Rails with trails (RWT) are a small subset of rail trails in which a railway right-of-way remains in use by trains yet also has a parallel recreational trail. Hundreds of kilometers of RWTs exist in Canada, Europe, the United States, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates.
One of the railroad crossings along the Camp Chase Trail, a rails with trails in the United States. The trail has seven crossings, the most of any rails with trails in the U.S.A.
Rail with trail, Switzerland
Bicycle and freight train
A rail trail is a shared-use path on railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed but may also share the right of way with active railways, light rail, or streetcars, or with disused track. As shared-use paths, rail trails are primarily for non-motorized traffic including pedestrians, bicycles, horseback riders, skaters, and cross-country skiers, although snowmobiles and ATVs may be allowed. The characteristics of abandoned railways—gentle grades, well-engineered rights of way and structures, and passage through historical areas—lend themselves to rail trails and account for their popularity. Many rail trails are long-distance trails, while some shorter rail trails are known as greenways or linear parks.
East Gippsland Rail Trail signage in Victoria, Australia, indicating the shared trail usage
Bill Thorpe Walking Bridge in Fredericton
A rail trail in southern Rhode Island
The "Nordbahntrasse" in Wuppertal, Germany
