Rails-to-Trails Conservancy announces Rock Island Trail preservation

The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy was very active in support of the effort to insure that the new 145-mile section of the Rock Island Line was railbanked--as Ameren announced yesterday.  RTC's assistance has been invaluable in this effort, in providing expert advice, in activating its passionate and well organized nationwide network of rail-trails supporters, and in stepping up big time with their bid to actually purchase the corridor, handle the salvage operations, and then donate the corridor to Missouri State Parks. 

Rock Island Railroad Corridor - 213 miles from Kansas City to Beaufort

In the end, their bid was not accepted but its importance in paving the way for the ultimate resolution to railbank the corridor cannot be understated.  RTC was willing to take on a huge project, with a large amount of work an financial responsibility, in order to support the creation of this major rail-trail in Missouri.  We applaud and thank RTC for their willingness to step up to support Missouri rail trails, and for all they do to support the rail trail and active transportation movements across the nation.

Read RTC's summary of the Rock Island success this week and its importance on the RTC Blog:

We are pleased to share some wonderful news concerning our campaign to preserve the 145-mile Rock Island Line in Missouri for future conversion to a rail-trail.

The Missouri Central Railroad Company yesterday announced its intention to undertake the necessary steps to have the corridor “railbanked,” and to work with the State of Missouri to have it preserved for trail development.

This moment represents one of the great victories of the rail-trail movement over the past decade, and is a testament to the strong voice of rail-trail advocates and the growing recognition of the importance of trails and trail-use to communities everywhere.

Railbanking this corridor was the number one goal of our involvement with the Rock Island Line project – to make sure this remarkable asset was not lost but instead preserved in public ownership and made available for public use.

There is no doubt that the massive groundswell of public support for a rail-trail that RTC and local advocates mobilized in recent months convinced Ameren, the owner of the corridor, just how important this trail was to communities in Missouri. It is the reason we celebrate this victory today. As a supporter of RTC, you are part of that groundswell and you are the reason we celebrate this victory today. Thank you.

Thanks goes to many groups like RTC, the Missouri Rock Island Trail, Inc (MoRIT), Missouri State Parks, and especially to Ameren, for having the vision to create this trail that will be a legacy for Missouri for generations to come.