News and links on the impacts of rail trails around the world

Just finished the Otago Central Rail Trail in NZ with 3 other couples. Truely amazing experience. I made a point to speak with the pub and accomodation owners, who are running very successful businesses, and they informed me that they would be shut if the rail trail was not operating. They even stated that the farmers that originally opposed the rail trail, now embraced it.

Otago Rail Trail is an amazing and breathtaking trail. Whether it be walking,running,cycling or trotting you will want to keep going back unless we have one here on the Northern Rivers! Photos taken by Geoff Bensley and with permission to others to share.

What a wonderful experience the Otago Rail Trail proved to be for Jan and me. This café owner informed me that the Rail Trail had added NZ$42M to the local economy and without it her business would not exist. Here we are at the start of the ride on a cold and blustery day with only 150km to go. I would thoroughly recommend the Otago Rail Trail and Adventure South the organisers to anyone who wished to enjoy beautiful scenery, great company, good food and plenty of exercise on the way. One early… Read more

Jan Boyd was instrumental in seeing the first stage of the Capricorn Coast Pineapple Rail Trail come to fruition last year. She is a 71 year old grandma and has always walked and ridden a bike. She got back on her bike in 2000 when all seven of her children were grown up. She won Citizen of the Year Award in 2014 in the Livingstone Shire. What an inspiration to seniors everywhere and of course to her 7 children and 20 grandchildren! How much easier for young and old alike to ride and walk if the… Read more