Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
American non-profit organization
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) is an American nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that works with communities to preserve unused rail corridors by transforming them into rail trails within the United States.[1]
David Burwell
| Formation | February 1, 1986 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Peter Harnik David Burwell |
| Legal status | Nonprofit organization |
| Purpose | To convert unused railway corridors into rail trails |
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C. |
| Ryan Chao | |
| Website | railstotrails |
History
RTC was formed in 1986 by Peter Harnik and David Burwell. The Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act of 1976 (known as the 4R Act) included a little-noticed section to provide funding, information exchange and technical assistance in order to preserve these corridors and create public trails.[2] The "railbanking" provisions of this legislation allowed disused railroad corridors to be preserved in public ownership rather than sold and irrevocably dismantled.[3] In addition to the creation of public railtrails, railbanking legislation has also enabled the reactivation of rail service along previously disused corridors.
In August 2000, RTC launched a TrailLink, a trail-finder website with maps, photos, reviews and other information on U.S. rail trails, trails and greenways. Since 2000, RTC has used GPS mapping data to provide maps of more than 23,000 miles of trails.
In 2007, RTC began recognizing rail trails with its Rail Trail Hall of Fame.[4] The first inductees into the Rail Trail Hall of Fame were the Great Allegheny Passage, Pennsylvania, the Fred Marquis Pinellas Trail, Florida, and Katy Trail State Park, Missouri. In June, 2012, the Greenbrier River Trail, West Virginia, was the 26th trail to receive the designation.
In 2019, RTC announced plans for the Great American Rail-Trail, a pedestrian trail spanning 3,700 miles between Washington, D.C. and Washington state.[5] The planned path included filling gaps between over 1,900 miles of existing trails.[5]
The organization was the subject of an hour-long PBS documentary that aired in October 2025.[6]
