[1] For its whole length, the trail runs parallel and to the north of the CN Waterloo Spur, stopping just short of where the Waterloo Spur joins the GO Transit Guelph Subdivision mainline at a junction just east of Kitchener station.

The Spurline Trail was established in 2016 through cooperation between regional and municipal governments, as well as Metrolinx, to formalize the existing, informal dirt trail running next to the Waterloo Spur, and to provide infrastructure upgrades such as lighting and a paved surface.

In 2019, the City of Waterloo approved an additional trail improvement: a refuge island to be constructed in the middle of Union Street, in order to improve safety at the trail crossing point.

[2] With a full reconstruction of Union Street looming, city staff proposed further improvements at the crossing in early 2021.

This would create a new secondary route making it easier for trail users to cross at the signalized intersection as an alternative to using the refuge island.