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g Healthier Communities
By Amy Kapp
Evolution
of the
Rail-Trail
Movement
result, thousands of miles of rail corridor
fell into disuse and could have been lost
forever. But through the hard work and
determination of a spontaneous army of
visionaries, hundreds of these corridors
were preserved as today’s rail-trails, pro-
viding a new type of mobility for millions
of people.
And this powerful story is far from
over. Today, individual rail-trails are
being joined into interconnected trail
networks that connect people and
places, just as the railroads once did. As
RTC celebrates 30 years in 2016, it is a
timely opportunity to look back on our
achievements as well as forward to the
emerging trail systems that are shaping
America’s future.
Birth of RTC and a New Golden Age
According to RTC Co-founder Peter
Harnik, the origins of the rail-trail move-
ment began not with a bang, but as an
intriguing idea that quietly took hold in
l
l
l
1986
1983
Congress
amends the
National
Trails System
Act to
create
railbanking.
I
n the early 1980s, Congress amended the National Trails System Act (1968) to create
railbanking, whereby disused rail corridors could be preserved for future use through
interim conversion into trails. The first application filed resulted in the 33-mile Sauk
Rail Trail in Iowa. In 1986, Missouri Gov. John Ashcroft filed a railbanking application
for what became the nationally renowned 238-mile Katy Trail.
The railbanking act received challenges regarding its constitutionality. In a 1996
ruling for the case
Preseault v. United States
, which concerned a tract of land in
Burlington, Vermont, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled in favor of railbanking. The
land in question became the Burlington Bike Path—later the Island Line Trail.
In 2015, RTC and trail advocates in Missouri mobilized to successfully railbank 144
miles of corridor—now part of the in-progress, 200-mile-plus Rock Island Trail System.
When complete, the system will connect with the Katy Trail to form a 450-mile-plus
loop across Missouri.
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF RAILBANKING AND
THE BIRTH OF A 450-MILE TRAIL NETWORK
February 1
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
officially opens its doors;
there are 250 known miles of
open rail-trails in the U.S.
1988
With assistance by RTC, the 61.5-mile
Silver Comet Trail and 33-mile Chief Ladiga
Trail pair
begins to take shape in Georgia
and Alabama. The trail projects help spark
the southern rail-trail movement.
October 4
President Ronald Reagan signs the
National Trails System Improvements
Act of 1988
, securing the government’s
interest in federally granted rights of way.
1989
To learn more about the history of RTC and view an extended, interactive timeline, go to
railstotrails.org/30th .THOM CARROLL
COURTESY MONTGOMERY COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION
ALEX BALENSZ
By the beginning of 1989,
RTC had
more than 7,000 members
, and the
completion of the Hart-Montague Trail
marks 200 known rail-trails in the U.S.
COURTESY JOEL MIKKELSEN
WHITE HOUSE PHOTO/ALAMY
rails
to
trails
u
spring/summer.16
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