It runs northward from the former Grand Trunk Railway (GTR) North Main Line in downtown Kitchener, through Waterloo and St. Jacobs before terminating in Elmira.

The mainline to Elmira opened on 27 October 1891,[1] and the Grand Trunk Railway (GTR) leased the line for 39 years.

CN continued freight operations on the line until 1998, when they leased the entire subdivision to the Goderich–Exeter Railway (GEXR).

In 2007, the Southern Ontario Locomotive Restoration Society relocated to the region and formed the Waterloo Central Railway running tourist trains on the line between the station and the Market, and later expanded to Elmira.

Almost all of the original line remains active, except for a spur to Elias Weber Bingeman Snider's Pioneer flour mill in what is now Uptown Waterloo, as well as grain silos in downtown St. Jacobs.

At University Avenue it begins to turn northward, passing through the industrial areas on the north end of the city.

After crossing Benjamin Road on the northern limit of Waterloo it meets the St. Jacobs Market with a stop at the former Heidelberg station.

The line continues roughly northward to enter Elmira on the eastern side of town through an industrial area.