Norwich and Worcester has demonstrated the ability to provide even minimal service to eastern Connecticut." The USRA found the arguments of the Providence and Worcester and its supporters that it was in a better position to take over the line on account of its years of profitable operations persuasive, and transferred it to the railroad later that year. The remaining of the N&W went to Conrail, but the Providence and Worcester was not satisfied with its share of the line and sought to acquire the rest of the line from the newly formed railroad. Conrail initially was unprofitable, and in 1976 the Providence and Worcester approached the company with an offer to buy its 27-mile line between Plainfield and Groton. Conrail was unwilling to give up the line, which was one of its most profitable in the state, leading the Connecticut Department of Transportation to request that the federal government order the line transferred that year. The following year, Conrail was forced to sell the line, due to the law that established the company requiring it to sell lines to any private companies offering a fair price. Despite this, Conrail continued to operate the line while debate continued between the two railroads over what constituted a 'fair price' – Conrail wanted over $3 million, while the Providence and Worcester offered under $1 million. Finally, on May 20, 1980, a federal court announced it was ordering Conrail to sell the line to the P&W for $1.75 million, which the three justices on the court decided was a fair price. 1980s As P&W expanded its network, the company gave heavy attention to maintenance of way, spending significant funds to improve the condition of lines it purchased, many of which had long suffered from deferred maintenance by previous owners. Both the states served by P&W and the federal government contributed funding to support repairs. Further expansion came in 1982, when the Providence and Worcester acquired all of Conrail's lines in Rhode Island, along with some in Connecticut. While P&W wanted all of Conrail's lines in Southern New England, it had to compete with the Boston & Maine, at the time in the sights of newly formed Guilford Transportation Industries, which bought significant portions of Conrail's network in Connecticut. The Providence and Worcester objected to allowing Guilford to form a major railroad network in New England, to no avail. The P&W also purchased two