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Rails-with-Trails: Safe, Common and Growing
1916: 275,000 miles active railway
Rail-trail history in U.S.
Today: 138,000 miles active
York Heritage Trail, PA
20,000+ miles of open rail-trails
Cedar Lake Trail Minnesota
RWT = shared-use path on or directly adjacent to active rail corridor
Schuylkill River Trail Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
M Path Miami, Florida
Metropolitan Branch Trail Washington, D.C.
Rails-with-Trails
Springwater Corridor, Oregon
2013 Rail-with-Trail Report
• PA DCNR funded
• National scope
• 88 Trail managers from 33 states participated
• Tool for trail managers and advocates
Cotton Belt Trail, Texas
• 217 trails (nearly 10% of rail-trails)
• 2,221 miles (39% parallel to rail)
• 42 states
Rails-with-Trails are Common
Rails-with-Trails are Growing
60+ rails-with-trails in development
Five Star Trail, PA
Traction Line Recreation Trail, New Jersey
Rails-with-Trails are Safe
Two known fatalities involving trail user & train on RWT: South Bay Trail in Bellingham, WA (2008); Santa Fe Rail-Trail, New Mexico (2014)
Green Bush Link Wisconsin
Crossings
*Multiple crossing types were reported for some trails
North Coast Inland Trail, Ohio
Separation (Barriers)
*Several trails reported multiple barrier types
MLK Promenade San Diego, California
Setback
Charlotte Trolley Trail North Carolina
Watts Tower Greenway California
San Clemente Beach Trail California
*Multiple types of service exist along many RWTs
Legal issues: Ownership
Policies & Encouragement
• Recreational use statutes (VA, ME)
• State agency policies (MassDOT; NJDOT)
• Design standards (SEDA-COG, PA)
Eastern Promenade Trail Maine
What Next?
• Convene advocates, agencies & railroads
• RTC research agenda – Trespassing
– Access to transit
• Share YOUR lessons learned
Cedar Lake Trail Minnesota
Great Allegheny Passage
Great Allegheny Passage Pennsylvania and Maryland
