Trails for Transportation (T4T)

Formerly known as the "Trail until Rail" working group, the Trails for Transportation (T4T) team represents a long-standing partnership of active trail advocates across Maine. Composed of representatives from all of the state's major rail-trail networks alongside diverse partner organizations, the team has historically championed pivotal changes in state legislation and innovative funding models.

Meeting on a monthly basis, the working group's current efforts are focused on:

Project Acceleration: Advancing the critical planning, design, and fundraising required to connect and complete multi-community rail-trail projects statewide.
Agency Collaboration: Partnering directly with the Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT) to establish clearer communication, shared goals, and collaborative infrastructure planning frameworks.

Rail to Trail Projects in Maine

The Casco Bay Trail is a proposed 72-mile multi-use trail loop through the communities of Auburn, Brunswick, Cumberland, Durham, Falmouth, Freeport, Lewiston, Lisbon, New Gloucester, North Yarmouth, Portland, Pownal, Topsham, and Yarmouth. Learn about the route and how supporters can help at the Casco Bay Trail Alliance website.
Down East Sunrise Trail - The Down East Sunrise Trail is a multi-use corridor connecting eastern Maine and the East Coast Greenway. Locally the Sunrise Trail Coalition advocates for transportation alternatives in Down East Maine, coordinating with DOT, trail users, and ATV clubs to ensure the trail is safe and accessible and advocating for trail users at the state and local level.

The Eastern Trail includes 22 off-road miles from South Portland to Kennebunk, as well as a scenic on-road route that mostly follows quiet country roads. Cyclists and hikers can enjoy a beautiful journey from South Portland’s Bug Light Park on Casco Bay (near Portland) to Kittery’s Piscataqua River. Supporters continue planning and fundraising to finish the trail through several active campaigns, including a critical 1.6-mile gap between South Portland and Scarborough, crossing the Saco River in Saco and Biddeford, and a 19 mile section between Kennebunk and South Berwick.
Friends of the Mountain Division Trail (southwestern Maine) - Under legislation passed in 2023, the Maine Department of Transportation, with the support of local communities is planning, engineering, and constructing a trail until rail from Fryeburg to Standish. Ten miles are already constructed and in use, and another 31 miles are in the planning phases.

The Kennebec River Rail Trail stretches 6.5 miles along the Kennebec River, extending from Augusta's Waterfront Park, through the towns of Hallowell and Farmingdale, to its conclusion in Gardiner. The trail parallels the existing rail bed and welcomes locals and visitors alike for walking, running, cycling, skateboarding, rollerblading, and dog walking.
The Merrymeeting Trail is a proposed 25-mile trail connecting the villages of Gardiner, Richmond, Bowdoinham, and Topsham.It would be built on top of the existing railroad corridor as a “trail until rail” – ready to be returned for train service if needed in the future.
In and around Maine's largest city, Portland Trails comprises 100 miles of trails "connecting neighbors, communities, and the natural world."

Realizing the Statewide Active Transportation Plan

Maine defines active transportation as any mode of travel propelled by human power. Since the 2021 legislative mandate for a statewide plan, MTC's Trails for Transportation Team (previously called the Trail Until Rail Team) has worked with MaineDOT to ensure our Active Transportation Arterials Vision is reflected in state policy.

We continue to advocate for the funding and development of connected off-road trail systems. To ensure success, MTC supports the addition of specific mileage goals, clear construction timelines, and performance targets to keep Maine moving forward.

Q: What is a rail trail?

A: There are four kinds of rail trails:
Trail within the rail corridor AKA “Rail With Trail”
Trail located adjacent to the right of way AKA “Rail With Trail”
Trails within or adjacent to public transportation corridor AKA “Rail With Trail”
“Rail to Trail” with “Trail Conversions” AKA “Trail Until Rail”
More information on rail-trails here.

Q: What are the benefits of long-distance, multi-use trails?

A: Trails offer health, transportation, and community benefits, of course, and they also bring economic benefits to the towns they pass through!
Examples of other long distance trails:

A multi-use trail in Quebec - le P’tit Train du Nord is 122 mile long and passes through small towns not unlike our many small towns Maine. The trail tourist office states that 1,000,000 people use the trail each year and they bring in $200M into the local economies.
The 62-mile Pine Creek Trail in Pennsylvania gets 200,000 visitors per year who add $5M into the local economies.
The Empire State Trail is a 750-mile bikeway arterial running East-West and North-South through the state of New York. It builds upon several existing trails, including the Erie Canalway Trail; and it traverses 27 New York counties, 130 municipalities, and 35 state parks. The launch of the Empire State Trail vision is described in some detail in a 2017 New York Times article. Like the Maine vision presented in this report, the New York vision involved “capitalizing on the popularity of the rails to trails movement” and connecting “a patchwork of existing multiuse trails” into a fully integrated trail network. The New York state legislature set aside $200 million in the 2018 budget alone to catapult forward this vision.

Q: But if we rip out rails along a former rail corridor, doesn't that mean we can never have rail transportation in that area again?

A: No. Most major rail corridors are permanently federally protected! If the tracks ever need to go back in for train service, they will. This process is known as “railbanking”. Railbanking has been responsible for preserving thousands of miles of rail corridors across the country. To date, more than 350 rail corridors (43 states plus D.C.) have been railbanked, with more than 160 trails open partially or fully on railbanked corridors. Click here to learn more about railbanking.