Rails to Trails Landowner Rights Act

This bill changes how old rail corridors can be turned into public trails. It puts landowners first by requiring their written approval, fair payment for added costs or lost opportunities, and clear public information before a trail moves forward. It also adds more review to make sure trails are safe, make sense for the community, and won’t block future rail use if needed. Trail sponsors must maintain the corridor for as long as it’s a trail. The Surface Transportation Board (STB) will run a public comment process, check if the corridor width can be narrowed, and do a cost–benefit study paid for by the trail sponsor. An advisory group—mostly nearby landowners—will recommend maintenance rules for these trails.

Key points:

• Who is affected: Nearby landowners, trail sponsors (states, local governments, or qualified nonprofits), the STB, and communities along former rail lines.
• What changes:
  • A trail plan needs signed approval from every affected property owner within 30 days of the sponsor entering the rail-abandonment case. Sponsors must disclose the corridor’s legal status and create a public online portal with key details.
  • Owners must be compensated at least fair market value for added costs, including moving existing infrastructure or lost development chances. Sponsors must prove they can pay and must handle right-of-way maintenance going forward.
  • Before approval, the STB must allow at least 90 days for public comment, review whether the corridor width can be reduced, and complete a cost–benefit study covering safety, health, privacy, security, biosecurity, food security, and local economic impacts; sponsors cover the costs of these reviews. The STB may use an independent third party for the study.
  • The STB will regularly review these corridors and may recommend narrowing widths and maintenance rules to Congress.
  • The Interior Department will form an 11-member advisory committee (mostly landowners, plus rail carriers and trail sponsors) to recommend maintenance requirements. Members are unpaid and travel costs aren’t reimbursed, and a report is due within two years.

Overall, the bill makes trail conversions more transparent and landowner-driven, with stronger maintenance and community review.