In December of 2020, Cassatt Management, LLC d/b/a Bay Coast Railroad (BCR), filed a verified notice of exemption under 49 CFR part 1152 subpart F— Exempt Abandonments and Discontinuances of Service to discontinue service over a rail line comprised of segments (a) between milepost 102.1 and milepost 100.7 (Segment A) and (b) between milepost 100.7 and milepost 100.3 (Segment B), both in Norfolk, Va. (the Line).
The Surface Transportation Board granted the request, and thus began the erasure of an integral part of Eastern Shore history. The railway stimulated every aspect of the Shore’s economy, mainly agriculture and seafood. As the line into Cape Charles is being ripped up, we should reflect on the role the railroad played in the town’s history. Would there even be a Cape Charles without the railroad? How easily we are throwing it away says a lot about the character of the New Shore. One has to wonder, what are we going to trash next?