The Cayuga Lake Railroad started out building north out of Ithaca along the eastern banks of Cayuga Lake, eventually reaching the New York Central Railroad at Cayuga Junction by 1872. It was eventually extended from Cayuga Junction eastward to Auburn. The CLRR eventually came under the control of the Lehigh Valley Railroad.
Passenger service was discontinued on September 1, 1948. Here is a timetable of the route:
| MP | Station |
| 0.0 | Auburn |
| 2.9 | Half Acre |
| 4.5 | Oakwood |
| 6.0 | Crossroads |
| 7.6 | Cayuga Jct. |
| 9.8 | Union Springs |
| 11.6 | Farley's |
| 14.0 | Levenna |
| 16.6 | Aurora |
| 19.6 | Willets |
| 23.9 | King Ferry |
| 25.9 | Atwaters |
| 28.3 | Lake Ridge |
| 30.6 | Lansing |
| 34.8 | Ludlowville |
| 35.9 | Portland Point |
| 39.5 | McKinney's |
| 42.2 | Ithaca |
The line was abandoned in stages: Aurora to Ludlowville in 1950; Auburn to Cayuga Junction in 1969, and Cayuga Junction to Aurora in 1971. A portion of the line north from Ludlowville to Lake Ridge was rebuilt to serve the NYSE&G power plant there.
