This abandoned railway line was built by the Central Railroad of New Jersey (as the New Jersey Southern Railroad) in attempt to find a faster/shorter route to Richmond, Virginia, by going across Delaware Bay rather than around it. It was built in the late 1800s, and accessed a ferry operation at Bay Side that carried freight/passengers across Delaware Bay to Woodland Beach, Delaware.
The line saw service up until the 1930s, serving the fishing industry at Bay Side.