From the multi-island platform passenger station at New Haven (MP 72.3), where passenger trains headed for the Springfield line switch from electric to diesel haulage (and those for Boston did until 2000), with both Amtrak and Metro-North shops on the southeast side of the line, the three-track, CTC, line, with speed limit 15 mph for passenger trains and 10 mph for freights, continues past MP 72.5, where the speed limit for passenger trains also falls to 10 mph, crossovers at Fair Street (MP 72.7), the Division Post (MP 72.8), where Metro-North ownership ends and Amtrak ownership starts, and the junction at Mill River (MP 73.6/0.0), where the double track, CTC, overhead electrified Boston line turns sharply south and the double track, CTC, Springfield line continues northeast, with speed limit 60/30, past the south end of Cedar Hill Yard, where there is still a steam era concrete coaling tower standing, turning just east of due north past MP 3, where the freight speed limit rises to 50 mph, the road crossing at Winchesters (MP 5.1), the road crossing at Sackett Point Road (MP 5.8), and the road crossing at Stiles Lane (MP 6.3), to North Haven (MP 6.4), and northeast again past the road crossing at Devine Street (MP 6.5) to the junction at Cedar (MP 7.0), where the connection from the north end of Cedar Hill Yard trails in and the line reduces to single track, CTC, with speed limit 80/40.
The line turns just east of due north, as it heads north in a mix of small farms and decaying urban fabric, past MP 9, where the freight speed limit rises to 50 mph, the road crossing at Toelles Road (MP 10.6), the road crossing at Ward Street (MP 12.3), the passenger station at Wallingford (MP 12.6), the road crossing at Quinnipiac Street (MP 12.6), the road crossing at Hall Avenue (MP 12.7), the road crossing at Parker Street (MP 13.1), the road crossing at Horsford Street (MP 13.3), CP-Wall (MP 13.3), where there is a yard lead and an erstwhile New Haven branch once trailed in on the west side, the road crossing at North Plains Highway (MP 13.8), the road crossing at Pent Highway (MP 14.5), Holt (MP 17.1), where double track, CTC, resumes, with speed limit 60/30, MP 18, where the speed limit drops to 25 mph, the road crossing at Cooper Street (MP 18.3), the road crossing at Cherry Street (MP 18.4), the road crossing at South Colony Street (MP 18.5), the road crossing at East Main Street (MP 18.6), and the passenger station at Meriden (MP 18.6).
There is a road crossing at Brook Street (MP 18.8), a road crossing at Cross Street (MP 19.0), a road crossing at Britannia Street (MP 19.4), and the road crossing at North Colony Street (MP 19.5), where the speed limits rise to 80/40 and an erstwhile New Haven freight line once crossed on the flat, Quarry (MP 20.6), where single track, CTC, begins again, with speed limits 60/50, Berlin (MP 25.9), where an erstwhile New Haven line from Middletown once trailed in on the east side and the B&M Berlin Secondary Track heads away on the west side for Waterbury, Newington, MP 29.4, where the freight speed limit drops to 30 mph, New (MP 31.1), where another erstwhile New Haven line once trailed in on the west side, the line turns northeast, and double track, CTC, resumes, Wood (MP 33.4), where single track, CTC, begins again, the road crossing at Oakwood Avenue (MP 33.6), the road crossing at Flatbush Avenue (MP 33.9), the road crossing at Hamilton Street (MP 35.0), MP 36, where the speed limits drop to 20/10, the road crossing at Flower Street (MP 36.2), a line from Griffins trailing in on the northwest side, and the passenger station at Hartford (MP 36.6), the state capital, which has spruced-up government buildings, but factories in the area look as run-down as those in other such towns.