Monday was the first day of the new expanded Grafton and Upton Railroad.

Trains will be running from Milford to Franklin a couple times a week.

The railroad's owner Jon Delli Priscoli said this will be the first time trains will be making the trip in its 140-plus year history.

They'll carry items like drywall and lumber.

The first train was Monday and Delli Priscolli said it's a big economic boost for the area.

"The higher box cars, the heavier weight, and the frequency of the dwell time of the rail car. We'll be cutting three days of rail transportation for anybody between Milford and Franklin. So that's a big difference economically that will make the railroad much more attractive to use more frequently,” said Delli Priscolli.

He said when they took over in 2008, they had to reconstruct and improve 16 miles of railroad.​