Connecting history today and building tomorrow.
We’re excited for the future Shenandoah Rail Trail, which will make exploring the Valley’s history and culture even more fun. This trail will connect towns and create a safe, fun way for people to get to local events, all while learning about the region’s rich history.
We’re Sticking Around!
Thank you for keeping the momentum for the Shenandoah Rail Trail alive and growing. In partnership with nine towns and three counties, Friends of the Shenandoah Rail Trail remains dedicated to transforming this unused corridor into a safe, accessible path for Every Body.
This is not the trail you advocated for.
And as we expected, rail-with-trail advocates are not building the Shenandoah Rail Trail that you advocated for to your local and state lawmakers and that the General Assembly set aside funding to make happen.
Commentary: The Great Allegheny Passage and its transformative impact
I've visited and studied several rail to trails in different parts of the country. All have proven to be a boost to their economies, bring in tourists, and are enjoyed by residents. Our proposed Shenandoah Rail Trail here will have a similar positive economic benefits.
Open Forum: Rail To Trail Supported By Broadway Lions
The trail will have a major economic impact from the tourists visiting our area, as well as every town and county along the rail corridor. That fact alone should be sufficient argument for the abandoned rail line to be converted to a trail as soon as possible. It will also be a selling point to raise the funds needed for the project, which will benefit everyone.
Commentary: Rail Trail in Colorado
I've visited and studied several rail to trails in different parts of the country. All have proven to be a boost to their economies, bring in tourists, and are enjoyed by residents. Our proposed Shenandoah Rail Trail here will have a similar positive economic benefits.
Dan Harshman: Rails to Trails
It is impossible to forget the impact the railroad had, and still has, on our country. However, it is no longer economically feasible for this corridor to serve its original purpose. The 49-mile Trail offers the best possible use now while still preserving what once was — a pathway that connects our communities.
A new dawn for a historic railroad
One exciting aspect of the Shenandoah Rail Trail project is the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to preserve and protect an intact historic railway corridor that reconnects the visiting public and local people with the amazing 175-year history of the railroad and the communities it connected.
Commentary: Shenandoah Rail Trail, an investment in our rural economy
The commercial premiums afforded by our community's strategic location were evident to me as the owner of a popular business in Woodstock. Situated in the beautiful valley between the Allegheny and Blue Ridge mountains, Shenandoah County's rural economy is blessed by its proximity to one of the country's most vibrant population centers. The benefit is leveraged by easy access to our area from major North/South and East/West interstate systems.
An unused rail corridor in the Shenandoah Valley sparks a fight over what’s next
Last year, the General Assembly appropriated up to $35 million, as part of a $245 million package, to buy land for the rail trail and conduct initial planning and site development. Language in the state budget noted that any land acquisition for the trail “shall not preclude the consideration of options to maintain rail transportation in the corridor.”
State budget allocates $35 million to Shenandoah Rail Trail project
The Shenandoah Valley Rail Trail project is set to receive $35 million in state funding thanks to budget amendments passed by the Virginia legislature on Wednesday.
Friends of the Shenandoah Rail Trail announced Wednesday afternoon that the budget allocation will be used for land acquisition, initial planning and site development of the project that will create a multi-use trail through Warren, Shenandoah, and Rockingham counties.
Economic Impact of a Shenandoah Rail Trail
In addition to all the expected community benefits the trail will offer, Shenandoah Valley communities also stand to benefit economically.
Connections in the making
Communities along the proposed route have already begun to envision their towns with a Shenandoah Valley Rail Trail.
How did this get started?
The idea of converting the unused north-south rail corridor in Shenandoah and Rockingham counties to a multi-use trail was sparked back in 2016 when the town of Woodstock formed the Woodstock Exploratory Rails to Trails Committee.
Shenandoah Valley Rail Trail Feasibility Study Authorized by General Assembly
The feasibility study is an important next step in the ongoing exploration of converting the discontinued rail line into a multi-purpose trail.
Action in the General Assembly on Shenandoah Rail Trail
On Thursday August 27, Delegate Tony Wilt (R-Harrisonburg) will speak about an amendment authorizes DCR to conduct a feasibility study for a rail trail in the Northern Shenandoah Valley.
Proposed Rail-Trail to have positive impact on Shenandoah Valley communities
Rail-trails and many of the compatible businesses that emerge along these corridors contribute significantly to local economics.