SPARTANBURG, S.C. — South Carolina’s legislature has set aside an additional $10 million for development of the Saluda Grade Rail Trail, the Spartanburg Post and Courier reports.
Lawmakers had already earmarked $5 million for the project before Norfolk Southern agreed to sell the dormant 31-mile, two-state rail route, once the steepest main line in the U.S., to the Saluda Grade Trail Conservancy [see “Norfolk Southern to sell Saluda Grade …,” Trains News Wire, March 16, 2023].
The sale process will require NS to go to the Surface Transportation Board to officially abandon the route, after which three nonprofit groups that negotiated the agreement will take ownership and begin the process of pulling up the track and building a trail. The sale is expected to be completed by 2025.
Laura Ringo, executive director of Play, Advocate, Live Well — one of the nonprofit groups — said an economic and feasibility study is planned to better determine the condition of the route, and that the groups will pursue federal funding for development. At least three public meetings are yet to be scheduled to discuss the project.
Quoting Mr.Joseph Markfelder:
“and one other observation no highways or roadways being converted into trails for bikers or hikers.”
US Highway 70; the ‘old road’ from Old Fort to Ridgecrest, NC; HAS been converted to a hiking and biking trail. This is the former route up the Blue Ridge Mountains which more or less follows the Southern Railway (now Norfolk Southern) “loops” [the S line between Salisbury and Asheville,NC] up past Andrews Geyser and to Ridgecrest Tunnel. This highway was superseded by Interstate 40. Eventually it was closed to vehicular traffic and has been converted to a trail.
As far as Saluda grade is concerned. I too believe it is gone as far as an active rail line. Suggestion: any and all railfans who would like to see it saved, attend the STB abandonment hearings and protest it’s abandonment. [I know, this won’t really have any effect on the outcome. All NS has to say is; line has been closed over 20 years, NO TRAFFIC in that time.]
Regarding my earlier comment, just seems like there will still be a lot of work to do (both administrative and physical) before this ‘trail’ becomes a reality.
Thank you for sharing that info. That is just one example of a highway being converted to a trail. In the ongoing debate over rails to trails and preservation, the easiest solution would be to let Mother Nature reclaim the right of way and let trees and other natural elements including wildlife take back what belongs to them. After all we as humans marched in and just took and destroyed so much of nature in the name of progress, greed and profits it is only fitting to repay back to Mother Nature what we took and destroyed. It is the best way and don’t cost a cent or any extra work or hearings or red tape to just simply close it down and let everything grow back over the area. Eventually it will come to that over the course of time and centuries to come
Joseph C. Markfelder
Leave the rails and track in place in case that some day that there is a revival or need for service once more. Then the cost to revive and put new track and roadbed in place will be far morethan if the orginal rail was kept in place. Another point to consider in this era of cost cutting and keeping within an operating budget as well as curbing discrertionary spending, how does the state of South Carolina explain spending 10 million dollars to convert a railroad right of way into a hiking and biking trail when that 10 million could be either used on something that benfits the public interest and is needed or just be wise and save that moey. Let private interests or donations finance this conversion from a railroad right of way to a trail. Too much of this mania gripping this country on turning rails into trails and one other observation no highways or roadways being converted into trails for bikers or hikers. If you are going to convert railroad right of ways into trails, it should also be done for highways and roadways also and let these conversions be done through private funding and not spending public funds on these conversions that while well meaning are not really serving any useful purpose.
Joseph C. Markfelder
As stated by Steven Moore, that line has no future as a rail route. NS routed everything through Salisbury to Asheville. Now NS has moved most of that traffic off that routing. My hope earlier was that somehow Blue Ridge Southern might have some interest about using the line. With no shippers and no maintenance performed for years this is one that screams conversion for a trail. Once completed I’m sure, just like in Damascas, VA, there will be companies opening up for bike rentals and shuttles. That entire area is ripe with outdoor activities. I generally don’t like a lot of the rail to trail conversions. But this one I feel is the correct move to make. And I’m sure it’s already being hiked to some degree.
Sounds like it might be MANY YEARS before anyone is actually able to hike or bike the proposed trail.
Seems like a win for NS, getting paid to abandon a long unused asset with no future. As an SC taxpayer, I will wait and see how much is “invested” in the trail, and how much NC kicks in. The more remote section with more challenging access and conversion costs is in NC. I can also see the western NC rafting companies offering to pick you and your bicycle up at the bottom in Tryon and drop you at the top in Zirconia to ride down Saluda Grade.
Can we get away from this converting rail lines to trails BS. Either switch to rails WITH trails or leave the rails in place in perpetuity for potential reactivation at a later date. Or in the case of Saluda, a definitely money making tourist operation.