Imagine a day when you can hop on a bike in Pittsburgh, and, depending on your legs, ride motor-free to Chicago, Harrisburg, or Washington DC. Sound far-fetched? That day may actually come sooner than you think.

The Rails to Trails Conservancy, a nonprofit organization, has been working since 1986 to create a nationwide network of public trails from former rail lines. Currently, they have helped preserve nearly 11,000 miles of abandoned rail lines, and converted them into 1,027 trails across 49 states. They are currently working to develop another 18,000 miles of trails.  Pennsylvania leads the nation in rail-trail development, opening its 100th trail in June 1999, the first state to reach this remarkable plateau.

Rail-Trails are paths created from abandoned railroad corridors. Flat, or following a gentle grade, they traverse urban, suburban and rural America. They are ideal for many varied recreation uses such as bicycling, walking, running, skating, cross-country skiing, horseback riding, and wheelchair recreation.

These Rail-Trails, in addition to being excellent recreation opportunities generate significant economic benefit to communities through which the trails run. In recent studies, it was estimated that as much as $1.25 million can be generated annually for the towns through which a trail passes.

Rail-trails bring historic structures, such as train stations, bridges, tunnels, mills, factories and canals back to life for all to enjoy. These structures preserve an important piece of history and enhance the trail experience.

It is a complex process to convert a railroad corridor into a recreation trail. After all possibilities for continued rail service have been exhausted, a rail corridor may be declared abandoned. If a rail line is declared truly abandoned, the corridor will likely not be kept intact as many different people and organizations may hold claim to the land. In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s when the United States had the most extensive railroad transportation network in the world, over 300,000 miles of track spanned the nation – a network six times larger than today’s interstate highway system! To accomplish this, land was either purchased or leased from individuals, states, communities, and the federal government. As the railroads continue to diminish, more than 2,000 miles of track every year are no longer used by the railroad industry, and, if abandoned, are ‘up for grabs’ by these former landowners.

Based on a law passed in 1983, rails that are being abandoned can be ‘railbanked’ or set aside for future use while being used as trails in the interim. This law essentially preempts rail corridor abandonment, keeping the corridors intact for trail use.

Once a trail has been ‘railbanked’, the process of conversion to trails can begin. This usually involves the railroad pulling up the old track and ties for salvage, the old rail bed is re-graded, and then a surface covering of crushed limestone, gravel, woodchips, or asphalt is applied. Bridges and tunnels are renovated to ensure safety. The cost to convert a trail (mostly in resurfacing) can run between $10,000-$40,000 per mile, which is significantly cheaper than other forms of recreation (e.g. playgrounds). These trails are then managed by local organizations, usually staffed by volunteers, and have been used by over 100 million people each year!