...the bold vision to preserve the Shenandoah Valley's heritage, re-empower the rail line as an economic engine, and create a full range of tourism and recreation opportunities.
shenandoah rails with to trails river valley rail road railroad railway rail way trail rails bike biking walk walking trail 48 mile train trains short line rr corridor line track tracks tourist freight passenger commuter
nv northern virginia daily news record
strasburg mauertown toms brook edinburg woodstock mount mt jackson new market timberville broadway harrisonburg front royal warren winchester warren rockingham shenandoah county counties
DESIGN RENDERINGS
The renderings shown here are graphic representations of the rail corridor showing the proposed rail WITH trail design. Each rendering illustrates the varying design approaches that will be used along the length of the corridor. The segment type utilized along particular sections of the corridor will be determined by the site conditions at that location. While these renderings do not show construction level detail, they do accurately represent the proposed design as described in the rail WITH trail planning documents and budget.​​
"Well designed rails-with-trails have the potential to provide safe, accessible infrastructure that encourages and enables people to walk and bike..."
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- USDOT Rails-With-Trails: Best Practices and Lessons Learned, March 2020
"RWT - Lessons Learned"
USDOT, 2020
WHY NOT BOTH?
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Rails WITH Trails is not new
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343 success stories nationwide
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Perfect safety record, no injuries
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Safer than roadside bike lanes
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Rails AND trails compliment each other!
The Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) trail in nearby Western Maryland is a perfect example; a recreational trail paralleling a scenic railroad route with plenty of parking, shops and amenities along the way.
'Rails-WITH-Trails' is the highest and best use of our corridor. Many of our neighbors advocate for a safe recreational trail built to connect communities through outdoor adventure. However, our Valley also desperately needs a connection to America's rail network.
Many elected leaders could only dream of having the opportunity we have; to transform our railroad into a truly multi-use corridor that the community can enjoy and our industry can depend on.
shenandoah rails with to trails river valley rail road railroad railway rail way trail rails bike biking walk walking trail 48 mile train trains short line rr corridor line track tracks tourist freight passenger commuter
nv northern virginia daily news record
strasburg mauertown toms brook edinburg woodstock mount mt jackson new market timberville broadway harrisonburg front royal warren winchester warren rockingham shenandoah county counties
Excursion Rail
+ 75,000+ annual visitors*
+ $21 million annual economic impact*
+ 25 MPH dinner and event trains
+ New fourth-quarter tourism*
+ Attraction diversity
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A scenic excursion railroad attracts a wide audience; families, Civil War/history enthusiasts, railfans, and small business shoppers. This boosts the Corridor's return on investment while minimizing the burden on taxpayers. Holiday-themed trains generate >75% of annual revenues, creating a brand new tourism quarter! ​By making minor upgrades to the roadbed, a 25 MPH scenic rail experience is more than feasible!
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EXAMPLE: Strasburg Railroad in Lancaster, PA attracts 300,000+ visitors annually! This attraction supports the local merchants and the greater community.
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*see 'Rails-With-Trails Analysis' to see figures
Did you know that evening dinner trains produce more overnight stays than daylight trains?
shenandoah rails with to trails river valley rail road railroad railway rail way trail rails bike biking walk walking trail 48 mile train trains short line rr corridor line track tracks tourist freight passenger commuter
nv northern virginia daily news record
strasburg mauertown toms brook edinburg woodstock mount mt jackson new market timberville broadway harrisonburg front royal warren winchester warren rockingham shenandoah county counties
Freight Rail
+ Supports agricultural economy
+ 49 track miles; 3 rail interchanges
+ 3 industrial parks
+ 11 "rail-ready" sites
+ 4,000+ truck reduction annually
+ 8 interested operators
+ 1,500+ carloads hauled annually
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Shipping on the Shenandoah Rail Corridor will reduce carbon emissions while alleviating highway traffic. Our railroad parallels Interstate 81 and US Route 11, creating easy-access transloading potentials​. 3 interchange locations with Class 1 carriers in Strasburg, Front Royal, and Broadway will help drive competitive freight rates not seen since the 1982 Norfolk Southern merger.
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EXAMPLE:
The Buckingham Branch Railroad, the Shenandoah Valley Railroad and the Winchester & Western Railroad move 25,000+ cars of mixed freight annually!
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Did you know that 1 = 3 ?
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Three tractor trailers of goods
can fit inside just ONE railcar!
shenandoah rails with to trails river valley rail road railroad railway rail way trail rails bike biking walk walking trail 48 mile train trains short line rr corridor line track tracks tourist freight passenger commuter
nv northern virginia daily news record
strasburg mauertown toms brook edinburg woodstock mount mt jackson new market timberville broadway harrisonburg front royal warren winchester warren rockingham shenandoah county counties
Passenger Rail
Rail network accessibility has always been essential for growing communities. While passenger rail is a long way from reaching the Valley, towns that still have service thrive, with new stations opened annually. Paralleling I-81/US Rt. 11, the Shenandoah Rail Corridor would connect unserved universities to Amtrak, VRE, and MARC routes:
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Blue Ridge Community College
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Bridgewater College
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Eastern Mennonite University
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James Madison University
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Laurel Ridge Community College
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Shenandoah University
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EXAMPLE:
Virginia Tech is the next in-state
university to be evaluated for
Amtrak service.
Did you know that 20 Virginia universities have access to reliable rail service... and NONE of them reside in the Shenandoah Valley?
shenandoah rails with to trails river valley rail road railroad railway rail way trail rails bike biking walk walking trail 48 mile train trains short line rr corridor line track tracks tourist freight passenger commuter
nv northern virginia daily news record
strasburg mauertown toms brook edinburg woodstock mount mt jackson new market timberville broadway harrisonburg front royal warren winchester warren rockingham shenandoah county counties
Rail Bikes
+ New recreation form
+ 20,000+ visitors annually
+ Attraction diversity
+ Co-operates with traditional railroading
+ Immediate economic impact
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Rail biking is an exciting new form of outdoor recreation for everybody to enjoy. Rail bike tours are safely dispatched around scheduled railroad operations. Along some of our trackage, this operation can begin immediately upon the purchase of the corridor while other sections are being rebuilt to service standards.
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EXAMPLE:
Just to our north, the Great Allegheny Passage trail and Western Maryland Scenic Railroad host sold out rail biking tours.
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Did you know that rail biking is so popular in some places that you can't even get a ticket!?