The company initially envisioned a continuation south to Portland, Connecticut, though this was decided against before the start of construction.

The New Haven was unhappy with the Connecticut Central building a directly competing route, and took measures to sabotage funding for its competitor.

In 1874, its charter was modified to authorize it to meet the Connecticut Central at the state line, and the name changed to the Springfield and New London Railroad.

Known as the Westway Branch, for the neighborhood in Rockville where it ended, construction began in 1875, and it opened not long after the main line did.

[3] Now cut off from Springfield, the Connecticut Central filed a petition with the Massachusetts state railroad commission asking for the Springfield and New London to either be required to haul Connecticut Central trains north of the state line, or to grant it trackage rights so it could operate its own trains in Massachusetts.

[1] In 1887, the NY&NE formally purchased the Connecticut Central, along with the Springfield and New London, ending the existence of both.

[1] Conrail spun off the northern portion of the Connecticut Central line to the Boston and Maine Railroad in 1982.

The four miles from East Hartford to South Windsor were all that remained of the Connecticut Central until 1996, when the state of Connecticut, dissatisfied with the progressive abandonments of the line, purchased the right-of-way between East Windsor and the Massachusetts state line in Enfield.

This was completed in 2001, but at the time no customers could be found, and as a result the line was placed out of service, awaiting interest from local shippers.