The HBTrail Google group website: http://groups.google.com/group/HBTrail
This is a group that anybody can join

The HBTrail petition:  http://www.hbtrail.org/
Has been signed by over 400 supporters.

Rails-to-trails on the line

By James Shea
Times-News Staff Writer

Published: Monday, May 4, 2009 at 4:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Sunday, May 3, 2009 at 9:09 p.m.
Recreational enthusiasts continue to pursue a rails-to-trails project in Henderson and Transylvania counties, but Norfolk Southern railroad seems unwilling to abandon the line.
The rail line runs from downtown Hendersonville to Pisgah Forest. Advocates would like to remove the tracks and convert the line to a trail, which could be used by hikers and bike riders.
“It has been discussed for a long time,” Henderson County Recreation Director Tim Hopkins said. “It has been on the greenway (list) for at least the last 15 years.”
For the trail to be built, the railroad would have to abandon the line, something railroads are often reticent to do. Norfolk Southern says it is currently evaluating the line in Henderson and Transylvania counties and determining the track’s long-term benefit to the company. It has “no time line” on when the company’s plans will be finalized, Norfolk Southern spokesman Robin Chapman said.
“At this time, we have no plans to abandon it,” Chapman said. “We are considering if we want to re-open the line.”
He was uncertain of the exact nature of the right-of-way on the line but he said the type of legal right-of-way “has a bearing on the process” if the company decides to abandon the line.
Last year, a group of landowners along the line who opposed the rails-to-trails project sued Norfolk Southern claiming “if Norfolk Southern abandons that railroad track at some point in the future, the land over which the tracks traverses will revert to” the land owners.
Norfolk Southern requested that the case be dismissed. They argued that the railroad track had not been abandoned, and that the court had no jurisdiction. A federal magistrate agreed and referred the case to the Surface Transportation Board, which regulates the railroads.
Despite the legal maneuvering, advocates for the rails-to-trails project are still moving forward. They are circulating a petition of support and plan to present the document to elected officials in the coming months.
Hopkins said a rails-to-trails project on the Norfolk Southern line would be an economic boom for Henderson and Transylvania counties. Other projects, like the New River and Virginia Creeper trails, draw tourists from around the country, Hopkins said.
“We have so many wonderful resources that people could tap into if we did that,” Hopkins said.
As former rail lines, rails-to-trails have a gentle slope and can be used by people of all ages. Hopkins said he recently rode the New River Trail with his young children and his wife’s parents.
“The whole family went on a family bike ride,” Hopkins said.
He added, “If you look at the topography from Hendersonville to Pisgah Forest, it is very flat.”
Jerry Smith, chairman of the Apple Country Greenways Commission, said a loose-knit group of people is working hard to make the project a reality. He said the commission “is supporting their efforts.”
“We feel it is our role to support all greenway projects,” Smith said.
The group wants to earn the support of elected officials and work with Norfolk Southern, Smith said. He knows not everyone in the community will support a rails-to-trails project, but he believes the project will benefit the community.
“There is the challenge that there will be members of our community who oppose this,” Smith said.
The petition is available online at http://hbtrail.org and more information is at http://groups.google.com/group/HBTrail?hl=en.
Shea can be reached at 694-7860 or james.shea@blueridgenow.com.