Carolina Railroad
|
|SOU
|1872
|1873
|Washington City, Virginia Midland and Great Southern Railway
|
|-
|Washington, Alexandria and Georgetown Railroad
|
|RF&P
|1862<!--?-->
|1868
|Alexandria and Washington Railroad
|
|-
|Washington City and Point Lookout Railroad
|
|B&O
|1873<!--authorized to enter DC-->
|1874
|Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
|
|-
|Washington City, Virginia Midland and Great Southern Railway
|
|SOU
|1873
|1880
|Virginia Midland Railway
|
|-
|Washington and Potomac Railroad
|
|
|1886
|1900
|Washington, Potomac and Chesapeake Railroad
|
|-
|Washington, Potomac and Chesapeake Railroad
|
|
|1901
|1910
|Washington, Potomac and Chesapeake Railway
|
|-
|Washington, Potomac and Chesapeake Railway
|
|
|1910
|1918
|Chesapeake Beach Railway<!--apparently they bought the track that they had leased then-->
|
|-
|Washington Southern Railway
|WSN
|RF&P
|1901<!--had been leased to Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad, and owned no trackage in DC-->
|1920
|Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad
|
|-
|Washington Terminal Company
|WATC
|B&O/ PRR
|1901
|
|
|Still exists as a subsidiary of the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak)
|-
|Washington and Western Maryland Railroad
|
|B&O
|1889
|1985
|N/A
|
|}
Electric
- Alexandria, Barcroft and Washington Transit Company
- Anacostia and Potomac River Railroad
- Baltimore and Ocean City Railway
- Baltimore and Washington Transit Company
- Brightwood Railway
- Capital Traction Company
- Capital Transit Company
- Capitol, North O Street and South Washington Railway
- City and Suburban Railway
- Columbia Railway
- Georgetown and Tennallytown Railway
- Great Falls and Old Dominion Railroad
- Metropolitan Railroad
- Rock Creek Railway
- Tennallytown and Rockville Railroad
- Washington and Georgetown Railroad
- Washington and Glen Echo Railroad
- Washington and Great Falls Electric Railway
- Washington and Old Dominion Railway
- Washington and Rockville Railway
- Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Electric Railroad
- Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Electric Railway
- Washington, Berwyn and Laurel Electric Railway
- Washington Interurban Railway
- Washington Railway and Electric Company
- Washington, Spa Springs and Gretta Railroad
- Washington Traction and Electric Company
- Washington–Virginia Railway
- Washington, Woodside and Forest Glen Railway and Power Company
Notes
Further reading
- Timeline of Washington, D.C. Railroad History
References
- Federal and Local Legislation Relating to Canals and Steam Railroads in the District of Columbia, 1802-1903