Waterloo Spur History

Waterloo Junction Railway

The Waterloo Junction Railway was proposed in the 1880s to connect Waterloo to the prosperous communities of St. Jacobs, Elmira and Drayton. By the time the railway was complete in 1891, it terminated at Elmira and had been wholly absorbed by the Grand Trunk Railway.

Grand Trunk Railway

The Grand Trunk Railway was originally conceived to operate from Halifax to Sarnia. The Grand Trunk arrived in the area when the first train pulled into Berlin (later Kitchener) in 1856. By the mid-1880s a spur line was extended to Waterloo, terminating near King Street.  The former station on Regina Street (pictured above) was built in 1910 to replace the first building. At its peak, the station saw nine trains a day, six passenger and three freight. The Grand Trunk network was rolled into the Canadian National Railway in 1923 as a means to preserve the many nearly-bankrupt and bankrupt railways in Canada.

Canadian National Railway

The Canadian National Railway absorbed the Grand Trunk Railway in 1923. It maintained and operated the Waterloo Subdivision, later named the Waterloo Spur of the Guelph Subdivision, until the 1990s when it applied to abandon the line. A group of local investors purchased the line to operate a for-profit tourist train operation. CN maintained the freight contract to service local industries. CN contracted the freight service to the Goderich and Exeter Railway. CN continues to maintain the track under contract with the Region of Waterloo.

Canadian Pacific Railway

The Canadian Pacific Railway, operating at the Grand River Railway, connected with the Waterloo Spur just north of Erb Street, about where the current Waterloo Central Railway station is located. The Canadian Pacific Railway pulled out of Waterloo in the 1990s. The road bed has been replaced by the Iron Horse Trail/TransCanada Trail.

Waterloo-St. Jacobs Railway

Waterloo-St. Jacobs Railway  Company Limited Act was passed June 24, 1993. The Waterloo-St. Jacobs Railway began operations as a for profit railway on July 12, 1997. The Waterl00 St. Jacobs railway ceased operations in 2000. The City of Waterloo acquired the station in 2000 with the railway folded. The Waterloo Central Railway rents space in the station from the City.

Region of Waterloo

The Region of Waterloo acquired the Waterloo Spur from the defunct Waterloo-St. Jacobs Railway in 2001. The Region maintains the spur to preserve a transportation corridor north from Kitchener to Elmira. Freight traffic is contracted to the Goderich and Exeter Railway. Track maintenance is handled by the Region of Waterloo and most maintenance is done under contract by the Canadian National Railway.