BIGpedia - Rail Trail - Encyclopedia and Dictionary Online

Rail trails are created when abandoned railway rights-of-way are converted to paths designed for foot, bicycle, equestrian or light motorized traffic. Most are multiuse trails offering at least pedestrians and cyclists recreational access to the routes.

Contents

1 History

2 Conversion issues

3 Typical features

4 Notable rail trail networks

5 Other external links

History

In North America, the decades-long steady decline in rail traffic (often replaced by transport trucks) led to the closure of a number of now-uneconomical branch lines in the 1960s. Some were maintained as short line railways, but many others were simply abandoned.

Beginning with a few lines in the American Midwest, these disused industrial relics were turned into ecological areas functioning as linear parks or community space, but mainly as transportation or recreation corridors for walking, hiking, bicycling, horse riding, birdwatching, etc.

By the 1970s, even trunk lines were being sold or abandoned. This was especially true when regional rail lines merged and streamlined their operations. As both the supply of potential trails increased and awareness of the possibilities rose, state governments, municipalities, conservation authorities and private organizations bought the rail corridors to create, expand or link greenspaces.

Gradually, the movement acquired the name "rail trails" and created organizations to promote its ideas. Currently, there are tens of thousands of kilometres (miles) and thousands of rail trails in the United States, Canada, Britain, Australia and many other countries. The main factor reducing the potential scope of the movement is the greater use of rail transit in continental Europe, although even there abandoned canal towpaths are more readily available and used for similar purposes.

Conversion issues

Rail trail conversions can be quite complex for a variety of legal, social and economic reasons. Railroads in North America were often built with a mix of purchased land, government land grants and easements. The land deeds can be over a hundred years old, land grants might be conditional upon continuous operation of the line and easements may have expired, all expensive and difficult issues to determine at law.

Railroad property rights have typically been poorly enforced, with neighboring property owners intentionally or accidentally using land they do not own. Such encroachers often later oppose a rail to trail conversion. Even residents who are not encroaching on railway lands may oppose conversion on the grounds of increased foot traffic in the area and its perceived decline of personal security.

Because linear corridors of land are only valuable if they are intact, special laws regulate the abandonment of a railroad corridor. In the United States, the Surface Transportation Board regulates railroads, and can allow a corridor to be 'rail banked' or placed on hold for possible conversion back to active status when or if future need demands. Regulates railroads, service abandonments, and ownership abandonments. Provides 90 day notice of pending abandonment to interested parties.

Many rail trails have been built, many more potential trails were squashed by community opposition. The stature of the conversion organization, the quality of involvement of the local community and government willingness are all keys factor in the successful acceptance of a trail.

Typical features

Most original rail lines were surveyed for ease of transport and gentle (often less than 2%) grades. Therefore, the rail trails that succeeded them are often fairly straight and ideally suited to overcome steep or awkward terrain such as hills, escarpments, rivers, swamps, etc. Rail trails often share space with linear utilities such as pipelines, electrical transmission wires and telephone lines.

Most purchase of railway land is dictated by the free market value of the land, so that land in urban and industrial cores is often impractical to purchase and convert. Therefore, rail trails may end on the fringes of urban areas or near industrial areas and resume later, as discontinuous portions of the same rail line, separated by unaffordable or inappropriate land.

Rail trails are usually about 9 to 27 metres (30 to 120 feet) wide. The are most often graded and covered in gravel or crushed stone, although some are paved with asphalt and others are left as dirt. Where rail bridges have been directly incorporated into the trail, the only alterations (if any) tend to be adding solid walking areas on top of ties or trestles. If paved, they are especially suitable for people in wheelchairs.

Where applicable, the same trails used in the summer for walking, jogging and inline skating can be used in the winter for Nordic skiing, snowshoeing and sometimes snowmobiling.