> In the case of disused (bike trail) rail corridors around here (Ottawa) I think the chief concern would be NIMBY pressure. Going from a quiet bike trail to a busy commuter train route... OMG property values!
About a decade ago, CN bought out the EJ&E to use as a bypass around Chicago. The communities near the tracks were outraged and tried to block the deal, since it would transform the railway from a low-traffic route to a much higher-traffic. Yeah, there's serious NIMBY pressure on merely upgrading a train route; reconverting a local trail is going to be seriously worse.
About a decade ago, CN bought out the EJ&E to use as a bypass around Chicago. The communities near the tracks were outraged and tried to block the deal, since it would transform the railway from a low-traffic route to a much higher-traffic. Yeah, there's serious NIMBY pressure on merely upgrading a train route; reconverting a local trail is going to be seriously worse.