East Providence Branch

The branch begins in Valley Falls, Rhode Island, just south of Valley Falls Yard. It briefly enters Massachusetts in the southwestern corner of South Attleboro, crossing over Interstate 95, before reentering Rhode Island in Pawtucket after crossing over the Northeast Corridor. The line then parallels the George Bennett Highway for several miles, traveling southward in a nearly straight line. The branch continues past the terminus of the highway and enters East Providence, following the east bank of the Seekonk River and crossing the mouth of the Ten Mile River on the Omega Pond Railroad Bridge. Beyond the bridge, the branch curves eastward and connects to the East Junction Branch, via a new track built by the Providence and Worcester Railroad in 2006. The original route, now abandoned, continues along the Seekonk River, passing under the Henderson Bridge, past the approaches to the disused Crook Point Bascule Bridge, and then beneath the Washington Bridge which carries Interstate 195. The right-of-way ends at the Wilkesbarre Pier by Bold Point. == History ==

Design and construction Initial surveys for a potential branch of the Providence and Worcester Railroad (P&W) to East Providence were completed in December 1867, by prominent Providence civil engineer S. B. Cushing. Cushing subsequently conducted further surveys, though the ultimately chosen route was very similar to that of the first survey. The branch included a trio of bridges; from north to south, a high stone arch bridge over Abbott Run (a Seekonk River tributary), a high bridge crossing the Boston and Providence Railroad (B&P) line to Providence—this height was chosen to allow brakemen on top of B&P trains to safely pass under the bridge—and the high and long Omega Pond Bridge. The first revenue train, a unit train of coal from the docks at India Point, traveled over the branch on September 7, 1874, though final construction, including ballasting, continued. The line was substantially completed in October 1874, with coal trains beginning regular use of the branch the following month. In the spring of 1875, the branch was fully opened to other freight traffic. Residual work on the branch continued until 1878. Use Following the New York, Providence and Boston Railroad's (commonly referred to as the Stonington Line) 1889 lease of the Providence and Worcester Railroad, and the Old Colony Railroad's takeover of both the Boston and Providence and the Providence, Warren and Bristol, the two new operators in the area of the branch came into a dispute about the status of the southern portion of the branch. The Old Colony's president stated the company was happy to allow the Stonington Line to use the southern portion of the branch under the same lease situation as before, but only with a guarantee that the latter would not allow the Old Colony's competition (chiefly the New York and New England Railroad, which connected to Valley Falls) to make use of the branch. In response, the Stonington attempted to use the P&W's charter authority from 1870 to build a new alignment to Wilkesbarre Pier, over Old Colony land, claiming the P&W had technically not built that part of the branch yet. The Old Colony took the Stonington to court, arguing the scheme violated the P&W charter and would disrupt the Old Colony's facilities in the area. This was done in part to potentially allow for passenger trains between Woonsocket and Bristol to avoid congestion in Providence entirely, using the East Providence Branch to reach the Providence, Warren and Bristol Railroad, by now also a New Haven subsidiary. The bankrupt New Haven Railroad was merged into the Penn Central Transportation Company at the end of 1968. Penn Central assumed operations of the P&W, including the East Providence Branch, as ordered by the Interstate Commerce Commission. The P&W still existed as a company, and convinced the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) that it should be allowed to separate from the Penn Central merger; several years of legal battles ended with a court order in P&W's favor in December 1972. On February 3, 1973, the East Providence Branch and the rest of the P&W system returned to P&W operation. The Rhode Island Department of Transportation purchased the entire line in 1982 in order to build the Pawtucket Industrial Highway adjacent to the active tracks. == Operations ==

Shippers located along the branch are served by a local freight train on Tuesdays and Thursdays, based out of Valley Falls Yard, just north of the branch's connection to the P&W mainline. This train continues to the East Junction Branch to serve customers as needed. Most of the grade crossings on the line are protected only by traffic lights, without the flashing lights, bells, and gates typical of grade crossings. P&W and the Rhode Island Department of Transportation have both identified this as a safety hazard. The city of Pawtucket worked with the railroad to rehabilitate grade crossings along the branch in 2024, following years of complaints about vehicle damage at crossings. The branch is single-track and maintained to Class I standards (a maximum speed of . == Station listing ==