What is railroad abandonment?

Answer 1

In railroad abandonment, a railroad serves notice that it will cease operating all or part of a route or service, especially with the intent of never resuming it again. (If the route may possibly reactivate at some point in the future, then a separate process called railbanking is used.) It is a rather lengthy process, starting with a railroad's petition to the Surface Transportation Board (STB) in Washington, DC, the Federal regulatory agency that oversees the activities of railroads, trucking companies, and intercity bus companies. Abandonment can only occur with the permission of the STB, after the board considers the need of local communities and shippers for continued service balanced by the broader public interest in freeing railroads from financial burdens that are a drain on their overall financial health and lessen their ability to operate economically elsewhere.

What happens to the line after abandonment depends upon how the railroad obtained the property to begin with. In most cases, land grant rights-of-way are seen as reversionary-this means they return to the current adjoining property owners when the railroad corridor is abandoned. The exception to this rule is alternate section patent lands,which upon abandonment of active railroad status then belong to the railroads or their successors. Land that is purchased by the railroad company for use as right-of-way is not considered reversionary upon abandonment of active railway use; whereas the purchase of easement or right-of-way is considered a "right to use" the corridor until it is no longer needed for that purpose; in essence, it must remain a transportation corridor.

Answer 2

Railroad abandonment refers to the discontinuation of railroad operations on a particular track, line, or corridor. It often involves the removal of tracks, bridges, and other infrastructure, and may result from changes in transportation needs, economic factors, or shifting patterns of trade and development. Abandoned railroad corridors can sometimes be repurposed for other uses such as walking or biking trails.