[1] On April 4, 1911, the company was federally incorporated to construct an interurban railway linking Welland with Niagara Falls, Fort Erie, Port Colborne, and Port Dover, as well as to operate ferries across the Niagara River.
Had such a network been built, it would have been in direct competition with the established Niagara, St. Catharines and Toronto Railway.
The first spike for the railway was driven by Welland mayor George Sutherland on October 4, 1911,[2] and service began March 22, 1912.
The distance travelled was so short that the majority of people preferred to walk, and service was cut back to the original line on the east side of the canal.
In its peak year of 1917, the line carried over 693,000 passengers and earned profits in excess of $16,000.