Shenandoah Valley Rail with Trail

An unused rail corridor in the Shenandoah Valley sparks a fight over what’s next

Two groups in the Shenandoah Valley are at odds over what to do with an unused railway after the General Assembly pledged $35 million toward its conversion into a rail trail.

The nearly 50-mile rail corridor, which was first established in the 1850s, runs from Front Royal to the town of Broadway in Rockingham County and is currently owned by Norfolk Southern Corporation. As interest declined in freight service, the company began to discontinue sections of the corridor beginning in 1989.
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Now, a group known as the Shenandoah Rail Corridor Coalition has emerged with an opposing plan: restoring the railroad and constructing a trail alongside it.

Earlier this February, The Northern Virginia Daily reported the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation, which is part of the coalition, had negotiated a letter of intent with Norfolk Southern to purchase the rail corridor for $23 million. The goal, said foundation CEO Keven Walker, was to develop a 450-acre linear park around an excursion and freight railway.
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Seeking to preserve the existing rail corridor for freight and potentially passenger use, the coalition is pushing for what it calls “Trails Plus,” a plan that would include a recreational trail that runs parallel to a scenic railroad route and access to parking, shops and amenities. The final result, its backers say, could resemble the Great Allegheny Passage Trail in western Maryland.
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