List of rail trails in Massachusetts

This list of rail trails in Massachusetts details former railroad right-of-ways in Massachusetts that have been converted to trails for public use and proposed rail trails where trails exist but have not been fully established.

Massachusetts has at least 69 rail-trails, covering 347 miles. A massive new project proposed by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, called the Landline, seeks to connect these trails, creating a 1,400-mile network of greenways and foot trails within the Boston region. When finished (currently 45 percent of the greenway network and 60 percent of the foot trail network is complete), the network would bring trail access within a half mile of three-quarters of the region's residents, and 92 percent of residents would be within one mile of the nearest trail or path."^[1]

Established rail trails

Alewife Linear Park (Cambridge)
Amesbury Riverwalk Trail^[2]
Ashburnham Rail Trail^{[citation needed]}
Ashuwillticook Rail Trail (12 miles in North Berkshires)
Assabet River Rail Trail southwest end (5.8 miles, Hudson to Marlboro) completed, & northeast end 3.4 miles (from South Acton station (MBTA) through Maynard to Stow)
Bedford Narrow Gauge Trail^[3] (Bedford) a.k.a. Narrow Gauge Rail Trail
Blackstone River Bikeway (near Worcester) a.k.a. Blackstone River Greenway
Border to Boston Trail^[4]
Bradford Rail Trail^{[citation needed]}
Bruce Freeman Rail Trail (Lowell to Framingham)
Canalside Rail Trail (Turners Falls)
Cape Cod Rail Trail (Dennis to Wellfleet)
Clipper City Rail Trail^[5] (Newburyport)
Cochituate Rail Trail^[6] (Natick Center to the Saxonville section of Framingham, crossing Lake Cochituate)
Columbia Greenway Rail Trail^{[citation needed]} (Westfield)
Danvers Rail Trail^[7] (Danvers)
East Boston Greenway
Eastern Marsh Trail^[8] (Salisbury)
Fitchburg Cutoff Path (Belmont to Cambridge)
Frances P Ryan Bikeway (Northampton)
Ghost Trail^[9] (Salisbury)
Grand Trunk Trail (Massachusetts)^{[citation needed]}
Haggetts Rail Trail^{[citation needed]}
Hanover Branch Rail Trail^{[citation needed]}
Independence Greenway^{[citation needed]}
Jay McLaren Memorial Trail^{[citation needed]}
Lower Neponset River Trail a.k.a. Neponset Trail a.k.a. Neponset River Greenway
Manhan Rail Trail (Easthampton)
Mass Central Rail Trail (Partially complete, Boston to Northampton)
Mass Central Rail Trail—Wayside (Partially complete, Waltham to Berlin)
Marblehead Bike Path^{[citation needed]} a.k.a. Marblehead Rail-Trail
Mattapoisett Rail Trail^{[citation needed]}
Methuen Rail Trail^[10] (Methuen)
Minuteman Bikeway (Bedford to Cambridge)
Nashua River Rail Trail (Ayer to Nashua, New Hampshire)
Newton Upper Falls Greenway^[11]
North Central Pathway^[12] (Gardner to Winchendon)
North Plymouth Rail Trail^{[citation needed]} (Plymouth) a.k.a. Seaside Trail
Northern Strand Community Trail: Everett, Malden, Revere, Saugus, and Lynn^[13]
Norwottuck Branch of the Mass Central Rail Trail (Northampton to Belchertown)
Old Colony Rail Trail (Harwich and Chatham)
Phoenix Rail Trail^[14] (Fairhaven) a.k.a. Phoenix Bike Trail
Pierre Lallement Bike Path^{[citation needed]}
Quequechan River Rail Trail (Fall River)
Quinebaug River Rail Trail^{[citation needed]}
Redstone Rail Trail^[15] (East Longmeadow)
Reformatory Branch Rail Trail (Bedford to Concord) a.k.a. Reformatory Branch Trail
Saulnier Trail^{[citation needed]} (New Bedford)
Shining Sea Bikeway (Falmouth to Woods Hole)
Somerville Community Path
Spencer Depot Rail Trail^{[citation needed]}
Southern New England Trunkline Trail
Southwick Rail Trail^[16] (Southwick) (connects with Farmington Canal Heritage Trail)
Sterling Rail Trail
Tri-Community Greenway^[17] (Stoneham, Winchester, Woburn)
Upper Charles Rail Trail^[18] (Holliston) (Milford) a.k.a. Holliston Rail Trail^[19] a.k.a. Milford Rail Trail^[20] (Milford Branch)
Ware River Rail Trail^[21]
Watertown-Cambridge Greenway
Wellington Greenway^{[citation needed]}
Whitney Spur Rail Trail^{[citation needed]}
World War II Veterans Memorial Trail^[22]

In planning/under construction

Boston-Worcester Air Line Trail (BWALT)^[23] (Worcester to Framingham, branches in Marlborough and Berlin)
Bay Colony Rail Trail^[24] (Newton to Medfield)
Belmont Community Path
Chelsea Greenway
Farmington Canal Trail (connects with Southwick Rail Trail)
Grand Junction Multi-use Path^[25]
Marion Pathway^{[citation needed]}
Mattapoisett Rail Trail^[26]
McKnight Community Trail^[27] (Springfield)
Norton/Mansfield Rail Trail Extension ^[28]
Southampton Greenway^[29]
Squannacook Rail Trail^[30]
Twin Cities Rail Trail^[31] (Fitchburg to Leominster)
Wakefield-Lynnfield Rail Trail^[32]

References

^ "How to make the most of New England's rail-trail system" https://www.boston.com/travel/travel/2018/08/15/how-to-make-the-most-of-new-englands-rail-trail-system
^ "Amesbury Riverwalk Trail". Amesbury Trails.
^ "Narrow-Gauge Rail-Trail". Friends of Bedford Depot Park.
^ https://essexheritage.org/explore/border-to-boston/
^ "Clipper City Rail Trail, Newburyport". Coastal Trails Coalition.
^ "Cochituate Rail Trail (CRT)". Friends of Natick Trails. Retrieved 2023-11-19.
^ "Danvers Rail Trail". Friends of Danvers Recreation.
^ "Eastern Marsh Trail, Salisbury". Coastal Trails Coalition.
^ "Ghost Trail, Salisbury". Coastal Trails Coalition.
^ "Methuen Rail Trail".
^ "Upper Falls Greenway". Newton Conservators. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-07-17. Retrieved 2011-03-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^ "Ribbon Cutting for Lynn Section of Northern Strand Path". Bike to the Sea, Inc. 2021-11-20. Retrieved 2021-12-10. On Friday, November 19th, ... a ribbon cutting to officially open the newly completed paving and improvements on the Northern Strand in Lynn.
^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-07-04. Retrieved 2011-03-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^ "East Longmeadow Rail Trail Celebrated". Mass.gov. Massachusetts Department of Transportation. September 9, 2010.
^ "Work begins on new Southwick bicycle trail".
^ "Stantec celebrates the opening of the 6.5-mile Tri-Community Greenway". www.stantec.com. Retrieved 2023-11-30.
^ "Home - Friends of the Milford Upper Charles Trail". www.milfordtrail.org.
^ "Holliston Rail Trail". Friends of Holliston Trails.
^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-07-04. Retrieved 2011-03-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^ "Ware River Trail". Town of Princeton, Massachusetts. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
^ "World War II Veterans Memorial Trail". TrailLink.
^ Town of Westborough / WDA Design Group (October 2021). "BWALT SHARED-USE PATH FEASIBILITY STUDY". Westborough Town Government. Retrieved 2024-02-19.
^ "The Bay Colony Rail Trail | Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can. - Arthur Robert Ashe, Jr". baycolonyrailtrail.org.
^ "Grand Junction Multi-use Path". City of Cambridge, Massachusetts.
^ "Mattapoisett Rail Trail". TrailLink.
^ "McKnight Community Trail". City of Springfield, Mass.
^ "Norton/Mansfield Rail Trail Extension". Beta, Inc. Retrieved 2022-09-25.
^ "Friends of the Southampton Greenway".
^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-07-04. Retrieved 2011-03-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^ Ray, Danielle (January 25, 2021). "Progress made on Twin Cities Rail Trail project". Sentinel & Enterprise.
^ "About". Lynnfield Rail Trail. Retrieved 2024-03-17.

[1] "How to make the most of New England's rail-trail system" https://www.boston.com/travel/travel/2018/08/15/how-to-make-the-most-of-new-englands-rail-trail-system

[2] "Amesbury Riverwalk Trail". Amesbury Trails.

[3] "Narrow-Gauge Rail-Trail". Friends of Bedford Depot Park.

[4] ttps://essexheritage.org/explore/border-to-boston/

[5] "Clipper City Rail Trail, Newburyport". Coastal Trails Coalition.

[6] "Cochituate Rail Trail (CRT)". Friends of Natick Trails. Retrieved 2023-11-19.

[7] "Danvers Rail Trail". Friends of Danvers Recreation.

[8] "Eastern Marsh Trail, Salisbury". Coastal Trails Coalition.

[9] "Ghost Trail, Salisbury". Coastal Trails Coalition.

[10] "Methuen Rail Trail".

[11] "Upper Falls Greenway". Newton Conservators. Retrieved 2024-10-15.

[12] "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-07-17. Retrieved 2011-03-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

[northern_strand_lynn-13] "Ribbon Cutting for Lynn Section of Northern Strand Path". Bike to the Sea, Inc. 2021-11-20. Retrieved 2021-12-10. On Friday, November 19th, ... a ribbon cutting to officially open the newly completed paving and improvements on the Northern Strand in Lynn.

[14] "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-07-04. Retrieved 2011-03-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

[15] "East Longmeadow Rail Trail Celebrated". Mass.gov. Massachusetts Department of Transportation. September 9, 2010.

[16] "Work begins on new Southwick bicycle trail".

[17] "Stantec celebrates the opening of the 6.5-mile Tri-Community Greenway". www.stantec.com. Retrieved 2023-11-30.

[18] "Home - Friends of the Milford Upper Charles Trail". www.milfordtrail.org.

[19] "Holliston Rail Trail". Friends of Holliston Trails.

[20] "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-07-04. Retrieved 2011-03-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

[21] "Ware River Trail". Town of Princeton, Massachusetts. Retrieved 2023-09-20.

[22] "World War II Veterans Memorial Trail". TrailLink.

[23] Town of Westborough / WDA Design Group (October 2021). "BWALT SHARED-USE PATH FEASIBILITY STUDY". Westborough Town Government. Retrieved 2024-02-19.

[24] "The Bay Colony Rail Trail | Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can. - Arthur Robert Ashe, Jr". baycolonyrailtrail.org.

[25] "Grand Junction Multi-use Path". City of Cambridge, Massachusetts.

[26] "Mattapoisett Rail Trail". TrailLink.

[27] "McKnight Community Trail". City of Springfield, Mass.

[28] "Norton/Mansfield Rail Trail Extension". Beta, Inc. Retrieved 2022-09-25.

[29] "Friends of the Southampton Greenway".

[30] "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-07-04. Retrieved 2011-03-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

[31] Ray, Danielle (January 25, 2021). "Progress made on Twin Cities Rail Trail project". Sentinel & Enterprise.

[32] "About". Lynnfield Rail Trail. Retrieved 2024-03-17.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

[21]

[22]

[23]

[24]

[25]

[26]

[27]

[28]

[29]

[30]

[31]

[32]