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Organizations such as the Rails to Trails Conservancy have documented the many benefits of rail-trails in great detail. Some of these include:

    The New River Trail in southwest Virginia provides tourists a unique perspective on local history.
    � Promoting tourism and economic development. A 1992 National Park Service study of three trails documents the economic benefits generated by trail users, as do local studies of trails such as the Little Miami River Trail in Ohio and the Northern Central Trail in Maryland.

    � Preserving the nation's industrial heritage. The rich industrial heritage of Southwestern Pennsylvania can be traced through a series of rail-trails including the Ghost Town Trail and Youghigheny River trails.

    � Providing safer places to bicycle and walk.

    � Cleaning up abandoned industrial sites. A growing rail-trail network in Pittsburgh, including the Eliza Furnace Trail, is reclaiming the city's river fronts from disused industrial plants.

    � Encouraging alternative transportation routes. An study of three regional trails, published in the Transportation Research Board's TR News, estimated that at least one third of trips on the Pinellas, Burke Gilman and Minuteman trails were for work or shopping trips rather than purely recreational rides. Some trails, such as the Bill Chipman Palouse Trail linking two university campuses in Moscow, Idaho and Pullman, Wash., clearly serve as critical transportation links for bicyclists and pedestrians.


    Cyclists use the Washington and Old Dominion Trail in Northern Virginia for commuting, recreation, and as a welcome respite from traffic.
    � Creating linear parks and public space in crowded urban areas. Seattle's Burke Gilman Trail provides a delightful tree-lined ride or walk through residential areas to the University of Washington Campus and on towards the downtown area.

    � Preserving natural corridors and native species. Trails such as the Iowa Heritage Trail and Nebraska's Cowboy Trail connect, preserve and provide access to natural areas and plant species that can rarely be found outside the undeveloped railroad corridor.

    � Keeping transportation corridors intact. The Capital Crescent Trail, bringing suburban Maylanders to the District of Columbia (and District residents to Maryland), has preserved a corridor for potential future rail use that could never be pieced together again if it had been lost to development when railroad operations first ceased. Some portions of the corridor may soon see trail use alongside a new light rail line.

The cost of developing trails such as these varies according to land acquisition costs, the type of trail surface, the width of the trail, and the facilities that are provided for trail users. Construction costs alone can run $40,000 per mile for a soft surface trail, and this can rise to more than $125,000 per mile for an asphalt trail.

Acquisition costs for the trail corridor also vary enormously. Railroads have donated abandoned corridors to government agencies of non-profits organizations. They have also offered them for sale at nominal prices. However, these corridors are often valuable real estate and may have to bought at market prices.