It has been a while since we’ve posted a project update, but behind the scenes, the Alliance has been working tirelessly. Since the coalition of towns, counties, planning districts and nonprofits formed over five years ago, we have championed the vision of converting the unused rail corridor between Broadway and Front Royal into the multi-use Shenandoah Rail Trail.
To put it mildly, it has been a roller coaster.
This week, a surprise move from the state has put our entire five-year effort in jeopardy. We need you to take action this weekend to stop a proposal that threatens to wipe out the vision of the Shenandoah Rail Trail as a 49-mile contiguous destination trail.
The Context: Our goal has always been a mechanism that keeps the corridor intact for future rail use while serving the community now as a trail. Once our communities organized, the Commonwealth stepped up: the legislature invested in a feasibility study and set aside funding for the purchase.
However, in early 2024, we were thrown a curveball. The Shenandoah Valley Battlefield Foundation (SVBF) announced a surprise intent to purchase the corridor with the designated trail funding for a different project. This spurred a state-funded assessment to explore “rail-with-trail” (restoring the train tracks and building a trail alongside).
The Numbers Were Clear: The study results were conclusive: building both rail and trail in the corridor would cost more than four times the amount of the stand-alone trail we envisioned.
We believed this pointed to a clear path forward: The Rail-to-Trail (or stand-alone trail) option is the most cost-effective, it promises a clear return on investment, and—most importantly—it is what the communities actually want.
The Surprise Twist: We thought the data would drive the decision. We were wrong.
At its Tuesday, December 9 meeting, the Commonwealth Transportation Board, under a ‘Shenandoah Valley Rail Trail Update’ agenda item that was added just before close-of-business the day before the meeting, presented a very unexpected proposal to transfer the Shenandoah Rail Trail and its funding as a rail-with-trail project to the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VPRA). The VPRA would then give the funding to the Battlefield Foundation for a loosely defined “rail-with-trail” project—despite the prohibitive costs.
We were astonished. This proposal is being fast-tracked to be codified in meetings over the next five weeks:
➡ Tuesday, December 16: VPRA Meeting (update: VPRA voted to accept the project and its funding)
➡ Tuesday, January 6: CTB Meeting
Here’s what you can do
Before January 6, please send a message to the CTB and VPRA boards and tell them you:
➡ Oppose transferring the Shenandoah Rail Trail project and funding at this time.
➡ Support a stand-alone Shenandoah Rail Trail as the most realistic, cost-effective option for our communities.
Or, if you’d rather send a note directly from your email, here are the address for CTB members and the VPRA to copy/paste:
Shep.Miller@governor.virginia.gov, Ray.Smoot@ctb.virginia.gov, Frederick.Stant@ctb.virginia.gov, Tom.Fowlkes@ctb.virginia.gov, Wayne.Coleman@ctb.virginia.gov, Darrell.Byers@ctb.virginia.gov, Randy.Laird@ctb.virginia.gov, Thomas.Lawson@ctb.virginia.gov, Laura.Sellers@ctb.virginia.gov, Joel.Davis@ctb.virginia.gov, Linda.Green@ctb.virginia.gov, DJ.Gribbin@ctb.virginia.gov, Becky.Dunlop@ctb.virginia.gov, John.GoodJr@ctb.virginia.gov, JR.Minchew@ctb.virginia.gov, Tiffany.Robinson@drpt.virginia.gov, Stephen.Brich@vdot.virginia.gov, contactus@vpra.virginia.gov
If you’d like to dig deeper here are some links to more information:
However deep you’re able to go, I implore you to speak up. This project is key to the kind of economic development that supports our rural economy and historic towns without threatening our natural resources. Let’s ensure future generations can enjoy this 50-mile destination trail.