East Junction Branch
| Industry | Rail transport |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | Boston and Providence Railroad |
| Founded | 1835 |
| Headquarters | Rhode Island and Massachusetts , United States |
| Products | Freight rail transport |
| Owner | Providence and Worcester Railroad (Rhode Island), Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (Massachusetts) |
The East Junction Branch—previously known as the India Point Branch—is a rail corridor spanning Rhode Island and Massachusetts, originally constructed by the Boston and Providence Railroad (B&P) in 1835. This line connects Attleboro, Massachusetts with East Providence, Rhode Island through Seekonk, Massachusetts. Initially, the route extended over the Seekonk River into Providence via the India Point Railroad Bridge, which was dismantled during the 1970s. At East Junction in Attleboro, it intersects with the Northeast Corridor and terminates at the East Providence Branch in East Providence. Freight operations are managed by CSX Transportation in Attleboro and by the Providence and Worcester Railroad (P&W) within East Providence and Seekonk. Ownership is divided between P&W in Rhode Island and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority in Massachusetts.
Originally serving as part of B&P’s main line between Boston and Providence, this route was reclassified as a branch following the opening of a new mainline westward from Attleboro in 1847 alongside the original Providence and Worcester Railroad. The short Seekonk Branch Railroad, branching off from East Junction Branch, was acquired by B&P and subsequently incorporated into the Providence, Warren and Bristol Railroad (inaugurated in 1855). The P&W completed its East Providence Branch in 1874, linking Valley Falls to East Providence.
The B&P became part of the Old Colony Railroad in 1888, which itself was absorbed by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad (New Haven) in 1893. The 1908 completion of the Crook Point Bascule Bridge and the East Side Railroad Tunnel provided a new rail approach into Providence. Passenger service on this branch ceased around 1914, although special trains continued to serve Narragansett Park until 1968.
Following New Haven’s integration into Penn Central in 1969, the India Point Bridge was decommissioned in 1974, truncating the branch at East Providence; the Crook Point Bridge closed two years later in 1976. Penn Central’s bankruptcy led to Conrail’s establishment in 1976; P&W assumed control of Rhode Island operations on this branch, while Conrail maintained service in Massachusetts. CSX succeeded Conrail in 1999; much of the Massachusetts portion fell out of use by 2001. In 2007, P&W restored some trackage in Seekonk to serve a new customer. Additionally, approximately half a mile of track within East Providence was abandoned in 2006.
History
The East Junction Branch began as a segment of the Boston and Providence Railroad (B&P) main line when it opened in 1835. To link Boston with Providence, B&P selected a direct southwest alignment from Mansfield, Massachusetts to Seekonk (now East Providence, Rhode Island). Initially, a ferry completed the final connection into Providence until a wooden drawbridge—the precursor to the India Point Railroad Bridge—was built to provide trains direct access to India Point. In 1837, the New York, Providence and Boston Railroad commenced operations alongside B&P in Providence; however, no direct track connection existed between them initially, so ferries facilitated passenger transfers between these lines.
After constructing the railroad bridge, B&P encountered disputes with the Seekonk Branch Railroad (chartered in 1836), which intended to operate its trains over B&P’s bridge into Providence as if it were a toll road. Citing safety concerns, B&P opposed this arrangement; Massachusetts authorities ruled that Seekonk Branch trains must be hauled by B&P locomotives when entering Providence. In 1839, B&P absorbed the Seekonk Branch Railroad.
The third railroad serving Providence—the Providence and Worcester Railroad (P&W)—opened in 1847. P&W and B&P cooperated on a joint line departing from Providence that split at Central Falls; from there, B&P constructed a new mainline extending to Attleboro. This newer route became B&P’s principal connection to Boston, relegating the original line into Providence to branch status as what is now known as the East Junction Branch. Passenger service largely ended except for trains connecting with steamboats at India Point.
The Providence, Warren and Bristol Railroad (PW&B), completed in 1855, connected with the East Junction Branch at Seekonk (currently East Providence). PW&B initially utilized trackage rights over the Seekonk River bridge to reach Providence. Although chartered to connect with B&P passenger trains at Seekonk for Boston-bound service, PW&B did not make use of this opportunity.
In 1874, P&W’s East Providence Branch joined with the East Junction Branch and followed PW&B’s right-of-way to Bold Point. Passenger service on the East Junction Branch resumed approximately around 1880.
Operations under Old Colony and New Haven
In 1888, the Old Colony Railroad leased the B&P line, renaming it the India Point Branch. Subsequently, in 1893, the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad took over the lease of Old Colony.
By 1903, passenger operations were limited to a single steam-powered baggage/passenger car running two round trips daily between East Providence and East Junction. Service stops were confined to Rumford and a flag stop at Perrin's. Ridership was extremely low, frequently registering zero passengers, with no ticket sales available in Providence; many local residents were unaware of this service. This minimal passenger operation primarily served to satisfy New Haven’s legal requirement to maintain passenger service on a route mainly utilized for freight transport.
The electrification of the Providence, Warren & Bristol line in 1900 facilitated the construction of a tunnel approximately one mile long beneath College Hill. This tunnel connected the East Bay area to Union Station and offered an alternative route to Boston. On November 15, 1908, the Crook Point Bascule Bridge, East Side Tunnel, and an elevated viaduct in downtown Providence were inaugurated, linking the East Junction Branch directly with downtown.
In 1912, New Haven secured permission to double-track the segment between East Providence and East Junction while eliminating multiple grade crossings. This project aimed to establish a continuous double track from East Junction to Crook Point Bridge. The $405,000 undertaking included relocating Rumford station roughly 500 feet eastward and constructing a bridge to separate grade crossings at Pawtucket Avenue (Rhode Island Route 114 / U.S. Route 1A). The double-tracking was finalized by November 1913.
By 1914, regular passenger service had ceased; however, special trains serving Narragansett Park continued from 1937 until the New Haven Railroad's closure in 1968.
After the New Haven
Following New Haven’s bankruptcy at the close of 1968, Penn Central assumed control, terminating all remaining passenger services on the line. On January 27, 1973, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) acquired ownership of the Massachusetts section despite no active passenger operations; freight rights remained with Penn Central. During Penn Central’s management, only local freight trains operated on portions of this branch. In 1976, operations on the Rhode Island segment were transferred to the independent Providence and Worcester Railroad, while Conrail inherited freight rights in Massachusetts.
By 1976, the India Point Railroad Bridge along with adjacent Providence trackage had been abandoned; its swing span was removed between 2001 and 2002, with complete dismantling finalized in 2023. The Crook Point Bascule Bridge ceased rail traffic usage in 1981 after acquisition by the Rhode Island Department of Transportation, effectively cutting off the last rail connection across the Seekonk River into Providence.
After acquiring Conrail’s operations, CSX took most of the Massachusetts portion out of service in 2001 except for a short 0.6-mile stretch in Attleboro that continued serving an active customer. The remainder had been inactive since Conrail suspended services during the 1980s. In 2006, remaining tracks of the Providence, Warren and Bristol Railroad were abandoned; by 2007, P&W discontinued about half a mile of the East Junction Branch in East Providence but constructed a new link connecting to the East Providence Branch. P&W operated solely on Rhode Island’s East Junction Branch until a metals customer located north of Newman Avenue in Seekonk requested resumed service in 2007, leading P&W to reactivate that segment. Although service from Seekonk to Attleboro remains inactive as of 2017, it has not been officially abandoned. The MBTA maintained a layover yard at East Junction for commuter trains until its closure in 2006.
Present-day operations
Local freight services operate on the P&W division, running out of Valley Falls Yard along the East Providence Branch. This branch features a single track and enforces a maximum speed limit of .
Defunct stations
No surviving stations have been documented.
| Location | Station | Milepost (km) | Image | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attleboro | East Junction | 0 (0) | Connection point with Boston and Providence main line | |
| Seekonk | Perrins | 2 (3.2) | Flag stop during New Haven Railroad era | |
| Daggets | 3.5 (5.6) | |||
| Pawtucket | Narragansett Park | 3.9 (6.3) | Located on a 0.4-mile (0.6-km) spur from the main branch | |
| Slater | 4 (6.4) | |||
| East Providence | Rumford | 5 (8.0) | ||
| Waterman Avenue | 6.7 (10.7) | Site of junction with the East Providence Branch; interlocking facility established here | ||
| East Providence | 7 (11.3) | Spans the Seekonk River at India Point; bridge relocated northward in 1908 coinciding with East Side Railroad Tunnel inauguration; junction with Providence, Warren and Bristol Railroad | ||
| Providence | India Point | 7.5 (12.1) |