The line was completed on October 29, 1867 at a cost of $520,000. During its history the Columbia Branch has been owned, leased and operated by many railroad companies including: The Boone County & Jefferson City Railroad; The North Missouri Railroad; The St. Louis, Kansas City & Northern Railroad; The Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific Railroad; The Wabash Western Railway; The Boone County & Boonville Railway; The Columbia & St. Louis Railroad;The Wabash Railroad; The Norfolk & Western Railroad; The Norfolk Southern Railroad; and currently, the Columbia Terminal Railroad (COLT).