The Shocking Untold History of America’s Rails-to-Trails Movement

If you’ve ever taken a stroll on New York’s High Line or ridden along Missouri’s Katy Trail, you might assume that it was a no-brainer for communities across the U.S. to rip up the old abandoned train tracks that used to run there and build a sanctuary for people outside cars. 

In actuality, though, the story of the rails-to-trails movement is one of the most epic, controversial, and still ongoing tales in the history of American advocacy — and now, it’s finally getting a film that’s worthy of that epic narrative. 

On Oct. 15, PBS and member stations near you will air a new documentary called From Rails to Trails, which “captures the 60-year struggle — and transformative triumph — of one of America’s most unlikely grassroots movements.” It’s a star-studded affair featuring narration by academy award nominee Edward Norton and cameos from folks like Pete Buttigieg, but one of its highlights are interviews with author, activist, and now, executive producer Peter Harnik, who literally wrote the book on the history of the rail-trail movement and its role in challenging car dependency. 

On this episode of the Brake, we sat down with Harnik to talk about the secret history of one of the fiercest battles over public space in U.S. history, the time rail-trails ended up before the Supreme Court, the Trump administration’s recent clawbacks to trail funding, and more. 

Click here an un-edited transcript of this conversation (with typos).