First Welland Canal was let into the Feeder and Welland Canals in November 1829. As with other locations in the peninsula, shantytowns sprung up along the Feeder Canal. These later developed into places like Dunnville, Wainfleet and Welland, among others. The Welland Canal was officially opened on November 30, 1829, exactly five years after the first turning of the sod. Two schooners, "Annie and Jane" from York, Upper Canada and "R.H. Broughton" from Youngstown, New York, left Port Dalhousie on Lake Ontario and arrived in Buffalo on the eastern end of Lake Erie two days later. "Annie and Jane" returned to Lake Ontario
Welland Canal, Bridge 15 combined with the fact that the narrow, curving section of canal through Welland had no less than a total of six bridge crossings in just a few miles, led to the decision to inaugurate the Welland Canal Relocation Project. With the first sod turned in 1967, this project would relocate the canal to a much straighter alignment with no bridges about 2 km east of bridge 15. This route of the new canal would sever the CASO line. As part of the relocation project, this line, as well and the Canadian National Cayuga Subdivision, were rerouted through the new Townline