Shenandoah Rail Trail Partnership

The Partnership

The Shenandoah Rail Trail Partnership is an unincorporated coalition of public, private and non-profit organizations based in the counties of Shenandoah and Rockingham, Virginia that have come together to explore the transformation of an unused single-track railroad corridor from Strasburg to Broadway into a multi-use 38.5 mile trail connecting ten communities, three Civil War battlefields and multiple schools and businesses.

To contact the partnership email info@shenandoahrailtrail.org.

Keep me informed!

We’ll send out timely informational updates on the progress of this exploratory phase. Click the button above to navigate to the sign-up form.

Proposed Route

Trail Benefits

Community Amenity

This trail would be first and foremost for you – the local. Imagine a short, scenic stroll from your backyard to your nearest town for coffee and a local pastry. Or a long, primarily car-free, cycle three towns over for a well-earned lunch. Or if you work close (or even far!), a pedestrian friendly commute.

Health Benefits

You and your community will have access to an amenity that has proven time and again a valuable health benefit. Folks polled on their use of the GreenBelt in Georgia reported the trail “makes it easier for them to find time to exercise, allows them to get more exercise than before it was available, increases their enjoyment of doing moderate or vigorous physical activity and leaves them feeling like they are in a better state of health and/or physical ability than they were before they started using the trail.” (source)

Increased Property Value

In most cases there is a property value increase associated with proximity to a trail, especially a trail viewed as an iconic destination and even more so when the trail design takes landowner privacy into consideration (which is the intent of our partnership!). For example, home buyers ranked proximity to a trail second in importance out of 18 possible neighborhood amenities when shopping for a house. (source)

Increased Tax Revenue

We’ve commissioned an economic impact study to predict how localities along the corridor might benefit from a mixed-use trail. In the meantime, we’re confident towns and counties will experience a healthy revenue boost based on examples across the country. In Virginia, the High Bridge Trail through Farmville was predicted to have an initial economic impact between $1-2 million when it opened in 2012. In the most recent 2018 study, it was reported to have an impact of $6.5 million. (source/source)

Compatible Economic Development

Related to above, existing tourism related businesses should experience a boost and doors will open for new rural, small-town compatible businesses. For example, the Mispillion River Greenway in Milford, Delaware, is credited with inspiring downtown reinvestment and a net gain in new businesses, with more than 250 people now working in a downtown that was nearly vacant 10 years ago. (source)

Historical Preservation

Rail corridors are an important part of our near and distant past, with the origins story of this corridor through the Valley dating all the way back to pre-Civil War 1850. As it stands, the right-of-way, in an unused state, is the very worst use of the land and doesn’t honor its past importance in the bordering communities’ vitality. Imagine the corridor rebirthed as a connection between important historic and iconic natural resources and an opportunity to keep its history alive for generations to come.

Corridor History

What was then called Manassas Gap Railroad began construction in 1851 in Manassas. It entered the Shenandoah Valley through Manassas Gap in the Blue Ridge Mountains and reached the town Mount Jackson in 1859. During the Civil War, construction was halted, and much of the rail was destroyed. After the war, construction began anew and the line reached Harrisonburg in 1868 where it is still in use by Norfolk Southern south of Broadway. As of now the track between Broadway and Strasburg is not in use and the legal status is “out of service.” The last train traveled north from Woodstock in 2007 and south from Mount Jackson in 2014.

What's Next

There are several ways that Norfolk Southern could go about transferring the rail bed to become a trail, all of them pretty complicated. The partnership is committed to exploring all options to find the best fit for the rail company and the towns and counties along the corridor.

Governance Council

The Shenandoah Valley Rail Trail Exploratory Partnership Governance Council has representation from all the towns and counties along the route, in addition to the two regional Planning District Commissions and four regional nonprofits. It’s a large group, but this makeup ensures each community is represented and that considerations for each locality will be taken into account as the vision for the trail unfolds.