Berkshire and Eastern Railroad

The Berkshire and Eastern Railroad (reporting mark BERX)^[1] is a shortline railroad in New England and New York, using tracks owned by Pan Am Southern. Pan Am Southern is jointly owned by CSX Transportation (CSXT) and Norfolk Southern Railway (NS).^[2][1]

Berkshire and Eastern Railroad

BERX 7881 in fresh G&W paint leaving East Deerfield Yard on EDMO.
Overview
Reporting mark	BERX
Locale	New England, New York
Dates of operation	2023–present
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Other
Website	https://panamsouthern.com/

Following CSXT's purchase of Pan Am Systems, CSXT and NS chose Genesee & Wyoming (GWI) to operate Pan Am Southern. GWI, in turn, selected its Pittsburg and Shawmut Railroad (PSR) subsidiary to operate Pan Am Southern. PSR — doing business as Berkshire & Eastern — will operate, maintain, and market the Pan Am Southern freight rail lines previously operated by Pan Am Railways.^[2]

Surface Transportation Board approval of the formation and operation of B&E was contingent on the Board's approval of CSXT's purchase of Pan Am Systems.^[1] The Board approved the CSXT–Pan Am deal on April 14, 2022.^[3] B&E began operating Pan Am Southern on September 1, 2023.^[4]

Safety and Incidents

On February 11, 2025, train B101 derailed on Farley Road in Erving, Massachusetts, shortly before 4:00 p.m. There were no injuries, and no hazardous materials were involved. A video of the derailment, captured by a railfan, was subsequently uploaded to YouTube. ^[5]