Rail Trail e-Newsletter April 2026 #106 | | |
Hi ,
Well spring seems to have sprung. Trail cleanups taking place all over. People dusting off their bikes and interesting stories are found below.
best,
Craig Della Penna, Principal
Northeast Greenway Solutions
62 Chestnut St. Northampton, MA 01062
413 575 2277 CraigDP413@gmail.com
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In the GREEN area, we have news about the
Mass Central Rail Trail
and perhaps some of the 18 other trails that directly connect to it.
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Final Days of Central Mass Branch
of the Boston & Maine Railroad
A presentation by Rick Kfoury, President
of the B&M RR Historical Society at the
Charles River Museum of History and Innovation
| | Accomodating the growing trend | | |
BusinessRate Ranks Sugar Maple Trailside Inn Number One B&B in Florence
By BusinessWest Staff 3-23-26
NORTHAMPTON — BusinessRate recently rated the Sugar Maple Trailside Inn the number-one bed and breakfast in Florence for endurance, momentum, and quality of its reviews on Google and Tripadvisor. Read more.
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The Bay State's outdoor economy is the fastest-growing in the US
By Marilyn Schairer
Hannah Chanatry WGBH
March 18, 2026
Outdoor recreation here in Massachusetts is growing faster than anywhere else in the U.S., according to a new report.
According to experts, a combination of factors — including a focus on populations who have been traditionally cut off from the outdoors — is fueling that increase. Read more.
| | | MASS CENTRAL RAIL TRAIL ALLIANCE HELD THEIR ANNUAL WORKING GET TOGETHER RECENTLY AT THE PUBLICK HOUSE IN STURBRIDGE. MASS DCR COMMISSIONER NICOLE LaCHAPPELLE WAS THE KEYNOTE SPEAKER. CLICK HERE TO GO TO HER GREAT TALK ON FACEBOOK. | | |
Welcome to the Roads Less Travelled Podcast!
Love rail trails, bike tourism, or greenway real estate? Have you ever dreamt of operating a bed & breakfast along a scenic trail? Or seen how trails can revive small towns? We are going to cover it all.
Join host Craig Della Penna a Realtor, trail advocate, and storyteller, for quick, insightful conversations where real estate meets sustainability and adventure.
Have a story to share? Book your spot and be part of the Roads Less Travelled. LINK here to the booking page for on-boarding.
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New guests above:
Marianne Borowski. In this episode, we sit down with trailblazer Marianne Borowski to uncover an underrated 83-mile bike trail across New Hampshire that’s quickly turning the region into a must-visit cycling destination. Learn how the Cross New Hampshire Adventure Trail is transforming scenic rail trails into a connected long-distance cycling route, while boosting local tourism, outdoor recreation, and small-town economies. From multi-use trail design to collaboration with ATV and snowmobile communities, this conversation explores how one vision is reshaping cycling tourism in Northern New Hampshire. Maryanne is the president and founder of the Cross New Hampshire Adventure Trail and Vice President of the New Hampshire Rails Trails Coalition.
Kurt Gaertner. Kurt is the Assistant Secretary for Environmental Policy at the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA). In this role, he oversees land use, land conservation, water resource, and other environmental policies and programs designed to address climate change, promote sustainable development, and reduce resource consumption. He also represents the Executive Office on the MassTrails Team and has managed major projects through the Gateway City Parks Program, advancing public access and outdoor connectivity across Massachusetts.
David Mayfield. David Mayfield is a hospitality business expert at ResNexus. This is the country's top provider of seamless guest management systems for bed & breakfasts in the U.S. With over 17 years of industry experience, he has helped improve the performance of more than 2,200 properties, focusing on increasing occupancy, optimizing property management, streamlining operations, and elevating guest experience through his strategic guidance.
Don Burn, Don Burn shares decades of experience working to transform historic steam RR corridors, trolley lines, and aqueduct routes into modern shared-use trails. From his early exposure to the Illinois Prairie Path to championing trail networks in Mass, Don explains the challenges of navigating utilities, working with state agencies, and convincing communities and developers to support trail connectivity. This conversation explores why trails should be designed as networks—not isolated paths—and how persistence, community engagement, and long-term vision can turn ambitious ideas into lasting public infrastructure. Link here to the BWALT trail.
LINK HERE to my YOUTUBE Channel where the videos of the podcasts and reels are housed. But you can find the audio versions of the Roads Less Travelled with Craig Della Penna wherever you get your Podcasts. I'll be posting short, 30-45 second reels on my INSTAGRAM account every few days.
Got a story to tell? I would love to have you on board with me. Here's a link to a one-pager of themes that I think will be both loved and impactful.
Nearly everyone of the over 20,000 people reading this will fit into at least 1 or 2 themes.
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AND IN THE WHITE AREA,
OTHER NEWS AROUND THE REGION
| | HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM! | | Swampscott's Rail Trail project was slated to be moved off the TIP by the MPO because it wasn't making the necessary benchmarks along the defined timeline. WHAT! Swampscott isn't a frail, Gateway Town. What is happening? | | |
The Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) voted to push the Swampscott Rail Trail project’s completion to fiscal year 2029. Monica Sager 3/19/26 Swampscott Tides Newspaper
At a Thursday meeting, the MPO board said Swampscott was not far enough along to remain in its current Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), a five-year rolling capital plan.
Marzie Galzka, Swampscott’s director of community and economic development, said during the virtual meeting that the policy changes were never shared with the town.
David Mohler, the Executive Director of Planning at the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), said Swampscott “staff did everything as they were supposed to do” but still moved to keep the project in 2029. Read more.
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There were about 100 letters sent in by residents of Swampscott that encouraged the MPO to not nudge the project off the TIP. Above here is my letter to the MPO.
If a robust town like Swampscott is in danger of delays because of the protocols of this process, then there is little hope for less capable places to get these pretty complex projects done.
Since from the town's perspective, this is a one-off sort of project, I think an inside agency like DCR or the even the MPO itself should be having a more hands-on role in making sure things move ahead reliably. We'll see. Read more.
| | | Here you go. Organized bike tours in Portsmouth NH of the rail trails and downtown there. Read more. | | | Just came out this past week. Harvard did a study about rail trails and their impact on nearby properties. Read more. | | | |
AND IN THE ORANGE AREA;
Interesting, "HIGH ALTITUDE" Stories From Around the Country and Sometimes Beyond.
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Ball Brothers Foundation Grantee Spotlight:
Q&A with Cardinal Greenways
By Jud Fisher, President/CEO, Ball Brothers Foundation—
MUNCIE, IN — The trail is owned and maintained by Cardinal Greenways, a nonprofit organization, rather than by a state or local government. That means every mile of trail, every trailhead, and every improvement is made possible through fundraising, partnerships, and community support. Read more. In Indiana, a robust 501(c)3 manages the state's iconic, signature, rail trail. Wait till you read this. CDP
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Should These Abandoned Tracks Become a Park or a Train Line? Or Both? The New York Times Stefanos Chen By Stefanos Chen March 25, 2026
A disused rail line in Queens could help reconnect the borough and add much-needed park space. A new report suggests that a plan to do both is possible, but it faces long odds. Read the story.
| | THIS HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO YOU BY | | |
Do you or a friend have a surplus house somewhere in Mass? I know that sounds implausible, but I do get a couple of listings a year in situations like this.
I will make these oddities more impactful. Bring me in as your listing agent and I will market the property. When it sells, I will turn over my share of the sale commission to the Mass Central Rail Trail project.
Contact me at: CraigDP413@gmail.com or 413-575-2277.
Craig Della Penna, CRS, GRI, Green, REALTOR, Associate Broker Trailside Team, The Murphys Realtors. 76 North Elm St Northampton, MA 01060
NorthamptonRealtor.com/innovator
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If you are getting this e-newsletter, you or a friend are likely to be a member of a Friends group affiliated with a rail trail somewhere in the northeast.
Kathy and I would love to offer up a creative fundraiser. We'll make a two-night stay available for two couples at our award-wining bed & breakfast--Sugar Maple Trailside Inn. This will include a guided tour by me, or either a walking tour or a biking tour of the rail trail network here.
We touch-on not only all the RR and industrial history, of course, but also the political history of how each section got built. I'll curl your hair.
This tour will include lunch at a restaurant near the rail trail.
This donation should be a part of an overall fundraiser event for your local trail project. Link here to more info. Click on the image above for a more readable version.
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