The story of how some 26,000 miles of no longer used railways across the country “found a new purpose connecting communities and enriching lives” is the subject of a new public television documentary.
“From Rails to Trails” chronicles the 60-year movement to repurpose former railroads into public trails for cycling, walking and recreation.
“Having spent my career advocating for the rails-to-trails movement, I’ve seen firsthand how abandoned rail lines – once scars across the landscape – have become lifelines for communities,” Peter Harnik, executive producer of the documentary and co-founder of the Rails to Trails Conservancy.
Today, there are more than 2,400 multi-use public paths across the nation and more than 150 trail networks – at least one in every state – in development, according to the Conservancy.
The one-hour documentary, based on Harnik’s 2021 book, “From Rails to Trails: The Making of America’s Active Transportation Network,” is scheduled to premier October 15 on public television stations nationwide (check local listings). It will also stream on PBS.org.
The film explores the legal, political, and cultural factors that shaped the rails-to-trails movement, “from contentious property rights disputes to the landmark ‘railbanking’ legislation passed by Congress in 1983, which preserved abandoned rail corridors for future rail use while allowing them to be repurposed as trails.”
“From Rails to Trails” is narrated by Edward Norton and includes interviews with: Former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg; Former Vermont Governor Howard Dean, who discusses how Burlington’s Island Line Trail became the subject of a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case; and Former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson, who recounts his father’s role in creating the 32-mile Elroy-Sparta Trail, “often regarded as America’s first successful rail-trail and famous for its three cavernous ex-railroad tunnels.”
Some trails highlighted in the documentary:
- Illinois Prairie Path (Suburban Chicago) – In the early 1960s, local naturalist May Watts proposed the idea of preserving abandoned railroads for public use, inspired by footpaths she had seen in Britain, the filmmakers said, noting that her idea developed into this trail, and ”sparked a national movement.”
- The West Rail Trail (Brownsville, Tex.) – The Brownsville community rallied to build a rail-trail instead of a toll road for cars that was initially proposed. “Brownsville is now one of the most bike- and pedestrian-friendly cities in Texas, with the trail helping to encourage a healthy lifestyle in a historically under served community,” according to the film.
- The High Line (New York City)- This pedestrian trail built on an elevated railroad track from the 1930s, was abandoned and facing demolition before it was turned into a linear park. Today it is an example of successful adaptive reuse, transforming obsolete industrial infrastructure into a vibrant public space,” according to the filmmakers.
- The Great American Rail-Trail (multi-state) – The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy is working to connect 3,700 miles of rail-trails into a coast-to-coast route, from Washington, DC, to Washington State. The trail is currently halfway completed.
Other examples of successful transformations include: the Burke-Gilman Trail (Seattle); the Atlanta Beltline (Georgia) and the Washington and Old Dominion Trail (Washington, DC).
“I use my local rail-trail twice a day: for a morning run, and an after-dinner walk with family,” Dan Protess, who produced and directed “From Rails to Trails,” said in a statement. “Working on this program, I came to realize that the green space that is so integral to my life didn’t just happen by accident—people had to fight hard to make it a reality.”
To watch the trailer for “From Rails to Trails,” click here. To learn more about the Rails to Trails Conservancy, and to locate a nearby trail, click here.
