RTC TrailBlog : railroad

Notice: Upcoming Railroad Abandonment in Franklin and Hardin counties, and in Wright County, Iowa

Jake Lynch — Wed, 22 May 2013 14:30:00 GMT

RECEIVE RAILROAD ABANDONMENT NOTICES FOR YOUR STATE VIA E-MAIL

On May 16, 2013, North Central Railway Association filed for the abandonment of 10.46 miles of track between Geneva and Ackley within Franklin and Hardin counties in Iowa (Google Maps image, right).

And on May 15, 2013, Union Pacific Railroad Company filed for the abandonment of 0.5 mile of track just north of the city of Belmond within Wright County, Iowa. The corridor is adjacent to the existing Franklin Grove Heritage Trail.

We are providing this information because it presents an opportunity to develop multi-use trails that can accommodate hikers, bikers, equestrians and other appropriate uses.

NEXT STEPS: If either of these corridors are suitable for trail use, we strongly urge local trail advocates, or an appropriate local, regional or state agency or organization, to take action now. A "boiler plate" letter (found here) can be filed with the Surface Transportation Board (STB) and the abandoning railroad using STB docket number AB-586 (sub-no. 3x), for the corridor in Franklin and Hardin counties. For the corridor in Wright County, use STP docket number AB-33 (sub-no. 292x).

Filing this letter does not commit its authors to acquire the corridor; it merely gives time to develop a rail-trail proposal and undertake negotiations with the railroad. According to the information we have received, the deadline for filing this letter is June 30, 2013. Even if this deadline is missed, there is probably still time to contact the relevant parties, since the railroad may have experienced a delay in filing all of the paperwork, or the STB may still have jurisdiction over the corridor. However, it is important to take prompt action. The STB posts all abandonment decisions and filings on its Web site, including the complete filing for this corridor. More information on the rail corridor, including a map, can be found in this filing.

The STB has imposed a $200 filing fee for all railbanking requests. Entities filing a railbanking request may request a fee waiver or reduction, and government agencies will receive an automatic fee waiver. Throughout the process, make sure local government officials and citizen activists are kept informed of the project's progress. We also recommend contacting your state trails coordinator or your state bicycle/pedestrian coordinator.

Both of these individuals are knowledgeable about state laws and resources and may be able to assist your community with this rail-trail project. Also, you may want to contact the abandoning railroad to add your name to their service list.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES AVAILABLE: RTC's Web site may provide valuable tools as you plan for a rail-trail, including how-to manuals, the Trail-Building Toolbox, our Publications Library and the Trails & Greenways Listserv for trail advocates and professionals. These resources can be found within the "Trail-Building" section of our Web site. If you take advantage of this information and other resources promptly, you will be well on your way to creating a successful rail-trail in your community. For more information, or if you decide to pursue railbanking, please contact Kelly Pack at kellyp@railstotrails.org.

Notice: Upcoming Railroad Abandonment in Fayette, Henry, and Wayne Counties, Indiana

Jake Lynch — Thu, 02 May 2013 18:00:00 GMT

RECEIVE RAILROAD ABANDONMENT NOTICES FOR YOUR STATE VIA E-MAIL

On or about April 26, 2013, Norfolk Southern Railway Company filed for the abandonment of a total of 1.49 miles of disconnected track in Fayette, Henry, and Wayne Counties, Indiana. We are providing this information because it presents an opportunity to develop a real regional asset: a multi-use trail that can accommodate hikers, bikers, equestrians and other appropriate uses.

NEXT STEPS: If this corridor is suitable for trail use, we strongly urge local trail advocates, or an appropriate local, regional or state agency or organization, to take action now. A "boiler plate" letter (found here) can be filed with the Surface Transportation Board (STB) and the abandoning railroad using STB docket number AB-290 (sub-no. 326x). Filing this letter does not commit its authors to acquire the corridor; it merely gives time to develop a rail-trail proposal and undertake negotiations with the railroad. According to the information we have received, the deadline for filing this letter is June 10, 2013. Even if this deadline is missed, there is probably still time to contact the relevant parties, since the railroad may have experienced a delay in filing all of the paperwork, or the STB may still have jurisdiction over the corridor. However, it is important to take prompt action. The STB posts all abandonment decisions and filings on its Web site, including the complete filing for this corridor. More information on the rail corridor, including a map, can be found in this filing, or view a clearer version of the map here.

Rail-with-Trail: Tracks and Trails Can Share the Corridor

Kelly Pack (RTC) — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 15:24:00 GMT

As more communities seek to accommodate both active and rail transportation, rail-with-trail has become an increasingly popular concept. Many successful examples of rails-with-trails exist in North America, but it's not uncommon for local leaders and railroad companies to be apprehensive about developing multi-use paths within active railroad rights-of-way (ROW).

However, mounting evidence supports the claim that trails and trains can coexist, and more rail-with-trail projects are in development across the United States and Canada. At RTC, we are often contacted by local and state groups that want to know how to advocate for rails-with-trails in existing and planned railroad ROW. Through this exchange, we have a growing collection of resources that can help build the case for rail-with-trail. For a summary of rail-with-trail issues and a comprehensive list of studies, reports and photos, visit the rail-with-trail section of our Trail-Building Toolbox. Also, be sure to check out RTC's newest publication, California Rails-with-Trails: A Survey of Trails Along Active Rail Lines. There are also numerous resources available elsewhere online:

Photo Collections

Trails with Rails - John Luton's Flickr site: Luton is a councillor for the city of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada, and executive director of the Capital Bike and Walk Society. His impressive collection of rail-with-trail photos provides a glimpse of the newly developed E&N Rail Trail (named for the Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway) as well as examples from other jurisdictions.
Capital Bike and Walk Society - Rails-with-Trails Photo Gallery: John Luton's photos can also be found in this photo gallery, which includes images from Nanaimo, Seattle and Portland.
American Trails - Cool Trail Solutions, Rails-with-Trails: This gallery includes photos from rails-with-trails in California, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Oregon and Wisconsin.
Schuylkill River Park Alliance - Trail Crossings Photo Gallery: Between 2003 and 2007, the Schuylkill River Park Alliance (formerly Free the River Park) successfully campaigned to provide better access to the Schuylkill River Park Trail by urging the city of Philadelphia and CSX Transportation to allow safe street-level crossings and develop a connector bridge between the trail and the "original" Schuylkill River Park. Their collection of photos illustrates dozens of safe trail and rail crossings.

Statewide Rail-with-Trail Advocacy Efforts

The Virginia Bicycling Federation has garnered support from dozens of national and state organizations requesting a formal endorsement from Virginia Governor Timothy Kaine to support rails-with-trails along all major rail projects in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Read more about their effort to implement innovative rail-with-trail policy at the state level.

New Rail-with-Trail Projects

Capital Metro Transportation Authority of Austin, Texas, includes rails-with-trails in the long-range transit plan and completed a feasibility study in 2007 that illustrates how multi-use trails will be developed and integrated with transit development.
The Metropolitan Branch Trail in Washington, D.C., includes a segment that is directly adjacent to a large railroad ROW used by CSX Transportation, Amtrak, MARC commuter trains and Washington Metro Red Line.
Railroad Park, a proposed 20-acre multi-facility park in Birmingham, Ala., includes rail-with-trail.
The city of Kelowna in British Columbia, Canada, recently completed the first phase of a proposed 20-kilometer rail-with-trail project.

Photo of Cedar Lake Regional Trail in Minnesota by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy.