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| From C & O Canal, Photo by: George Randy Bass |
A rail trail is the conversion of an abandoned railway easement into a multi-use path, designed for pedestrian, bicycle, skating and equestrian traffic. Most rail lines were designed for ease of transport and generally have less than 2% grade. Therefore, the rail trails that succeeded them are fairly straight and with minimal grades. Both are important factors that help to encourage the very young, the elderly, the physically challenged, and the novice exerciser to participate in an assortment of activities.
Rail trail conversions can be complex for 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.
Railroad property rights have often been poorly defined and sporadically enforced, with neighboring property owners intentionally or accidentally using land they do not own. Many of these people 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.
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.
The number of rail trails has grown over the past few years. Many more abandoned trails have not been converted due to community opposition. Key factors in the successful conversion of abandoned rail trails include the experience of local organizations and local government willingness to support.
The first abandoned rail corridor in the United States converted into a recreational trail was the Elroy-Sparta State Trail in Wisconsin, which opened in 1965. The longest developed rail trail is currently the 225-mile Katy Trail in Missouri; when complete, the Cowboy Trail in Nebraska will extend for 321 miles.
The conversion of rails to trails grew with the federal government passing legislation promoting the use of railbanking for abandoned railroad corridors. Railbanking is a federal law administered by the Surface Transportation Board (STB). It allows public agencies to acquire railroad right-of-ways from an operating railroad and, “bank,” it until future rail use is applied for at the STB. The purchasing agency has all the property rights held by the railroad including easements for rail use. If the line is not officially abandoned, the trail can be preserved.
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