To be abandoned? Active rail line threatened by bike path - Save the Falmouth Secondary Rail Line
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- Опубліковано 7 лют 2025
- masscoastal.co...
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Save the Falmouth Secondary Rail Line
I am writing to support the preservation and continued operation of the MassDOT Falmouth Secondary Rail Line in Bourne and Falmouth, MA. This rail line is an essential resource for Cape Cod and Massachusetts that needs to be retained for current and future uses. Rail transportation is the most efficient way to move heavy freight long distances and is also the answer to reducing traffic on the canal bridges. Without the line truck traffic will increase on Cape Cod and the option for future passenger service will be eliminated. A compromise with the trail group can be made making the path a rail with trail option where the trail runs alongside the rail. Removing the line for a bike path is an extremely shortsighted proposal that will have immediate and long term negative effects on Cape Cod and Massachusetts as a whole.
Signed,
[Insert name here]
Contact information:
Senator Susan Moran: susan.moran@masenate.gov
Tom Cahir, CCRTA: tcahir@capecodrta.org
Chalita Belfield, director of railroad properties for MassDOT: Chalita.Belfield@dot.state.ma.us
Meredith Slesinger, MassDOT Rail & Transit: Meredith.Slesinger@dot.state.ma.us
State Rep Steven Xiarhos Steven.Xiarhos@mahouse.gov
Congressman Bill Keating: keating.house....
For submitting editorials to local newspapers, see the following:
Bourne Enterprise: remillard@capenews.net
Falmouth Enterprise: saito@capenews.net
Sandwich Enterprise: paradise@capenews.net
Save Cape Rail website:
masscoastal.co...
Freight Railroads are Part of the Solution to Climate Change
www.aar.org/wp...
I want to see how much of an impact this video has so after you send e-mails be sure to comment “Sent” below!
Comments? Questions?
Just leave a note in the comment section and I'll get back to you.
©2023 South Coast Rail Videos
As both passenger and freight train traffic is witnessing a revival it's time to place a moratorium on bike path conversion.
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A permanent moratorium, hopefully.
Hopefully, the rails are saved! There are abandoned rail lines all over the country that can be converted to rail trails. This country should be adding more rail lines for passenger and freight service.
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की प्प्,च्ज़्व्च्प्1
The fact that the politicians actually think this is a good idea is mind-boggling. I’m definitely sending an email.
They think they’ll be heroes opening a new playground. We went through this same thing 25 years ago in Falmouth. This is a different ballgame though. Falmouth hadn’t seen a train at the time in about 10 years and it was terribly overgrown. This is an active and thriving rail line. Which
Also makes it all the absurd.
It's because they never stop...Their time is not consumed by other important things as most people...They are "career activists" if that can even be taken seriously. They hate industry, economic growth etc...If their little coffee shops or hippie stores cannot make it with all their mandates,They'll make damn sure nothing of substance can either.Again...Just my opinion.
They’re not thinking or caring about the thousands of semi trucks they’ll be putting on the road.
Yes they are leftists they hate capitalism !😡
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This is a great and needed video! I would think that Mass Coastal and Cavossa could sue these people for trying to cripple their business for dubious reasons. Also, I’m going to write in to everyone listed, but be wary of Tom Cahir. 25 years ago he ripped the rug out from those of us( friends of the Falmouth railway) that were fighting to save the Falmouth line. We nicknamed him “Judas Priest “. He was the self-proclaimed “rail guy” at the statehouse, he was quite the opposite. I still can’t believe we have to fight for a line that’s operating, but these people are ruthless. They lied about everything in Falmouth.
Vote out Susan Moran for starters. She is against the rail line according to a recent interview. In which she stated one of the projects she was working out was eliminating the rail line and expending the rail trail. Under the latest re-redistricting i am not in the same voting district as her.
@@VickyGeaganI figured as much. They all want to be the heroes opening another playground. This is the same thing that happened 25 years ago. No politicians backed us. And worse we had Tom Cahir pretend to back us but really didn’t. He made things actually worse.
Leftists are against capitalism that’s what this is all about 😡
Keep fighting because once those rails are gone you got a 99 percent chance of them never coming back !😡
Try 100% chance. I know how to fight after what we went through with the Falmouth line. The positive, it’s an active rehabbed track. The negatives will be the politicians. It’s the DOT that hopefully will save this.
Rails to Trails originally started out as a somewhat good cause, removing rail lines that have no future with the intent of turning them into trails. However in the last 20 years, the group has become increasingly radicalized. More and more trails are being built with designs that remove structurally sound rail bridges, which are replaced with light walking bridges, as well as several new build trails have allowed for urban encroachment onto the right of way or have altered the right of way which would increase the cost of reactivation. And there has been a push in several states to remove active rail lines, or lines which are slated for reactivation. Even after studies have found that the trails would have virtually no benefit on the communities. Personally, I feel that the group is now being used by individuals who don't want trains to run in their backyard, more so than its original intent.
A subject that is also overlooked is the fact that a rail trail will never break even. From the time of construction, the economic impacts on local businesses will never cover the cost of the initial construction of the trail. In addition, with rail grants the railroad is required to maintain those track standards for x amount of years. Railroads also have to foot a portion of the rehab cost, as well as covering the cost of any additional work which needs to be done outside of the grant. Whereas trail groups lack the funding or manpower to maintain the trails, most trail groups rely on government agencies to provide funding and manpower.
I do want to make it clear that I am not against trails, I just think if the communities are willing to throw money at them, why not build a trail along the ROW? Generally speaking the construction costs are not that much more, than what it would be to build a conventional rail trail. Atleast then the trail wont be removed if a rail operator wants to resume rail service.
I agree. The rails to trails organization originally targeted rail lines that were long abandoned. To go from that to what’s happening here is outrageous. They’ve gotten more and more bold with the help of politicians looking to win a popularity contest.
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@@jerrys9226they ruined a good section of the Adirondack Railroad as well. These Elites don't want commoners in their communities.
KEEP YOUR LINES!!
Over here in the UK we had a guy called Beeching back in the 60's and 70's decimate the UK's rail network. At the time British Rail certainly did need the help in trimming things up to save itself and Beechings report was cranked up by the execs to 11 and they got over excited and culled line after line.
My town has one short section of the old Oxford to Cambridge line in use, it was spared and now for the last 10 years works have been underway to reopen and relay the line at each end creating a highly needed east - west link which funnily enough had already been in place before both ends got the "Beeching Axe". Now its a convoluted mess of trying to raise capital and decide on the new routes as parts of the old track bed are now under houses, roads and cycle paths.
It's happening all over the UK, where we are desperate for rail capacity, especially East - West capacity and it had it, and trashed it. The USA barely has a rail network like that in the UK and we are desperate for new lines so you need to keep every last rail!
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Rail trail advocates have been pushing to eliminate many active rail lines claiming it is environmentally better to replace all rail with bikes. The fix is before the rail option is eliminated announce that instead of shipping by rail all debris , construction material and cape generated trash they will ship via truck instead and will use the bridges while summer traffic is heaviest on the weekends.
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An excellent and comprehensive video and narration! I live in Monument Beach and I love the trains using this line. It’s also a vital link to the military serving this country on Joint Base, Cape Cod. There’s too many trucks going over the bridges already: imagine the impact of 70 more trucks per 15 car train going over them and our local roads to satisfy some bike riders. Don’t repeat the mistake that happened in Woods Hole- we could have had a Cape Flyer train going from Boston right to the Steamship ferry docks!
You’re absolutely right. Even after losing Woods Hole in 1975 the T could have had a 600 ft platform just north of Falmouth station for a cross-transfer in the steamship authority parking lot. That’s what we fought for in the late 90s and early 2000s and we lost. We were called “delusional dreamers “.
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I am more and more convinced we need to rethink transportation in this country. A cohesive plan would make life better for us all. Bikes are good for local transportation, but I really would like to see much more passenger service everywhere. Its nice to be able to get on a bike and ride down a trail from place to place but not at the expense of any rail route, certainly not an active one.
Where I used to live in North Carolina, tracks were removed and the area converted to a park and businesses that didn't require rail service. Now the city is building a "train terminal", which is really a bus depot for buses that will connect to a train station some 50 or 60 miles away. Oftentimes "It seemed like a good idea at the time" is our excuse for lack of critical thinking, deep study and selfless leadership. Where are our visionaries who look into the future for the betterment of everyone instead of merely for profit or transient ambition? Thanks for posting this video and information.
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A system to account for civilian commuter auto traffic needs to be developed to allow for active tracking of auto use. This would allow for better forecasting of road use, truck use and active road downtime (not in use, like a night, etc). Those data could also be used to develop a taxing system to encourage use of rail for commuting, or vice versa. There is no practical 'peak auto traffic' as roads could be built forever to allow for more vehicles but due to inelastic demand would never be ahead of the game. Americans show their disrespect of efforts to reduce fossil fuel use by buying oversized vehicles, like pick-up trucks or large SUVs, and then balk at any plans to make them contribute for this overconsumption of fuel. They believe the public's right to regulate the market ends at their personal ability to pay for a tank of gas (which runs over $100 for most pick-up trucks). Most believe the fuel crisis is a hoax or something made-up to keep the other political Party in power. Some really weird thinking out there where logic should rule the roost. Hopefully that will change. And I'd include the people trying to remove active or needed RoW's for bike paths. Unless both can be accommodated. Bike trails were established when it was thought railroads were a dead method of transportation. That isn't true anymore.
One of our issues is that the rails outside of the DC area are controlled by freight, putting passenger rail secondary. We could do so much more as a country on this front. I had the luxury of living in the northeast corridor and frequented the Boston to DC (or NY) trips. The gen 1 Acela was nice. Hopefully, gen 2 will be even better.
Done!
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Hello,
I am a life-long supporter of rail service and of the MBTA. I have utilized the Commuter Rail for transit to work in Boston's Financial District. I have lived in communities like Pawtucket, RI that have vibrant secondary freight lines that have done a remarkable job over the past century to enable the urban environment to thrive, in part, to the goods and services that the line provides. I currently live just a few miles from a busy freight terminus and much anticipated future commuter rail service in Fall River. The economic impact to this region is incredible; with the energy costs skyrocketing, freight service is is growing given the fuel efficiency of the rail over road transport. Businesses here are either in the process of reactivating rail delivery options, or seriously considering reactivating lines to reduce cost of last-mile delivery. It's viable, and it works.
I get disheartened when I hear that organizations are now pushing to have an ACTIVE rail service terminated to accommodate a leisure activity. I am speaking of the "Rails to Trails" push under way on the Cape - to take the utilize Falmouth secondary line and replace it with a bike path. It's one thing if a line has laid dormant for decades, but one that is not only active, but thriving and growing? This makes no economic sense.
For my friends at South Coast Rail, who have been a wealth of information on rail culture and development in our region, I am writing to support the preservation and continued operation of the MassDOT Falmouth Secondary Rail Line in Bourne and Falmouth, MA. This rail line is an essential resource for Cape Cod and Massachusetts that needs to be retained for current and future uses. Rail transportation is the most efficient way to move heavy freight long distances and is also the answer to reducing traffic on the canal bridges. Without the line truck traffic will increase on Cape Cod and the option for future passenger service will be eliminated. A compromise with the trail group can be made making the path a rail with trail option where the trail runs alongside the rail. Removing the line for a bike path is an extremely shortsighted proposal that will have immediate and long term negative effects on Cape Cod and Massachusetts as a whole.
Thank you,
Rade Radosevich-Slay
Tiverton, RI
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I live on the base, a few thousand yards from the tracks and my family and I love seeing and hearing the Mass Coastal trains come by. I'd be happy to sponsor you on the base if you want to get some video of the trains operating inside the base limits. There's a lot of cool old track features here, not to mention the transfer station, wye, and sidings.
Thanks for watching! Maybe I’ll have to take you up on that offer one day
I never knew this line existed. You’ve definitely got my support. S don’t get me started on those high and mighty cyclists.
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Mike this is a great video thank you for showcasing so many great views along the Falmouth Secondary. I think it was very important to mention the congestion issues this will cause if the rails are removed. A bike path could be built along the rails just adjacent to the rail bed in many areas. It’s a shame we even have to go this far but your video really shows why it’s so important to keep the rail right where is! I’ll be writing to MassDOT as well!
Freindly conductor on those trains with his flags to 😜
Thanks for watching and your support Tom. This isn’t something we can wait to blow over, we have to do something. Hopefully this effort helps.
Remember what happened to the Catskills mountain railroad !
@@ernestpassaro9663what happened to it?
@@jerrys9226 the ulster county government tore up good trackage for a rail trail!
The Falmouth line should be restored all the way to Woods Hole and a train-carrying ferry should continue the line to the Vineyard and Nantucket.
Cool! Thanks
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We fought like hell in 2016/2017 on the Ulster and Delaware corridor in Ulster county NY. We fought for rail WITH trail, and on the 11.1 mile stretch in question there were 2 spots the trail would have had to have been slightly altered- 1 cut and 1 fill section. Nope- they got their way and up came 11.1 miles of tourist line. I'm pulling for you all out in Mass.!
Oh my god, I can't believe that the trail without rail could actually happen in this case! I will absolutely write an email and share this around!
Unbelievable isn’t it. I wouldn’t hold my breath with these local politicians. They let us down 20 years ago with the Falmouth line. Hopefully the DOT won’t let this happen.
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I live in Texas and I hope this historic pine gets preserved. Love the videos and have been keeping track of em for a while now
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down here in GA. we have the Silver Comet Trail which was was a rails to trails project . A few years ago CSX wanted to buy it back because it took 70min off the travel time between Atlanta and Birmingham but to no Avail . All rail infrastructure since then has been removed.
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Amazing video and what a way to spread awareness especially for the people effected directly by the line’s existence and operations.
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Save the rail very every important to business
Email sent. Thank you for doing this!
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I wish the line continued down to woodhole, almost everyone I know always parks in north Falmouth to take the bus down to woods hole, we could totally, rebuild it as a light rail line to bring tourists from the park and ride lots, to the woods hole ferry terminal. Or even stretch all the way across the bridge to prevent more drivers from crossing the already narrow busy canal road bridges
We tried to save it 20 years ago and they called us delusional dreamers.
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I cannot fathom a Bike Path destroying Commercial Rail. Not to mention the tourist aspect of the rails.
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Look what happened to the Catskill mountain railroad fight these bastards !😡
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Thank you for highlighting this issue.
This is typical short sighted advocacy by "rail trail" folks. Massachusetts has spent tens of millions of dollars over the past 25 years on removing railroad tracks to install recreational "rail trails" that are for the most part underutilized. There are plenty of "abandoned" rail rights of way across the Commonwealth (in quotations because almost none of these rights of way have actually been put through the USDOT/FRA abandonment process), but it is not clear that converting these to recreational bike/pedestrian use is the best use of state funds. Unfortunately rail trail advocacy groups have powerful friends in the legislature and municipal officials.
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Thank-you for posting the video David. Say hello to Chris for me. I did not relize that they were still at it. I would not be surprised id representatives Susan Moran, and Sarah Peak have something to do with this. I will contact my local representatives. Senators Mark Pacheco and Susan Williams. This rail line will be needed when the Cape Cod Canal Bridges replacement starts.
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People build expensive homes near the rail line and then hope to make the value rise by converting it to a path. I love to bike, and I have ridden on the cape trails, but the cape has way too many cars and trucks already. So, removing rails is just not a good option in my opinion.
This is really an outrageous maneuver. I’d really like to hear their plan for where all these 1000s of trucks that would be put on the road.
It will attract people
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I hope this line is saved!! BTW i did send an email to the people you listed
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them NIMBYs tried that with the Santa Cruz, Big Trees and Pacific Railway in 2022 a big fat overwhelming NO vote happened!
I have been thinking years ago in my neighborhood I have a very old golf course I have lots of big owls I said to a friend they need to Start doing bird counts too at the golf courses. Well railroad corridors are also refuges for animal and flowers etc.... when my son was young I took him to a old old park I called it the railroad train park it may have been a old Chicago Northwestern line now UP. There was flag irises violas beaver tons of migratory birds turns gulls all heading north or south can't Remember they got stuck in a fluke bad snow storm you name it there were things to observe with rail travel...along that corridor going north out of Council Bluffs... For sure since we took away the thicket fencing train corridors need to be protected! Thanks
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i attended prep school in mashpee in 1960s. later in the military[i was drafted in 1972 in college in new hamphire] we flew our helos into otis base for flight time. in 1995 went to a reunion in hyannis and rode the bike trail to turo. great fun and memorys of the cape! i now live retired in cannan nh. where they made the concord line to lebanon nh into a rail trail,great for walking the dogs.....but nh has found out that they should have keep more open than just concord to lincoln line open. have you ever driven i-93 north? the trail group has alot of money on there side,look w hat happened in up state new york. i don't see how they should have that much power.
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This is a absolute outrage what on earth are theses advocates thinking. Taking a active line that is generated jobs and putting money into the local community. To be turned into one these stupid rail trails. Where is the logical thinking. The only thing i can see happening is increasing road traffic putting more truck's on the roads and increasing wear and tear on City and county roads. Make's my blood boil when stupid proposals like this one has no merit.
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They need to leave this railroad alone no bike path
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A growing hobby in this country is homemade motorized rail karts.
We need a lot more abandoned rails left in place to run our rail carts on!!!
What ever comes up you put out to sign and save i will these rail trail people are getting way out of hand .
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Great video I hope this line does get saved
I hope so too
@SouthCoastRailVideos Fingers crossed 🤞🤞🤞 I also wanted to ask you can I give you a special shout-out in a video
Hell yea! Less trucks,more trains!
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IF those tracks are "active" they CAN'T be dismantled, & it IS better hauling construction/demolition debris than having ALL those darn trucks! Let those kooks cry, & wine like little babies! 👍😃
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Is there any possibility of adding a walking/cycling path parallel to the line? I ask because here in Kitchener/Waterloo Ontario Canada.. there are a few miles of paved trail built beside the branchline to Elmira Ontario.
That was suggested but the bike advocates say it is “cost prohibitive”.
Perhaps only because they don't think that option would suit them. They're are miles of such shared rights of way across the continent. I'm suspecting that they're an entitled bunch. @@SouthCoastRailVideos
I should also have noted, I really enjoy your videos. I find the "rail renaissance "you're illustrating to be very interesting. I think there is still a huge market potential for so called "manifest" freight all over the continent. .@@SouthCoastRailVideos
@@rjb5847 We think the trail is really just a way for them to get the tracks removed. They most likely could care less about biking and connectivity... And I agree, there's a lot of potential that has yet to be realized. Just need to keep the tracks in place so it can happen.
@@SouthCoastRailVideosI wouldn’t be surprised if the road lobby is supporting the Rails to Trails projects.
Thanks for Showcasing...Why cant they share this Corridor and receive a $3100 Grant per mile of Railway/BIKE PATH.....😢🎉😂❤
They’ll follow the same blueprint they followed 20 years ago in Falmouth. They’ll inflate the cost of going alongside or say it’s impossible. There’s one big difference here though, this line is been rehabbed and is in operation. 20 years ago in Falmouth the bike path committee stated it would be 7 million to rehab the tracks, but if they put the bike path down the centerline and ripped out the tracks it would only cost 1.5 million for the bike path. It was all a lie. The bike path cost 11.5 million.
Wow!
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@@jerrys9226 Crazy!
Rail With Trail.
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Sent!
Thanks for your support
The Falmouth line should be saved.
I agree!
Awesome video 😊
Thanks for the visit!
It’s criminal to rip up active (and recently renewed) train tracks to satisfy a few bike enthusiasts.
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If this is successful I want to ask everyone who pushed for the abandonment if the dozens of dirty, smelly diesel exhaust spewing big rigs clogging the already overcrowded Cape roads are the better option. But hey, you got your precious bike path....
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Read somewhere that a railroad can reclaim a rail bed from a rail to trails if the need is great enough. Nothing the other side can do.
Build trails along side the tracks where it can be done. This way both sides are satisfied. The "tree hungers" do not need to stand in the way of progress.
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What the tree hugger are advocating is much worse for the environment because the rail cars must be replaced by trucks.
@@ScottPalmer-mp1wethis leads me to suspect that the road lobby is funding this.
Replacing an active freight rail carrier is neither prudent nor productive nor GREEN...the ENVIRONMENTALLY buzz word...build a bike path next to it. These ecofrauds who CLAIM to be environmentally friendly are either ignorant or out and out liars.
Hear! Hear! Thanks
They are liars! Rail trails advocates are frauds. A car load on a rail is better than 4 trucks on the roads? I'm not sure about you, but I'm not going to ride my bike 50 miles on a railtrail!
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You need that line for national defense !
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Excelente video tremenda pasada 💯💪🏻 Like 👍🏻 y saludos 🙋🏻
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I can understand how freight trains can cause a lot of noise for communities.
However, between efficiency, quality of life, and general vehicle traffic nowadays, I feel like these are the macro level thoughts that don't require a lot of thought. Mainly because if railroads suddenly decreased for a larger truck industry, this is contrary to other challenges facing communities nationwide.
Like with highways and roadways alike, it is inevitable that they have crashes and traffic congestion that causes delays. I'm not so sure it is always beneficial to do away with one thing for another.
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That’s insane
Yep, it certainly is.
What picture do you see if you look up the definition of insanity?😅 Hard to put all that failure into one photo I must admit.
Won't let me post the photo that came to my mind...😂 You know the one...
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Ugh,,,,,when will the madness end? Active freight lines should be OFF LIMITS to the trailies.
It is crazy that we have to fight to keep the rails and not focus our attention on expanding and restoring service.
Hey I just explored this abandoned train spot in Middleborough!! Can I put the link from this video in mines so people can know the history?
Could not send an email to Bill Keating as I'm not in Mass, but I emailed the others.
I’m not holding my breath with these politicians. I think it will ultimately, hopefully the DOT that has some sanity.
@@jerrys9226 I'm cautiously optimistic. They did fund multiple different rebuilds of the track in the last year, but one should still contact representatives and MassDOT themselves.
Yep, you’re right. That’s what I did. The rebuilds and the half million they gave Cavossa to upgrade.
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I believe we can come to an agreement with rail trail advocates, and make a future bike path along the rail line
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Very few if any will try to work with you. Most of them don't want to have the trails maintained anyway. They want to be isolated and/or flex their political muscles so they can virtue signal to the world.
Rather than shut off a profitable useful line why not compromise an build a path along right away.
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What a ridiculous idea this is a critical access point for transit. Also if the military needs a connection to the national rail network this line is needed. What a joke
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Tear it up so millions can be spent rebuilding it in 10 years. Duh!
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screw the bike path
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Way to go close down a viable rail line to make a park for hipsters with trust funds who don’t work and eliminating blue collar jobs !😡
That's been my sentiment for years....They don't understand the cost they impose on others.Then they have the gall to complain about the lack of jobs, the souring economy or even the cost of goods.If you limit where something is produced or make it more expensive to transport....etc....They won't get it until it's all gone.Then they'll blame someone else and vote for another government program to fix it....
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Sent
Thanks for your support
i despise these rail trail projects unless they're on a line that you know will never, ever be used again...by that i mean abandoned to the point the forest has reclaimed them. but if the tracks still go somewhere that could one day see enough rail traffic to justify operating on them, then it's preferable to keep them in place. at least in some jurisdictions, when they do turn a right of way into a trail, the railroad still retains ownership over the land so if they deemed it economical to place rails down again they could. but in others, the railroads just sell them (which i am sure they do a business case to know it's worth it...i mean some old rail lines that go to some tiny town are definitely never gonna see a train these days)
unfortunately it can be a nightmare dealing with cycling advocates, heh. biking is fun and good for you, i'm sure we all have a bike and use it, but the whole cycling community is extremely entitled and annoying. the only reason they go after rail lines for trails is because of how easy it is to convert one but they can just as easily bulldoze, grade and build a new trail. except that would require more tax dollars spent, so they do this
for sure a lot of our old rail is just never gonna see use again because it was created in a time when rail transportation was more important so trains went everywhere. every city and town had a rail connection and it was the lifeline of north america. but with the expansion of highways and roads starting in the 1950s, it killed a lot of that. a lot of those old tracks can for sure be converted into trails or just rezoned and redeveloped for more use and i think a lot of us train fans forget about that since we romanticize trains, but also it is definitely important to not tear out too much tracks or lose these rights of way because rail is still very important. that's especially true these days. we all know the reality of climate change which has been exasperated by our addiction to driving everywhere, so if we want to help fix those problems then trains are important. once upon a time we had passenger trains going everywhere. not so much anymore. if we want to see that again, then we need to maintain the rights of way so that we can maybe one day be able to efficiently take trains to get around. that's a heck of a lot more important than cycling trails
No abandonment of rail line jobs at stake let them pedal their bikes elsewhere where is gov Healy about jobs see Gibbons v Ogden 1824 commerce clause necessary and proper clause ride your bicycles elsewhere national defense and commerce take lead
The politicians let us down 20 years ago in Falmouth. We have to fight this.
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Defund rail trails.!
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As someone who is a railfan as well as a cyclist, I can tell you that no one uses rail trails. They're a waste of money.
Thanks for watching. I hope you voice your opinion to the linked officials.
A few actually do but not to the extent to make it a viable replacement.
The main point is this is an active rail line and they should only go alongside.
Why does the trail have to follow this route? Build it somewhere else.
They’ll use the cost argument, but this is a whole different ballgame, it’s an active track. Not some long abandoned rail line.
A rail trail follows an abandoned right of way. No one will sell a 19' swath through their property.
The ROW is 60 feet wide. They can’t find 10 feet in there?
Correction, after a little research, the ROW averages 75 ft. Wide. In some places 85ft.
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I believe it’s ludicrous that the trail supporters want to abandon a rail line that goes to a military base, we need to be able to transfer tanks and bring equipment like that in without using roads
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If the rail line is abandoned the railroad right-of-way , bridges and structures will be sold or donated to the city , county or state and then they will be responsible for maintenance , operation and repairs as needed . Bridge operators and maintainers will need to be hired and trained . Strict rules must be enforced and policed for safety . These costs can get higher and higher as every thing ages . The cost of SAFETY APPARATICES along the rail trail bridges and dangerous locations will be very high . Too much liability for a city to be responsible for . Law enforcement agencies should create bike squads to patrol the rail trails on a regular basis .
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Thats happened to Tioga Central RR this past yr north of me in PA. Tracks to Rail Trail... The G&W owns a line in Wellsboro PA called the Wellsboro & Corning.The tourist rr connected to the W&C is the Tioga Central RR. TCRR was the last tourist rr in this part of PA, nothing for a few hours west on US 6 in Titusville, and the same going east (Scranton/Honesdale). Unfortunately Covid was the nail in the coffin for the tourist rr. So they decided with a grant to tear the line up from the station the TCRR used for only a yr n half to the jtn where the Pine Creek Rail Trail ends. I havent been up to see the results of the work, but Im not that happy along with a few others. G&W is a RR killer and now trail freaks got their way.
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Im not some anti-bike chud but rail infrastructure is incredibly important for decarbonizing the economy. Closing down a useful rail lines is anti-environmental and pro-Car dependancy
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Just my opinion but I think we have enough bicyclists out there as it is...They had one of their cross country rallies a couple weeks ago and accomplished nothing more than making alot of people mad.
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We need railroads NOT rail trails
The "Trail Nuts" need to keep their grubby paws off of this as well as any other viable rail line ...
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Go Rail!
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Sure, we need another rail line changed to a “trail”. Another taxpayer funnel that will NEVER pay for itself. Been there, did that!
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I see no evidence of plans to abandon these tracks
I think you’re missing the point. The railroad isn’t planning to give up but a bike path group is pushing for state officials to abandon the line so it can become a bike path.
Hopefully if people fight the railroad will stay
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Mass Coastal leasing more cars for the Energy Train?
This isn’t the energy train. These are construction and demolition cars that go out of state.
AS rail fan, I believe we need more Rail service not less, that is how this country was built was by the rail not bikes,, people need to look into the difference of cost between rail and trucking, and the environmental impack trucking has, rail is a clean source of transporting, bike are for a few, rail services everyone. do what they use to do riding bikes use the road way
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Rail trails are not the safest places for people to ride their bike's due to the danger of assault's in remote areas . Too many evil people that could target people on the rail trail . We have a rail trail near where I live and no one uses it as it's too dangerous . Vehicle access is limited and remote . As for rail trails along side the rail road is a HORRIBLE and DANGEROUS idea . People need to stay away from rail roads as " ANY TIME IS TRAIN TIME " and train's at times run SILENT and can't be heard . I know this as I worked for Union Pacific Rail road for decades . Abandoning the rail line to satisfy a small group of people for their desire a rail trail that will be paid for by tax dollars is a very bad idea .
Nothing more useless than a bike trail
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The hell with bikes, we need trains, better for the economy and better for the environment.🇺🇸
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These people cry about trucks cry about trains love everything to there front door but yet want to get rid of everything make green for the community they are so far from reality it's scary.
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Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anyone (BANANA) is what they are popular called.
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Here's a link to the video of the Upper cape regional transfer station. ua-cam.com/video/kGx8g1XR_XI/v-deo.html A shared rail + trail would be far more expensive, requiring more fill, and compaction, removing trees, miles of fencing, new bridge over the pocassett river, and for the wear surface either stone dust or pavement.
Thanks for watching. It would make more sense for the trail to find a different route or figure out their own funding to pay for the extra construction.
People need to stop making rail lines active. People need to think more trucks are bad. Trains are good there, keeping fewer trucks off the road.
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🇳🇱SUPER VIDEO👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍💯💯🍀
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Rail is better than rail trails. No more rails to trails unless the line is already gone........
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Weird that a home owner wouldn’t want noise from an occasional freight train behind their house. But random people including hoodlums at anytime of the day or night is fine.
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I do not live in Massachusetts so I have no right to officially send in a comment to the Commonwealth.
We face somewhat similar issues here in New York with outdoor hiking groups.
One common denominator remains the same though; railroads provide a valuable service to the people and their positive impact on commerce and the economy is quite large.
Hikers and bicyclists on the other hand have a low impact on the economy and they are actually a drain on tax revenue whereas commerce from rail activity provides tax revenue in multiple ways.
It might also be interesting to learn how many of these rail trail bicycle advocates are NOT residents of the Commonwealth.
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You can build a railroad you certinally can create paths....make it wheelchair etc.......There is a company in Canton Ohio that lays down environmentally safe covering for paths road airports horse tracks harvest areas dust control.. you guy could purpose some paths in some areas. No more black top. Thanks ok
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Screw a bike patch. I hate that.
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Heck with the environmentalist and their way of thinking!
You can ship more tonnage by rail then you can with an "electric semi"! Keep the rail line in place and put it it to use
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Sounds like what happened to us.
It was extremely unfortunate what happened in NY. Let’s hope we can stop them this round.
No rail trails
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Insanity to shutdown an active Railroad for a Trail. The left wing crap has to stop! Be the Adult in the Conversation!
You shouldn't say abandoned. Say temporarily decommissioned, or rails to trails will be there ripping up the tracks before you get done
Did you bother watching the video?