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Multiuse trail now open from the Depot to Jewett-Holmwood Road. < Back New section of Rail Trail Opened in Orchard Park Village! Debbie Stellrecht Jun 17, 2023 Multiuse trail now open from the Depot to Jewett-Holmwood Road. Thank you to ECRT volunteers and supporters who made it possible to open another 1.3 miles of multiuse recreational trail in the Village of Orchard Park on June 17th! What a gratifying day with so many incredible, supportive, positive people who loved being able to enjoy a sunny walk or ride on a beautifully surfaced, safe trail! The trail is now open from dawn until dusk daily for pedestrians and bicycles. Let's keep the trail safe for everyone A reminder that the trail is off limits to motorized vehicles. Violators will be prosecuted. If you see a motorized vehicle on the trail, please contact your local non-emergency police or sheriff office and provide a description of the vehicle and driver, the location and the direction of travel. With your help, we can keep the trail safe and pleasant for everyone's use. Thank you! Report other trail issues to our maintenance volunteers using this online form . Previous Next

Map of the trail that displays the open and closed sections. Trail Map Explore and learn more about the various sections of the ECRT! Download Map

Aerial tour of the future trail via drone! Enjoy this Virtual Tour of the ECRT Trail! The Erie Cattaraugus Rail Trail is over 27 miles long and runs from Orchard Park to Ashford, crossing through five municipalities and joining two counties. While the ECRT Board is wo rking with key partners and funders to build the blueprint for the trail, we invite you to enjoy a virtual tour of the trail built from drone footage of the following sections: Springville E. Concord Colden West Falls Orchard Park Springville Section is Open Now is a great time to get outside and reconnect with nature, a constant throughout this COVID-19 crisis. And the perfect place to do that safely is on a trail. That includes the open section of the Erie Cattaraugus Rail Trail, the Pop Warner trail in Springville. It’s a great resource for the whole family!

Our Board of Directors Future Trail

Volunteer spotlight on Erie Cattaraugus Rail Trail neighbors and volunteers, Tim and Lisa Scheidel. Tim and Lisa Scheidel Tim and Lisa Scheidel have spent the past 38 years enjoying their beautiful Sharp Street home in the Town of Concord, in large part due to its proximity to what is now the ECRT trail. Their property features an expansive lawn with magnificent, mature trees. The backyard perimeter slopes about 5’ to meet the trail. Access is made easy, as the Scheidels installed and maintain a convenient stairway that they and their dog Torque use on a regular basis. “We were using the corridor even back when it was still an active railroad,” admits Lisa. “It’s a great place to see all kinds of wildlife. It’s like having a park in your own backyard.” Tim, a construction worker with Ingall’s Site Development, does extensive mowing on the trail, generally from Middle Road to Genesee, and often cleans up storm damage, such as felled branches and trees. Lisa, a school bus driver, enjoys long walks on the trail where she encounters all kinds of people–from horseback riders to joggers. Both keep an eye out for anything suspicious and report incidents promptly to the ECRT maintenance team. “We see all kinds of people using the trail. We see walkers and bikers of all ages. It’s the perfect place for cross-country skiing and snowmobiling, when the weather allows, and a great place for kids to get outdoors and exercise year-round. And you can get from one place to another without using the roads,” notes Lisa. The couple looks forward to some surface improvements in places where the ballast is prominent, as then even more cyclists and walkers could then use and enjoy the trail. They also realize how important the trail is for local business. Tim, an avid snowmobiler, noted how his sport brings significant income to the area. For the Scheidels, every season brings a different kind of beauty to their section of the trail. Tim shared several fall and winter trailscapes with me, captured on his cell phone. The trail has become such an integral part of their daily lives and has clearly brought them great joy and pleasure. Thanks for all the support and trail work, Tim and Lisa, and keep enjoying “your trail!” More volunteers

Trail Neighbors "Without this trail, my son would not have learned to inline skate at such an early age, nor bicycled on his own over to his grandmother's house, who lives near the other end of the trail. Without this trail my neighbor and I wouldn't have taken up our early morning walks. Without this trail people wouldn't be able to link up as quickly or easily or safely with other trails in communities next to ours." - Kristine Poelzer, Former Trail Opponent If you live adjacent to the proposed trail, chances are you have questions and concerns. Rest assured, trails make better neighbors than trains! Numerous studies have shown that trails do not negatively affect property values or safety. Here are just a few studies: Rails-to-Trails Conservancy: Trail Benefits Report University of Nebraska at Omaha: Trail Neighbors Study Rails-to-Trails Conservancy: Safety Study of 372 Trails Rails-to-Trails Conservancy: Economic Impact Study Trail Neighbors: Before and After the Trail  As part of our community outreach initiative, it is our goal to address your questions and concerns. Many of you enthusiastically support the proposed trail conversion, including several property owners adjacent to the trail who are eager to begin using it. However, if you have concerns, here are answers to frequently asked questions: 01 Doesn't the railroad want to abandon the corridor? Why are you interfering? Can't we just let them abandon it? Abandonment is a technical term used by the Surface Transportation Board. It refers to abandonment of rail service fro m the line, not abandonment of the railroad's ownership of the line. If the Surface Transportation Board allows a rail line to be abandoned, the railroad still owns it until it officially liquidates the property through a real property sale. In 1983, Congress enacted legis lation aimed at preserving our nation's disappearing rail infrastructure through railbanking and interim trail use. This legislation allows railroads to transfer title and easements to a private or public organization to use the line as an interim trail. At the same time, the corridor is preserved should there ever need to reinstate rail traffic in the future. 02 Can't I buy the rail property behind my house or have the railroad deed it to me? A railroad's core business and primary source of revenue is moving goods from Point A to Point B. Railroads are not in the real estate business. Like any business though, a railroad will desire to liquidate and divest underutilized assets, however it is impractical and financially prohibitive for a railroad to engage in hundreds of real property transactions each time it wishes to divest a line. Additionally, Congressional enacted legislation is aimed at railbanking unused rail corridors to preserve our nation's valuable infrastructure for future use. If a railroad sells part of the line, the corridor is forever broken. Moreover, it is unrealistic to think that each of the hundreds of landowners bordering the line would be interested in purchasing it. Therefore, the railroad would still be left with ownership interests in an underutilized asset. Even if the railroad deeded the property to all adjacent landowners, some would not want it. Therefore, railroads often desire to divest a line via one transaction: either through railbanking or sale to a utility company. 03 What effect will a trail have on my property value? Numerous studies show that trails have neutral to positive effects on neighboring property values. Some realtors have reported that homes near trails sell faster and at a premium vs. those homes that are not located near the trail. You can read one such study here . Trails are among the top five amenities homebuyers look for when deciding where to move. Homes near trails sell faster, and home values increase the closer they are to the trail. 04 What about safety? Won't a trail invite criminals into my yard? Trails have excellent safety records. Statistics show that trails have significantly lower crime rates than the communities they are located in. In fact, a utilized trail is less of a "crime magnet" than an abandoned rail corridor. Consider that criminals and vandals are more likely to use an abandon rail corridor as a "dark alley" or escape route vs. a trail that is actively used by citizens with eyes, ears, and cell phones. You can read a study on the safety record of 372 trails here . The ECRT trail will be open from dawn to dusk. Signage with rules and a local telephone contact number will be posted along the trail. Besides employing a proven volunteer "neighborhood watch/patrol", the ECRT will coordinate with local police and first responders to ensure community safety is maintained and concerns are addressed. ECRT will work with adjacent property owners to ensure privacy and safety. Design, good trail management and regulation enforcement can mitigate privacy and safety concerns. Who will police the trail? Just as the local authorities would respond to an emergency on the corridor now, they will in the future as well. Moreover, the trail will also have the benefit of having more eyes, ears, and cellphones on the corridor than it does now. Besides employing a proven volunteer "neighborhood watch/patrol", the ECRT will coordinate with local police and first responders to ensure community safety is maintained and concerns are addressed. Trail surface conditions will allow access by first responders when necessary. 05 06 What about liability? The New York State General Obligations Law, Recreational Use Statute § 9-103, removes liability from use of the trail for recreational purposes. Moreover, homeowners are not liable to a trespasser or anyone who entered an adjacent property without permission. Additionally, ECRT has purchased our own comprehensive insurance program for the trail system. 07 What's this going to cost? Will my taxes go up? The trail may be funded by a combination of private endowments, and/or appropriated State and Federal grants. These grants are earmarked for trail development and recreation and will be spent elsewhere if not spent on this trail, therefore use of thes e grants will not add to your tax burden. Additionally, converting the rail corridor to a trail will not create a significant loss of tax revenue for the communities through which the trail passes. Due to the age of the rail corridor, tax assessments are very low. Most communities have their portion of the line assessed for only a few thousand dollars: the equivalent tax revenue from one single family home. Increases in home values and additional sales tax revenue from trail visitors will help offset any minor losses. 08 What about noise and snowmobiles? A trail is a much better neighbor than a train. While many neighbors can remember being awoken at 2 am by a passing freight train, a trail is much quieter than a train. In some areas, snowmobiles may only be permitted to use the trail under low power as a way for local residents to access connecting snowmobile trails, but not for through travel. Consider that if snowmobiles are allowed on portions of the trail, they are strictly regulated. NYS requires that snowmobiles adhere to specific decibel restrictions (often quieter than your neighbor's snowblower). Additionally, snowmobiles must have at least 6 inches of snow on top of frozen ground to travel. This limits the days in the year to which they can travel to only a dozen or so. Note, based on feedback from the Erie County Federation of Snowmobile Clubs, and community feedback, it has been determined that snowmobiling will not be a permitted trail activity in the Village and Town of Orchard Park. 09 Will ATVs and dirt bikes be allowed on the corridor? No. These types of motorized vehicles are prohibited.

Temporary Trail Closure for Maintenance < Back OP North Temporary Trail closure Mary Brummer Mar 31, 2026 Temporary Trail Closure for Maintenance Beginning Wednesday, April 1st at 7:30 am the Orchard Park North section of the trail - from the OP Depot to Jewett-Holmwood Road - will be closed for maintenance work. We will advise you here and on our website as soon as this section is reopened for use. Thank you for your patience and cooperation! Previous Next

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< Back Jeff Sellers Previous Next

Tom lives with his wife in Orchard Park and has three grown children. He is a CPA and is a former partner with Brock, Schechter & Polakoff, LLP, with over 40 years experience. Tom serves on several local nonprofit organization boards. He is also an avid runner and biker. < Back Tom Grogan, CFA, CFP Tom lives with his wife in Orchard Park and has three grown children. He is a CPA and is a former partner with Brock, Schechter & Polakoff, LLP, with over 40 years experience. Tom serves on several local nonprofit organization boards. He is also an avid runner and biker. Previous Next