03-21-2024, 08:59 AM
A lot of the abandoned rail lines in the country were actually not very good rail lines. It’s far from clear that a route laid down over a century ago and abandoned for decades is the right route for a new service, especially through the country where obtaining another right of way isn’t as difficult or expensive as in the city. Many old rail lines had poor grade and curve profiles. Additionally, removing a trail is the opposite of what we should be doing, so I would hope that rail trail closures are off the table. Even if a rail trail is the right route for a new service, I would hope that the trail would be retained alongside the re-instated trackage. If necessary the right-of-way could be slightly widened to allow for this.