diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 98445fe6..dc502355 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -5,7 +5,9 @@ these changes are prefixed with "**BREAKING**"
 
 ## [Unreleased][unreleased]
 
-(no unreleased changes)
+### Fixed
+
+* `delphin.tsdb.open()` does not use universal newlines ([#285])
 
 
 ## [v1.2.3]
@@ -1358,3 +1360,4 @@ information about changes, except for
 [#281]: https://github.com/delph-in/pydelphin/issues/281
 [#282]: https://github.com/delph-in/pydelphin/issues/282
 [#283]: https://github.com/delph-in/pydelphin/issues/283
+[#285]: https://github.com/delph-in/pydelphin/issues/285
diff --git a/delphin/tsdb.py b/delphin/tsdb.py
index 33201859..a5adf95b 100644
--- a/delphin/tsdb.py
+++ b/delphin/tsdb.py
@@ -766,9 +766,9 @@ def open(dir: util.PathLike,
     """
     path = get_path(dir, name)
     if path.suffix.lower() == '.gz':
-        return gzopen(path, mode='rt', encoding=encoding)
+        return gzopen(path, mode='rt', encoding=encoding, newline='\n')
     else:
-        return path.open(encoding=encoding)
+        return path.open(encoding=encoding, newline='\n')
 
 
 def write(dir: util.PathLike,
diff --git a/tests/tsdb_test.py b/tests/tsdb_test.py
index 9f20c36d..ec31d2f1 100644
--- a/tests/tsdb_test.py
+++ b/tests/tsdb_test.py
@@ -265,6 +265,16 @@ def test_write(single_item_skeleton):
     assert path.with_suffix('').exists()
 
 
+def test_issue_285(empty_testsuite):
+    fields = tsdb.read_schema(empty_testsuite)['item']
+    tsdb.write(empty_testsuite, 'item', [(0, 'The cat meows.\r')], fields)
+    fh = tsdb.open(empty_testsuite, 'item')
+    assert not fh.closed
+    with fh:
+        assert list(fh) == ['0@The cat meows.\r\n']
+    assert fh.closed
+
+
 def test_write_database(tmp_path, mini_testsuite, empty_alt_testsuite):
     tmp_ts = tmp_path.joinpath('test_write_database')
     db = tsdb.Database(mini_testsuite)