From the flat crossing (15 mph on the crossing) between the north-south ex-Central Vermont and Massachusetts Central and the Conrail Boston Line, with a connector in the northeast quadrant, at Palmer (MP 64.8), which has a depot in the southeast corner of the junction of the New England Central (former Central Vermont) and Conrail lines, but is no longer a passenger stop, a 2,490 ft. siding, and a small yard adjacent to the line north, the single track, OCS, New England Central line heads north-northwest, with overall speed limit 55 mph for passenger trains and 40 mph for freight trains, but local restriction 35/30, past MP 67.4, where the speed restriction falls to 20/10, the junction with the Massachusetts Central line heading north, Three Rivers, where a Boston & Albany line once crossed on the flat and the line turns north, a south-facing spur for Three River Team (MP 67.6), MP 67.9 where speed limits rise to 50/40, a double-ended spur at the Barretts Runaround (MP 69.2), a north-facing spur for Northeast Theaters (MP 74.3), and the 1,564 ft. siding at Belchertown (MP 74.8), where the speed restriction is 35/25 and there is a south-facing spur for S&L.
The line turns curvily northwest, with speeds 50/40, past the dual-ended west track (MP 75.0), MP 76.8, where passenger speed falls to 45 mph, a north-facing spur for Universal Forest (MP 77.1), MP 80.4, where full line speeds take effect, South Amherst, where the line turns curvily north, a dual-ended spur at Amherst Middle (MP 84.4), MP 84.7 to MP 85.2, where speeds are restricted to 30 mph until the road crossings are occupied, the 3,620 ft. siding at Amherst (MP 85.3) with its college and state university, with speeds of 45/40 to MP 86.6, where full line speeds resume, a south-facing spur for the University of Massachusetts (MP 86.3), Cushman, a north-facing spur at Leverett (MP 90.3), Montague, where the line turns north-northeast, MP 89.5 to MP 90.0, where passenger trains are restricted to 40 mph, a turn north, MP 93.3 to MP 95.3, where passenger trains are restricted to 45 mph, a bridge above the former Boston & Maine, MP 98.1, where passenger speeds fall to 40 mph, a turn northeast, and a north-facing interconnection with the former Boston & Maine at Millers Falls (MP 99.8), where speeds are restricted to 25 mph (MP 99.6 to MP 100.0), and drops down into the Connecticut River Valley, on the east side of the river, heading curvily north past Northfield and a north-facing spur for Moody (MP 110.4) to East Northfield (MP 110.5), where the line bridges over the river and the former B&M line from Springfield (once the route of the Amtrak service) trails in on the west side (speeds 30/25 on the junction).