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The Kissing Bridge Trailway runs along former railway land that stretches over 124 km between Guelph and Goderich. The Kissing Bridge Trail makes up 45 km of the eastern stretch of the rail line. The western stretch, which starts in Goderich, is also a recreational trail.
Canadian Pacific was given permission by the Province of Ontario to abandon the railway in 1988, and the province purchased the land. The Kissing Bridge Trailway was established in 1998, when the County of Wellington and the Regional Municipality of Waterloo jointly leased part of the line from the Province of Ontario for use as a recreational trail.
From railway to trailway
Given our reliance on cars and other transportation, it's surprising to think that railways ran through many small communities in Southern Ontario, including:
- Teeswater
- Kincardine
- Palmerston
- Wingham
- Mount Forest
- Port Elgin
- Durham
A number of the main rail lines in southern Ontario were established by the 1860s. The 1920s was the peak of the rail lines, when they criss-crossed all of southern Ontario.