RAIL WITH TRAIL
Rails with trails are railroad corridors which contain a trail adjacent to the railroad tracks. Economically speaking, this is beneficial to both the area served by rail, and the residents who can take advantage of the trail. The trail does not necessarily need to follow the railroad side-by-side to be considered a rail with trail, as the trail can sweep away to avoid an obstacle, visit a specific attraction, or even provide space between the railroad and the trail. Considered the best of both worlds, trails built next to rails generally have similar broad sweeping curves, gentle grades up and down, and are intentionally built to connect locations.
While there are many trails that remain adjacent to active railroad lines for extended distances (such as the Cardinal Greenway shown here), some trails may only run adjacent for short distances before taking a different course.
Below are a list of rails with trails in Indiana.
RAILS WITH TRAILS WEBINARS AND REPORT
Recently the Rails to Trails Council hosted a webinar about building trails along railroad right-of-ways. The challenge in building a multi-use corridor, the concerns of the railroad, and the advantage that rail-with-trail has to many other trail types. This is a hot topic, and something that Indiana Trails recently discussed in their webinar linked here. Additionally, the federal government has stepped in with a report released last year discussing best practices and lessons learned - you can read it here.
NICKEL PLATE: A VISION FOR OUR FUTURE
Please feel free to share your opinion about the Vision plan for the Nickel Plate corridor by emailing us at opinion@indianatrails.com.
We will share your thoughts with regional leaders.