Rail Trail e-Newsletter January 2025 #93

Hi all,

Happy New Year to everyone. As always, lots going on in the region. Some nice end-of-year letters and even a couple of end-of-year VIDEOS from around the region.

There are 18 stories here. If you are seeing only a few, you'll need to look closely at the bottom and you'll see a snippet of text saying something like; [Message clipped] View entire message

Click on that then the rest of the e-newsletter will download.

Enjoy the rest of the winter.

Craig Della Penna, Board President

Norwottuck Network, Inc.

62 Chestnut St. Northampton, MA 01062

413 575 2277 CraigDP413@gmail.com

In the GREEN area, we have news about the

Mass Central Rail Trail

and perhaps some of the 18 other trails that connect to it.

NICE END-OF-YEAR UPDATES

First up, a couple of videos.

On the left is the MCRT in Mass

and on the right is the NRT in NH

Here's a concise update about what happened along the MCRT this year, in a nice video format. Click here to see the video.

Thanks to Nancy Buzby for pulling this together.

Here' a nice video about the Northern Rail Trail in NH. This is the longest rail trail project in NH and one of the more notable due to its heavily volunteer-based aspect.

Way back when in the 90s, when the B&M RR sold the 60 -ish mile corridor to the state, they took the rail but left all the wooden ties for the state and the communities to deal with on their own.

The Friends group was stood-up and volunteers came to remove the ties. Only 150,000 or so ties to remove. They did it. Amazing. Only one of a myriad of inspiration filled stories there. Check them out.

Here's OUR MCRT End-of-Year

update on letterhead

On the left you can read our complete list of important and positive events on the MCRT. While below is a great update by StreetsBlog Mass. Click on both images.

And on the flip side. . .

On second thought. . .

No, you can't have a bike-ped connection on the railroad drawbridge.

Even though 30 years ago, it was promised.

Let's move along, nothing to see here.

Draw One Bridge will not have pedestrian path that was promised as mitigation from Big Dig By Sean Flannelly, Cambridge Day. 11-22-24

The MBTA is poised to embark on yet another mega-project: replacing the aging North Station drawbridge that connects commuter rail trains from North Cambridge to Boston.

But the project, which received a $472 million federal grant in September, will not include plans for a bike and pedestrian crossing alongside the bridge, despite the state’s commitment to such a pathway as part of mitigation efforts from the Central Artery Project, commonly referred to as the Big Dig. Read more.

Link here to the 1995 plan that promised the bike-ped path alongside the Draw Bridge. Been waiting for only 30 years now.

Here's a hearing on the topic from earlier in this past summer. See here.

(And I'll also point out that back in the 1990s when this was first proposed. Rail-w-Trail was a 'new fangled' idea.

Today there are over 400 such places around the US. Several are here in Mass. There is even a dual use bridge over the Nashua River in nearby Nashua, NH.

And there was even a top level letter by MassDOT encouraging rail-w-trail projects, especially those that provide important connections or fill gaps. See the letter here. CDP)

AND IN THE WHITE AREA,

OTHER NEWS AROUND THE REGION

State Rep. Michelle Ciccolo, co-chair of the Trails Caucus in the Mass Statehouse, announced the formation of the TRAILS ACCESS WORKING GROUP

Fall rail trail improvements in NH are complete, more to come in 2025

By Abigail Ham, Keene Sentinel Staff 12/29/24

Grant funding and volunteers powered improvements to the Cheshire Rail Trail North in Surry that were completed this fall, according to Mike Kowalczyk, a member of the Monadnock Region Rail Trail Collaborative. The project, which took two years, is a harbinger of additional upgrades expected to move ahead on rail trails throughout the Monadnock Region in the near future. Read more. (This project is one of the 18 other rail trails that will intersect with the MCRT. CDP)

MASS RANKS 2ND IN NATION

MassDOT Celebrates Mass Being Ranked 2nd in the Nation for Bicycling

12/20/2024 Massachusetts Department of Transportation

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is celebrating Massachusetts being ranked second in the nation on the League of American Bicyclists' 2024 list of Bicycle Friendly States - and ranking highest above every other state in the Northeast region and along the East Coast. Read more. And here

Nice news from NY

45.2 new miles of Greenway Trail Constructed across New York The Press-Republican, Plattsburgh, N.Y.

11/16/24 ALBANY — A new report conducted by Parks & Trails New York and the New York Office of State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation confirms that statewide greenway trail expansion continues to lead the nation, with 45.2 new miles of trail completed between January 2023 and June 2024.

In coming years, New York will see further trail expansion as 39.4 miles of trail are under construction and an additional 583.2 miles are in various stages of development. Read more.

Rail Trail gets $125,000 grant from Gov. Hochul

Judith O'Hara Balfe, Millerton News Jan 31, 2024

MILLERTON — The Harlem Valley Rail Trail Association, (HVRTA) was awarded a grant for $125,000 as part of 2024 New York State Park Centennial Celebration, promoting the use of public parks.

On Jan. 5, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced grants being awarded to 27 nonprofit organizations. A total $1.8 million dollars was given to agencies concerned with the upkeep and maintenance of public land areas. Read more.

A couple of stories from

other parts of Mass

Rail-With-Trail Alternative Proposed For Rail Trail Phase 2 By Jamie Perkins 11/21/24, The Enterprise

Bourne residents crammed into the Pocasset Village Association Community Building on November 14. Many had to stand due to the large crowd. They were there to listen to (MassDOT) employees provide an update on phase 2 of the Bourne Rail Trail Project. Read more. (One of points being called out is the necessity of keeping rail operations intact. If people on the Cape examine the real facts, they would see that, that stance is not correct. Feel free to contact me.

It is just of another example of facts and truth that is plainly evident in one part of Mass is not heard of, or seen in other areas of Mass. It is called Balkanization. CDP)

Rail Trail takes further steps in design process

12/25/24 by Luke Acton Lynn Item

LYNNFIELD — An update from the town’s Lynnfield-Wakefield Rail Trail team provided a positive outlook on what has been a lengthy process of working with the Mass Department of Transportation to meet the proper standards.

Town engineers have been working with MassDOT to work on Phase 1, a 75% Progress step of the rail trail, positive interactions, and “all concerns have been addressed,” according to the town website. Read more.

AND IN THE ORANGE AREA;

Interesting, "HIGH ALTITUDE" Stories From Around the Country and Sometimes Beyond.

**HERE'S AN IMPORTANT STORY YOU PROBABLY DIDN'T HEAR ABOUT--YET**

Trump Taps Business Associate Of Megadonor Timothy Mellon For Railroad Role Zach Everson, Forbes Staff 12/24/24

The president-elect’s nominee to lead the Federal Railroad Administration is David Fink, former head of Pam-Am Railway. Read more. (I'll point out that when DF was a senior executive at Guilford Transportation before it became Pan-Am Railways, they helped make rail-w-trail projects easier to do in Maine by working behind the scenes w trail advocates, attorneys, and others to redo the Rec-use Statutes in Maine so that there are no liability issues for RRs or even gas and/or electric utilities, that share their corridor with rec-trail users.

And yes, Betsy J and Paul B, there is a corridor in southern Maine that has a 700PSI Natural Gas pipeline that shares the corridor there with the trail users and the utility LOVES it.

That Maine effort happened in 2004. In 2009 a similar effort took place in Mass and at the bill signing ceremony with Governor Patrick, the entire RE department of National Grid was there in attendance. NGrid is the 2nd largest owner of dead RRs in Mass and they have shown up at every ribbon-cutting on every one of their corridors since 2009.

Hello folks in CT, NH, and VT. Your state's rec-use statues are NOT updated and that is why you are floundering around on the idea of rail-w-trail projects that will connect key gaps. You can fix this.

Hello folks in Maine who were involved in that conversation 20+ years ago, now you know the rest of the story. And just another one of the myriad of accomplishments in John Andrew's life. CDP)

Bike lanes save lives, so why are you still complaining?

Ultimately, peaceably sharing the streets comes down to mindset. A city is a community, and everyone needs to give a little. By Renée Loth, Boston Globe Contributor, 12/12/24 Read more. (Be sure to read the ugly comments. That'll wake you up. For those of you who think these projects are easy. They are not.

Also please send notes of thanks to your muni or state leaders who are moving these projects forward in your town. As I said, it ain't easy. CDP)

Dread your commute? These folks suggest trying a trail instead by Kate Kampner Community News Service, VT Biz 12/27/24

Imagine a commute without the worry of traffic jams, potholes or detours, a path to town that’s nearby, maintained and linked to routes just like it all over the state.

That’s the Cross Vermont Trail Association’s vision — to create a web of trails for bikers and walkers to have easy access and safe travels between north-central Vermont towns.