shortline railroads in Rhode Island between 1981 and 1982: the Moshassuck Valley Railroad and the Warwick Railway. In December 1987, the railroad's owner, Capital Properties Inc. of Providence, announced it was divesting the Providence and Worcester, with Capital's shareholders each getting 2 shares of the railroad's stock per share of Capital stock. 1990s The Providence and Worcester further expanded into Connecticut in 1993, when it purchased Conrail's line between Cedar Hill Yard in North Haven and Middletown. Between November 1993 and June 1994, the railroad improved the line in cooperation with the Connecticut Department of Transportation, replacing over 5,000 ties and of rail in a $650,000 project. After the project was complete, its speed limit increased from 10 to 25 miles per hour. The increased speed and frequency of trains concerned some residents along the line, who advocated for the installation of gates and lights at railroad crossings for safety. P&W ultimately bought the Middletown-based shortline Connecticut Central Railroad in 1998, adding a cluster of branch lines in that city to its network. In the mid-1990s, the railroad suffered a significant reduction in traffic when a number of its major customers closed or relocated. In response, the company focused on expanding interchange traffic with other railroads. The company reached an agreement in 1996 for trackage rights over the Northeast Corridor between New Haven and the New York and Atlantic Railway's Fresh Pond Junction yard in Queens, New York. The Providence and Worcester uses these trackage rights to haul stone between its connection with the Branford Steam Railroad and New York City. 21st century The Boston Surface Railroad was formed in 2014 with a goal of restoring passenger service on the P&W main line between Providence and Worcester, which was discontinued by the New Haven in 1960. If successful, Boston Surface would contract its train operations out to the Providence and Worcester. Plans for commuter service, with a stop in Woonsocket, were on hold as of 2019, with the Rhode Island Department of Transportation reporting that no substantial progress on launching train operations had been made. P&W formed an agreement with the New England Central Railroad in 2012 to move Canadian National Railway trains between Canada and southern New England. A similar agreement was signed in 2014 to move Canadian Pacific Railway freight, with Vermont Rail System joining along with NECR. This was made possible by the reopening of a mothballed