Seriously though, as much as I hate that we’ve abandoned so many railroads in this country, even the urban ones should at least be turned into walking/biking trails once they stop being used. It’s ridiculous to drive past overgrown train tracks and think, “I wouldn’t even need a car if those things were in use, but as it is right now it isn’t even safe to use them as a footpath.”
A former switchyard in the town where I grew up got turned into a beautiful park and there are trails going through town where the railroad tracks went. Obviously a trolley or some other sort of passenger rail would be better, but at least make that otherwise useless land some sort of public good.
This is my cup of tea; though not in an urban setting. I write at very long lengths about reclaiming developments into something useful (though usually that’s just forest).
The thing, I suspect, with abandoned rail lines, is that they are still owned by the rail company, and just not used. They don’t plan to use them, but they’re still holding onto the property or lease because that’s cheaper than actually cleaning/rehabilitating the rail line. Just another product of our capitalistic system. The free hand is all well and good, but if you don’t have any regulation on industry, this is exactly what you end up with. This is what happened in the mining industry for years. Welp! we’re done. Pack 'er up boys, and turn off the mill on the way out.
Seriously though, as much as I hate that we’ve abandoned so many railroads in this country, even the urban ones should at least be turned into walking/biking trails once they stop being used. It’s ridiculous to drive past overgrown train tracks and think, “I wouldn’t even need a car if those things were in use, but as it is right now it isn’t even safe to use them as a footpath.”
A former switchyard in the town where I grew up got turned into a beautiful park and there are trails going through town where the railroad tracks went. Obviously a trolley or some other sort of passenger rail would be better, but at least make that otherwise useless land some sort of public good.
This is my cup of tea; though not in an urban setting. I write at very long lengths about reclaiming developments into something useful (though usually that’s just forest).
The thing, I suspect, with abandoned rail lines, is that they are still owned by the rail company, and just not used. They don’t plan to use them, but they’re still holding onto the property or lease because that’s cheaper than actually cleaning/rehabilitating the rail line. Just another product of our capitalistic system. The free hand is all well and good, but if you don’t have any regulation on industry, this is exactly what you end up with. This is what happened in the mining industry for years. Welp! we’re done. Pack 'er up boys, and turn off the mill on the way out.
Rails-to-trails does seem to be happening more and more though. Even a small town near us is turning the railroad tracks into a walking trail.
I am guessing even if the railroad owns it, they can use eminent domain to claim it.