From Rails to Trails (Documentary Trailer)

Narrated by Edward Norton and featuring interviews with Howard Dean, Pete Buttigieg, Tommy Thompson, and Rails to Trails Conservancy co-founder Peter Harnik From Rails to Trails is a forthcoming documentary that tells the story of the multi-decade effort to transform abandoned railroads into public trails for cyclists and pedestrians to enjoy.

The hour-long documentary, premiering on public television stations and PBS.org on October 15th, offers an inside look at the massive economic changes, incredible imagination, enduring dedication, and hard-fought political battles that ultimately helped realize more than 26,000 miles of rail trails across the United States today. It’s a tale of the transformative triumph of one of the most unlikely grassroots movements in American history. From small-town showdowns to U.S. Supreme Court cases, From Rails to Trails unveils the legal, political, and cultural forces that shaped the rails-to-trails movement.

Spotlighted trails include the Illinois Prairie Path in Suburban Chicago, the Burke-Gilman Trail in Seattle, the Atlanta Beltline in Georgia, the West Rail Trail in Texas, the High Line in New York City, the Washington and Old Dominion Trail in DC, and the multi-state Great American Rail-Trail, which seeks to connect 3,700 miles of trails into a coast-to-coast route, from Washington, DC, to Washington State. The trail, which is halfway completed, will serve tens of millions of Americans.
 
Watch the one-minute trailer above, and stay tuned for the feature documentary this fall.