List of cycle paths on disused railway lines

The conversion of disused railway lines into cycle and hiking trails enables an alternative use of former railway lines.

As a rule, the entire track structure , ie track and track bed , is removed. The subsoil is heavily compacted due to its previous use as a railway line. Some routes are also paved and are therefore also suitable for inline skaters .

The advantages of these cycle paths for cyclists are the low and steady inclines , which only reach over 2 percent and a maximum of 4 percent in exceptional cases , and the large curve radii. The special freedom from intersections of an existing route is usually not affected by the conversion, so that the cycle path has the characteristics of a cycle expressway if it is also paved. Because railways often run on dams and bridges , these routes offer good views in many places. In addition, there is still the possibility of a potential restart in rail traffic, as the route is secured against any other use, for example in road construction.

Rail Trail on Pine Creek in Pennsylvania

In Germany are listed over 600 such biking trails. In North America , the company Rails to Trails has set itself the goal of converting disused routes into cycling and hiking trails. There are more than 1200 converted railroad tracks in the United States . In Canada , large stretches of the Trans Canada Trail run over former railway lines. In Spain there are around 1900 km of cycle paths under the name Vías Verdes on former railway lines, they are also often part of long-distance cycle paths .

Examples in Germany

Baden-Württemberg

“Bähnleradweg” near Lenzkirch in the Upper Black Forest

• Former narrow-gauge railway Nagold – Altensteig ( Altensteigerle )
• Former Hohenstaufenbahn Göppingen - Schwäbisch Gmünd
• Former Siebenmühlentalbahn between Leinfelden and Waldenbuch
• Route of the Odenwald Express from Mosbach to Mudau
• Various parts of the former Wiesloch – Meckesheim / Waldangelloch railway line
• The section of the Pforzheimer Kleinbahn between PF-Brötzingen and Birkenfeld offers a leisurely ascent from the Enztal into the Pfinztal towards Karlsruhe
• Bähnle cycle path in the Black Forest from Bonndorf via Lenzkirch to Titisee-Neustadt
• Individual sections of the Bottwartalbahn , z. B. Ilsfeld-Sontheim (Heilbronn)
• Isny-Bähnle in Kempten (Allgäu) , Oberallgäu / Westallgäu district (part of Württemberg)
• Former Schiltach – Schramberg railway in the Schiltach Valley
• Former Untere Kochertalbahn between Bad Friedrichshall -Jagstfeld and Ohrnberg from 2008
• Former railway line Waldenburg-Forchtenberg in Kochertal via Künzelsau, total distance 22 km
• Todtnauerli -Weg along the former railway line Zell im Wiesental – Todtnau in the Upper Wiesental
• 

  Cycle path on the route of the former Neckarsteinach-Schönau railway line .
  Former Neckarsteinach – Schönau railway line .
• Section of the Geislingen (Steige) –Wiesensteig valley railway between Bad Überkingen and Mühlhausen im Täle .

Bavaria

"Steam locomotive circuit" at the former Steinbach i. Allgäu

• Middle Franconia
  • Gredl cycle path from Hilpoltstein to Greding on the former Roth – Greding railway line
  • Leichendorf – Andorf cycle path on parts of the former route of the Bibertbahn
• Middle and Upper Franconia
  • Aisch Valley Cycle Path on parts of the former route of the Aisch Valley Railway
• Upper Franconia
  • Hochweg Franconian Switzerland in the Bayreuth – Hollfeld section (29 km), including the “Uni-Highway” in the Bayreuth urban area, on the former Bayreuth – Hollfeld railway line
  • Bridge cycle path Bavaria-Bohemia between Fichtelberg and the city of Asch (47 km), u. a. on disused railway lines
  • Frensdorf – Ebrach railway line between Burgebrach and Ebrach
  • Sections of the Itzgrundbahn
  • Railway line Kronach – Nordhalben , sections in Kronach and Marktrodach as well as from Zeyern to Steinwiesen
  • Railway line Neuenmarkt-Wirsberg-Bischofsgrün from Bad Berneck
  • Bayreuth – Warmensteinach railway from Sophienthal
• Lower Franconia
  • Gaubahn cycle path from Ochsenfurt to Röttingen on the route of the former Gaubahn
  • Rhönexpress railway cycle path on the dismantled Jossa – Wildflecken railway line
  • Cycle path between Bischofsheim an der Rhön and Bad Neustadt
  • Cycle path between Bad Königshofen and Bad Neustadt
  • Spessartbahn to Heimbuchenthal
  • Bike path on the Hofheimerle
  • Main cycle path on parts of the dismantled Lohr – Wertheim railway line
• Upper Palatinate
  • Bavarian-Bohemian Friendship Trail on the former Nabburg – Schönsee railway line
  • Bockl cycle path on the former Neustadt – Eslarn railway line
  • Haselmühl – Schmidmühlen cycle path on the former Amberg – Schmidmühlen railway line
  • Regensburg – Falkenstein cycle path on the former Regensburg – Falkenstein railway line
  • Sinzing – Alling cycle path on the former Sinzing – Alling railway line
  • Wiesau – Bärnau cycle path on the former Wiesau – Bärnau railway line
  • Regen – Schwarzach – cycle path partly on the former Bodenwöhr – Rötz railway line
  • Schwarzachtal cycle path partly on the former Bodenwöhr – Rötz railway line
  • Schweppermann cycle path on the former Amberg – Lauterhofen railway line
• Upper Palatinate and Lower Bavaria
  • Danube – Regen cycle path on the former Straubing – Miltach railway from Bogen to Miltach
  • Regental cycle path on the former Gotteszell – Blaibach railway from Viechtach to Blaibach.
• Lower Bavaria
  • National park cycle path in the Bavarian Forest National Park on the Spiegelauer Waldbahn route
  • Adalbert Stifter cycle path on the former Waldkirchen – Haidmühle railway line
  • Bike path between Hengersberg and Kalteneck on the Vorderwaldbahn
  • Bockerlbahn cycle path on the former Landau – Arnstorf railway line
• Upper Bavaria
  • Schambachtalbahn cycle path from Ingolstadt via Kösching and Altmannstein to Riedenburg in the Altmühltal
  • Chiemgau cycle path partly on the route of the former forest railway between Ruhpolding and Reit im Winkl
  • Isarradweg between Großhesselohe and Thalkirchen on the route of Isartalbahn
  • Northern part of the Bad Aibling – Feilnbach local railway line
  • former railway line between Marienberg and Burghausen -Altstadt ("Alter Bahnhof" in the Napoleonshöhe district)
  • Landl (Oberbay) railway line Abzw – Frasdorf from Rohrdorf
  • Vilstal cycle path partly on the former Dorfen – Velden railway line
• Swabia
  • Steam locomotive circuit in the Ostallgäu district
  • Isny-Bähnle in the Oberallgäu / Westallgäu district (Bavarian part)
  • Neusäß – Welden section of the former Weldenbahn in the Augsburg district
  • Parts of the dismantled Ungerhausen – Ottobeuren railway line (8.5 km, Unterallgäu district)

Brandenburg

Cycle path on a section of the " Buckautalbahn "

• Oderbruchbahnradweg ( Fürstenwalde / Spree - Seelow ) in sections on the route of the Oderbruchbahn
• Beeskow Groß Rietz section of the Fürstenwalde – Beeskow railway line
• Wriezen - Polish border ( Wriezen – Godków railway line )
• Köpernitz - Görzke ( railway line Wusterwitz – Görzke )
• Paulinenaue - Fehrbellin ( Paulinenaue-Neuruppiner Railway )
• Forst – Guben railway line between Grießen and Mulknitz ( Oder-Neisse cycle path )
• Fährkrug – Fürstenwerder railway line
• Löwenberg – Flecken Zechlin railway line between Rheinsberg and Flecken Zechlin
• Tantow – Gartz railway line (unpaved)

Hamburg

• Marschbahndamm cycle path on the former Hamburg Marschbahn

Hesse

Kegelspiel bike trail over the Klausmarbach Viaduct

The BahnRadweg Hessen runs on several former railway lines through the Vogelsberg and the Rhön, sometimes using paths parallel to existing railway lines, off-track and mainly the long-existing cycle paths: Vulkanradweg, Vogelsberger Südbahnradweg, Milseburgradweg, Ulsterradweg and the Solztalradweg.

• North Hesse
  • Diemel cycle path on the Carlsbahn ( Deiseler Tunnel ) near Trendelburg
  • Eder cycle path on some sections between Hatzfeld and Holzhausen on the route of the former Bad Berleburg – Allendorf railway line
  • Linspher cycle path between Allendorf (Eder) and Hallenberg on a disused section of the Nuttlar – Frankenberg railway line , leads through Hessian and North Rhine-Westphalian areas. The route leads through the 315 m long Bromskirchen tunnel ( Schlund ) near Bromskirchen
  • Ederseebahn cycle path between Korbach and Buhlen on a section of the former Wabern – Brilon Wald railway line , including tunnels and viaducts
  • Werratal cycle path between Treffurt and Eschwege partly on the route of the former Schwebda – Wartha railway line
  • Söhrebahn Kassel-Bettenhausen – Wellerode Wald
  • Solztalradweg between Bad Hersfeld and Schenklengsfeld largely on the Hersfeld circular railway line
• Central Hesse
  • Kegelspiel bike path between Hünfeld (Haunetal) and Wenigentaft (Ulstertal)
  • Ulster cycle path between Philippsthal and Hilders along and partly on the route of the Ulstertalbahn , changes several times between Hesse and Thuringia
  • Rotkäppchenland railway cycle path between Treysa and Wahlshausen on the former Bad Hersfeld – Treysa railway line
  • Cycle path between Bad Salzschlirf and Niederjossa in sections on the former Bad Salzschlirf – Niederjossa railway line
  • Cycle path between Cappel (Marburg) and Ebsdorf on a section of the disused route of the Marburger Kreisbahn
  • Section Breidenbach – Wolzhausen of the dismantled Schelden Valley Railway
  • Milseburgradweg between Petersberg / Götzenhof ( Fulda ) and Hilders on the route of the former Rhön Railway including the 1,172 meter long Milseburg tunnel
  • Vulkanradweg between Lauterbach Süd and Stockheim mostly on the former Oberwaldbahn
  • Cycle path between Hungen and Villingen on the route of the former Friedberg – Mücke railway line
  • Vogelsberger Südbahnradweg between Hartmannshain and Wächtersbach on the former Vogelsberger Südbahn
  • Sections of the former Kerkerbachbahn
  • Weiltalweg between Weilmünster and the Gensberg tunnel shortly before Weilburg on the route of the Weiltalbahn , which, remarkably, has not yet been de-dedicated
• South Hesse
  • Cycle path between Seckbach and Bergen-Enkheim on the route of the former tram to Bergen . The tracks were not dismantled and preserved under a tile
  • Former Neckarsteinach-Schönau railway line .
  • Section of the Überwaldbahn between Unter- Waldmichelbach and Wahlen (Odenwald)

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania

• Section Möllenhagen - Neubrandenburg on the route of the Parchim – Neubrandenburg railway line
• Section Stralsund - Siemersdorf (near Tribsees ) on the route of the Stralsund – Tribsees railway line
• Section Thurow - Groß Daberkow on the route of the Wittenberge – Strasburg railway line
• Route of the chalk railway at Martinshafen on Rügen

Lower Saxony

Underpass of the former railway line in Brockdorf -Nord under the A 1

Former railway line in Calveslage

Cycle and sculpture path on the former railway line at Lamspringe as Lamspringe sculpture path

former exit from Brunnenbachsmühle station ; the right-hand stretch is part of the Südharz-Eisenbahn- Radwanderweg

Rest area at the former train station of Klein Lengden on the Gartetalbahn on the Weser-Harz-Heide-Radfernweg

• Vareler branch lines
  • between Zetel and Bockhorn
• Kleinbahn Bad Zwischenahn – Edewechterdamm
  • between Bad Zwischenahn train station and coastal canal (partly Reiherweg )
• Kleinbahn Ihrhove – Westrhauderfehn
  • between Ihrhove and Westrhauderfehn
• Butjadinger Railway
  • between Nordenham and Stollhamm
• Niederweserbahn
• Oldenburg – Brake railway line
  • between Großenmeer and Brake
• Vechta – Ahlhorn railway line
  • between Vechta and Ahlhorn
• Small railway Lohne – Dinklage
  • between Lohne (Oldenburg) and Dinklage
• Holdorf – Damme railway line
  • between Holdorf (Lower Saxony) and Damme (Dümmer)
• Bremervörde – Walsrode railway line
  • in Rotenburg
  • between Bothel and Wittorf (" Hohe Heide ", see here )
• Bielefeld – Hameln railway line
  • between Reher and Aerzen
  • between Aerzen and Groß Berkel
  • in Wangelist
• Lammetalbahn
  • between Lamspringe and Bad Gandersheim ( Lamspringe sculpture trail ; see picture)
• Osterode – Kreiensen railway line
  • between Lasfelde -Süd and Badenhausen -Süd
  • between Westerhof and Willershausen
  • between Sebexen -Nord and Opperhausen -Est
• Upper Harz Railway
  • between Langelsheim -Süd and Lautenthal -Mitte
  • between Lautenthal-Süd and Wildemann -Nord
• Südharzeisenbahn (Südharz-Eisenbahn-Radwanderweg)
  • between Braunlage and Wieda -Nord
  • between Wieda-Mitte and Walkenried
• Odertalbahn
  • between Bad Lauterberg -Odertal and Bad Lauterberg-Kurpark
• Bleicherode – Herzberg railway line
  • between Herzberg (Harz) (station exit) and Rhumspringe (Dammstraße)
  • between Rhumspringe (train station) and Hilkerode (stop)
  • between Zwinge (end of town) and Weißenborn-Lüderode (train station)
• Untreichsfeldbahn
  • between Wulften am Harz and Rollshausen
  • between Gerblingerode and Teistungen
  • between Ferna and Wintzingerode
• Göttingen small train
  • between west of Benniehausen and Rittmarshausen -Est
  • between south of Rittmarshausen and Beienrode
  • between Nesselröden and west of Westerode
  • in Duderstadt (between Am Euzenberg and Industriestraße )
• Hannöversche Südbahn (or Dransfelder Rampe )
  • between Göttingen (cemetery) and Rischenkrug / B3, north of Klein Wiershausen
  • between Wellersen and north of Scheden
• Braunschweig ring track
  • between the thermal power station and the Okerbrücke Wendenring through the western ring area and the garden city to the exhibition grounds

The Weser-Harz-Heide-Radfernweg partly uses the courses of several disused railway lines in southern Lower Saxony. These include u. a. the section of the Innerstetalbahn from Langelsheim via Clausthal-Zellerfeld to Altenau , a section between Rhumspringe and Herzberg as well as parts of the “Gartetalbahn” (Göttingen Kleinbahn) between Göttingen and Duderstadt and the Dransfelder ramp between Göttingen and Hann. Münden .

North Rhine-Westphalia

Pillar bridge of the ore railway

"RadBahn Münsterland" from Rheine to Coesfeld (name during the first construction phase: "Schlossallee")

From-Ruhr-to-Ruhr cycle path in the Schulenberg tunnel in Hattingen

The state of North Rhine-Westphalia has been showing cycle paths on disused railway lines since 2013 under the title Alleen-Radwegeprogramm ; currently 364 km.

• Westphalia
  • Minden - Petershagen as part of the Weser cycle path
  • Individual sections of the Bielefeld – Hameln railway east of Lemgo.
  • Kirchlengern - Löhne on the Else-Werre-Radweg via the former route of the Wallücker Willem .
  • BahnRadRoute Hellweg-Weser runs close to various routes and leads over the route of the dismantled Schieder – Blomberg railway line .
  • RadBahn Münsterland from Rheine via Burgsteinfurt to Coesfeld , uses parts of the Duisburg – Quakenbrück railway line .
  • former Ochtrup – Rheine railway from Rheine via Neuenkirchen and Wettringen to Ochtrup .
  • WLE Pengelanton route from Soest via Belecke and the former Möhnetalbahn to Brilon . The Möhnetal Cycle Path also runs along the route between Brilon and Völlinghausen .
  • The Asdorftalbahn between Freudenberg and Betzdorf is now part of the Ruhr-Sieg-Radweg , partly in Rhineland-Palatinate.
  • The SauerlandRadring and the Ruhr-Sieg-Radweg lead partly over the former railway lines Finnentrop-Wennemen and Altenhundem-Wenholthausen , which connected Finnentrop and Schmallenberg .
  • The Ederauenradweg uses on some sections between Bad Berleburg and Beddelhausen the route of the disused railway line Bad Berleburg-Allendorf .
  • On a disused section of the Nuttlar – Frankenberg railway line , the Linspher cycle path leads through the Linspertal between Allendorf (Eder) and Hallenberg .
• Ruhr area
  • Welver– Unna-Königsborn section of the railway line to OB-Sterkrade
  • Part of the Emscher Park cycle path , runs as a green path on the route of the Emschertalbahn of the Cologne-Mindener Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft between Oberhausen - Sterkrade and Duisburg - Ruhrort .
  • In 2007 the former HOAG freight line was completed between Oberhausen- Sterkrade and Duisburg-Walsum .
  • The Ruhr rapid cycle route is to lead on a section of the former Ruhr area railway line of the Rheinische Bahn with a total length of 21 kilometers from the Essen campus of the University of Duisburg-Essen via the Mülheim main station to the Duisburg Rheinpark . The section of the Essen university quarter via Essen- Altendorf and Essen- Schönebeck to Mülheim (Ruhr) main station has been completed since November 2015 . This is followed by the Stadt-Viadukt and Ruhrbrücke Mülheim section . In 2019 this section was continued up to the Ruhr West University (Campus Mülheim- Broich ).
  • Grugaweg: The route of the former Mülheim-Heißen-Altendorf (Ruhr) railway line has also been rebuilt and branches off from the RS1.
  • Panoramic bike path Niederbergbahn
  • Von-Ruhr-zur-Ruhr cycle path that uses four routes
  • Railway line Dortmund-Löttringhausen – Bochum-Langendreer ( Rhenish donkey )
  • Ore line between Bochum and the Rhine-Herne Canal , see also Kray-Wanner-Bahn
  • Section Witten -Höhe– Wengern of the Elbschetalbahn
  • Springorum cycle path between Bochum- Altenbochum and Bochum-Dahlhausen
• Bergisches Land
  • On the former route of the Niederbergbahn , the panorama bike path Niederbergbahn was opened in 2011 over a length of 25 km from Wülfrath via Velbert and Heiligenhaus to Essen- Kettwig .
  • Balkan terrace from Leverkusen-Opladen to Remscheid-Lennep
  • Corkscrew route in Solingen
  • Dismantled Wippertalbahn between Marienheide and Wipperfürth
  • The Sülztalbahn between Hommerich and Lindlar was redesigned to a cycle path and walkway over a length of 6.4 km and opened to the public on May 5, 2013. Between Bensberg and Rösrath , it has been possible to cycle on the railway line through the Königsforst recreation area for several years (approx. 7 km).
  • The Siegburg – Olpe railway line between Drolshagen and Olpe has been redesigned as a cycle path, including the Wegeringhausen tunnel (724 m long), which was opened to cyclists in 2012. At the southern end of this route between Lohmar and Siegburg , a new 6.5 km railway cycle path was built by March 2014.
  • Former route of the Burgholzbahn (also called "Samba") between Wuppertal - Elberfeld and Wuppertal-Cronenberg
  • Former northern railway line in Wuppertal as a 20 km long, fast inner-city direct connection from Vohwinkel in the west via Elberfeld and Barmen to Wichlinghausen in the east with an extension up to the Wupper-Ruhr watershed in the Schee tunnel, where the change to Von-Ruhr at the city limits of Sprockhövel zur-Ruhr-Radwege network is possible.
  • Former Schwarzbach route in the east of Wuppertal, 2 km long branch from the north railway route in Wichlinghausen station to Langerfeld .
• Rhineland
  • A partially completed cycle path is currently being built on the disused section of the Lower Rhine route between Xanten and Kleve .
  • There are also in this region route Kempen-Kaldenkirchen and the connection Nordkanal bike path between Kaarst and Neersen .
  • Vennbahnradweg (a specialty is that most of the route is Belgian national territory) from Aachen - Rothe Erde via Kornelimünster , Walheim , Raeren , Roetgen , Monschau , Sankt Vith to Ulflingen , total length 125 km
  • The cycle path on the Aachen North – Jülich railway line is being expanded between Alsdorf and Jülich , under construction between Alsdorf and Würselen , and an extension to Aachen is planned

Rhineland-Palatinate

Maare-Moselle cycle path

• Eifel
  • Kyller tunnel and Dechen tunnel next to the normally traveled Eifel route along the Kylltal cycle path
  • The route of the Nims-Sauertalbahn is used between Bitburg and Igel by the Nimstal and the Sauertal cycle path .
  • Maare-Mosel-Radweg on the route of the former Maare-Mosel-Bahn
  • Sections of the former West Eifel Railway
  • Bike path on the route of the former Philippsheim – Binsfeld small railway
  • Cycle paths on the Koblenz-Lützel – Mayen Ost railway between Mayen and Ochtendung and - branching off from it - on the Polch – Münstermaifeld railway .
• Hunsrück
  • The Moselle Railway was reused in many sections for the Moselle Cycle Path.
  • Ruwer-Hochwald-Radweg between Trier-Ruwer and Hermeskeil
  • Part of the Türkismühle – Kusel railway line , which is partly in Rhineland-Palatinate
  • Schinderhannes cycle path in the Hunsrück
  • Neubrücke – Birkenfeld railway line
• Rheinhessen
  • Selztal cycle path on the route of the former Amiche and Zuckerlottche railway lines as well as a branch to Valtinche
  • Cycle path on part of the former route of the Worms – Gundheim railway line
  • Kleinbahn-Radrundweg Ellerbachtal-Gräfenbachtal on the 2 routes of the former Kreuznacher Kleinbahnen
• Palatinate
  • The Bachbahn was converted into a cycle path between Weilerbach and Reichenbach.
  • The Lampertsmühle-Otterbach-Otterberg railway line has also largely been converted into a cycle path
  • Hornbachbahn between Rimschweiler and Brenschelbach
  • Bliestalbahn between Bierbach and Reinheim
• east of the Rhine
  • The Westerwald-Rhein-Radweg runs between Westerburg and Wallmerod on the Herborn – Montabaur railway line (Westerwaldquerbahn).
  • The Asdorftalbahn between Freudenberg and Betzdorf is today largely a cycle path, partly in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Saarland

• Bliestal leisure trail on the route of the former Bliestalbahn near Blieskastel
• Cycle path on the former route between St. Wendel and Tholey
• Köllertralradweg between Völklingen and Etzenhofen on the disused part of the Köllertalbahn

Saxony

The Muldentalbahn cycle path near Nerchau

• Eastern Saxony
  • Cycle path on the former Görlitzer Kreisbahn from Görlitz to Königshain opened in summer 2009
  • Halbendorf – Cunewalde on the Großpostwitz – Löbau railway line in the Lausitzer Bergland
  • “Schönfelder Hochland Cycle Path” leads about 14 km from Weißig to Dürrröhrsdorf-Dittersbach on the former route of the Dürrröhrsdorf-Weißig railway line
  • Sections of the disused Gottleubatalbahn
• Central Saxony
  • Meißner 8 , cycle paths on the routes of the narrow-gauge railway Wilsdruff – Gärtitz
  • Frohburg – Kohren-Sahlis railway line
  • Muldentalbahn - Cycle path from Wurzen to Grimma and on to Großbothen on the former route of the Muldentalbahn
  • Aue – Wolfsgrün cycle path as part of the Mulder cycle path
  • Chemnitz Valley Cycle Path on the former route of the Chemnitz Valley Railway
  • Bike path on the former Roßwein – Niederwiesa railway line between Hainichen and Roßwein
  • Coal railway cycle path from Lugau to Mittelbach on the former Neuoelsnitz – Wüstenbrand railway line
• Ore Mountains
  • Preßnitztal -Radweg of Streckewalde to Steinbach on the embankment of Pressnitz Valley Railway
  • Wilischthal cycle path on the route of the former Wilischthal – Thum narrow-gauge railway and the Schönfeld-Wiesa – Meinersdorf narrow-gauge railway in the Ore Mountains
  • Cycle path on a section of the former Königswalde – Annaberg-Buchholz railway line
  • Bike path on the former Walthersdorf – Crottendorf railway line
• Vogtland
  • Falkenstein – Oelsnitz cycle path
• District of Leipzig (Saxony) and Burgenland district (Saxony-Anhalt)
  • Railway line Leipzig-Plagwitz-Pörsten between Leipzig-Lausen (Saxony) via Lützen and Röcken (Saxony-Anhalt) to Rippach ; Part of the Elster-Saale cycle path

Saxony-Anhalt

• Part of the Biederitz – Magdeburg-Buckau railway line east of the Elbe
• Saxony-Zeitz
  • Bike path on the former Zeitz – Camburg railway line

Schleswig-Holstein

• Route of the Elmshorn-Barmstedt-Oldesloer Eisenbahn (EBOE) (from Bad Oldesloe to Grabau and on to Henstedt-Ulzburg, 27 km)
• Royal Prussian State Railroad (from Bad Oldesloe to Trittau , 22 km)
• Railway line of the Südstormarnschen Kreisbahn (from Trittau to Glinde, 19 km)
• Railway line of the Kleinbahn Kiel – Segeberg from Bad Segeberg and Blunk
• Former freight track from Citti-Park to Kiel University , now Veloroute 10

Thuringia

Ilm-Rennsteig cycle path

• Unstrut cycle path between Thamsbrück and Nägelstedt
• Ulster cycle path between the Hessian and Thuringian Rhön on the route of the Ulstertal Railway
• Mommelstein cycle path in Thuringia between Wernshausen / Schmalkalden and Auwallenburg / Rennsteig
• Laura cycle path near Weimar next to and approx. 7 km on the disused track of a narrow-gauge railway
• Nessetal cycle path on the former Nessetalbahn
• Ilm-Rennsteig-Radweg between Ilmenau and Großbreitenbach on the route of the former Ilmenau – Großbreitenbach railway line
• Section Crossen an der Elster - Golmsdorf of the former railway line Crossen – Porstendorf
• Section Heiligenstadt - Kalteneber , former railway line Heiligenstadt – Schwebda . This cycle path complements the "Südeichsfeldroute".
• Kanonenbahn cycle path on part of the Leinefelde – Treysa railway line
• Unstrut-Hahle cycle path on part of the Leinefelde – Wulften railway line
• Unstrut-Werra cycle path (approx. 16 km) on part of the former Bretleben – Sondershausen railway line
• Section Greiz - Mohlsdorf of the former Neumark – Greiz railway line
• Georgenthal – Tambach-Dietharz railway line

Examples in Austria

The Tiefengrabenbrücke of the Steyrtal cycle path

There is a more extensive source at www.bahntrassenradeln.de.

Lower Austria

• Steam horse and bicycle bike path on the former route of the Stammersdorfer local railway
• The Traisental cycle path between St. Aegyd am Neuwalde and Kernhof runs on the route of the Leobersdorfer Bahn , which was discontinued in this section in 1988.
• The Thayarunde cycle path runs 50 kilometers on the two railway lines of the Göpfritz-Raabs local railway and on the disused part of the Thayatalbahn from Waidhofen to Slavonice . Most of the cycle path runs alongside the Thaya River and, as a 111 km cycle route, is ideally suited for families and leisure cyclists.
• The Ybbstal cycle path, the core of which largely follows the route of the Ybbstal railway, which was closed in 2010 . On 55 kilometers between Waidhofen an der Ybbs and Lunz am See you can drive smoothly and child-friendly next to the river through the magnificent pre-alpine landscape. A romantic gorge and a tunnel near Opponitz, the bridges of the former narrow-gauge line and the award-winning river pool in Hollenstein are highlights, along with the lake in Lunz and the old town of Waidhofen with its museum. “River cycling on the Eisenstrasse”! Opening June 17, 2017
• Cycle path on the route of the Siebenbrunn – Engelhartstetten local railway in the sections Obersiebenbrunn - Orth an der Donau and Eckartsau - Engelhartstetten .

Upper Austria

• The section Grünburg - Klaus of the Steyrtalradweg follows the Steyrtalbahn .

• Hintergebirgsradweg on the route of the Reichraming forest railway

Salzburg

Cycle path on the route of the former Salzkammergut local railway between Strobl and St. Gilgen

• Salzkammergut cycle path on the route of the former Ischlerbahn or Salzkammergut local railway from Salzburg to Bad Ischl

Styria

• first 18 kilometers of the Feistritztal cycle path between Ratten and Birkfeld on the disused section of the Feistritztalbahn
• Bike path on the former route of the Mürzzuschlag – Neuberg local railway

Belgium

In Belgium, many former railway lines are integrated into the RAVeL network .

• Flanders
  • Line 29 north of Turnhout to Tilburg (NL)
  • Line 29 from Aarschot to Herentals
  • Line 62 from Oostende to Torhout
  • Most of line 160 from Brussels to Tervuren
• Wallonia
  • Line 142 from Namur to Hoegaarden (Ravel 2)
  • Line 44 on the rebuilt Waimes – Stavelot railway and north of Trois-Ponts ( on the Luxembourg – Spa line )
  • Line 38 from Liege to Hombourg (Ravel 5)
  • Part of line 109 from Chimay to Froidchapelle
  • Part of line 163A from Sainte-Cécile to Muno
• German speaking community
  • Lines 48 (Aachen– St. Vith ) and 45a ( Weywertz –Losheim)

Denmark

• Fodsporet , 40 km between Slagelse and Næstved via Dalmose and 12 km between Dalmose and Skælskør in southeast Sjælland , opened in 2011
• Himmerlandsstien , 70 km between Viborg and Løgstør in northern Jutland , opened in 2007
• Naturstien Horsens-Silkeborg nature trail, 60 km between Horsens - Silkeborg in Central Jutland

Finland

• Baana , a 1.5 km section of the old Helsinki Port Railway

Examples in France

In France, many former railway lines are integrated into the Voies vertes network along with towpaths on canals .

Disused railway line on Corsica that has been converted into a country road / cycle path

Alsace

• former Lauterbourg – Wissembourg railway line
• Woerth - Lembach railway line (former Maginot line )
• Surbourg - Betschdorf
• Hatten (Bas-Rhin) - Niederroedern
• Bouxwiller (Bas-Rhin) - Neuwiller-lès-Saverne - Dossenheim-sur-Zinsel (part of the Haguenau - Saverne railway line )
• Odratzheim - Westhoffen (part of the Strasbourg –Westhoffen tram line)
• Romanswiller - Wasselonne - Marlenheim - Molsheim (part of the Saverne - Molsheim railway line )

Burgundy

• Givry - Cluny railway line

Corsica

• former railway line in Corsica

Provence

• Orange-Buis railway line

Rhône-Alpes

• former Annecy - Ugine railway line

Examples in Italy

South-Tirol

Bike path on the old route of the Brennerbahn

• A cycle path runs along the old railway line between Kaltern and Bolzano train stations in South Tyrol , which also uses two former railway tunnels and two former railway bridges.
• The Eisack Valley Cycle Route in the Eisack Valley between Kardaun near Bozen and Waidbruck uses the old route of the Brennerbahn .
• The former route of the Dolomitenbahn between Toblach and Calalzo di Cadore has been converted into the Long Path of the Dolomites .
• A section of the former Fiemme Valley Railway is passable between Montan and San Lugano .

Friuli Venezia Giulia

• Koper to Draga Sant'Elia
• Tarvisio to Resiutta as part of the Alpe-Adria cycle path on the former Canal Valley railway line.

Liguria

• A section on the Ventimiglia – Genoa railway line

Luxembourg

In the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, several former railway lines have been set up for cycling; cross-border the

• Kautenbach – Bastogne railway line , which runs over 20 km through the Wiltz valley and through four illuminated tunnels. The Kautenbach – Wiltz section runs along the active railway line.

Further routes lead (not integrally) over the earlier railway lines

• Ettelbrück – Wasserbillig and Ettelbrück – Petingen and parts of the former
• Narrow-gauge railway Luxembourg – Echternach and Luxembourg – Mondorf as well as the
• Narrow gauge railway Diekirch – Vianden and narrow gauge railway Cruchten – Fels (Larochette).

Norway

• Reinsvoll – Skreia railway line

Portugal

• Ecopista do Rio Minho
• Ecovia do Rio Lima
• Ecopista do Tâmega

Sweden

• Höganäs – Mölle railway line , from 1963
• Klarälvsbanan , from 2007, from Karlstad to Hagfors approx. 90 km asphalted on the old railway line, the path continues for another 120 km in the Klarälvsleden from Hagfors to Sysslebäck .
• Banvallsleden from Halmstad to Karlshamn (~ 150 km)
• Sjuhäradsrundan from Borås to Ulricehamn (45 km)
• Ätradalsleden Falköping to Ambjörnarp (93 km)

Slovenia

Štrekna

• Štrekna

Examples in Spain

Via verde Sierra de Alcaraz

The cycle paths on disused railway lines are called Vías Verdes in Spain .

• Vía Verde de la Sierra (Andalusia), 36 km, 30 tunnels, 4 viaducts
• Via Verde del Carrilet (Catalonia), consisting of two sections: Part 1 from Olot to Girona with 54 km (Ruta del Carrilet I), Part 2 from Girona to St. Feliu de Guíxols with 39 km ((Ruta del Carrilet II), and Via Verde de Girona / Costa Brava called
• Via Verde de la Terra Alta (Catalonia), 23.6 km long, with 20 tunnels and 5 viaducts
• Vía Verde de la Val de Zafán (Aragon), approx. 28 km long with the longest tunnel in Europe that can be passed by bike.
• Vía Verde del Plazaola (Navarre / Basque Country), 40 km long, 590 m difference in altitude, 39 tunnels. The 2.7 km long Uitzi tunnel is currently (end of 2007) being expanded ^[obsolete]

Hungary

(all west of the Danube)

• Part of line 11 from Szentkirályszabadja to Balatonalmádi
• Old route of line 25 from Bagod to Zalalövő
• Part of line 11 from Tamási to Pári

Examples in the United States

Washington

• Bill Chipman Palouse Trail , 7 miles long
• Columbia Plateau Trail , 209 km
• Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail , 177 km long, mostly in Iron Horse State Park

Cross-border examples

• Avenue verte / Green way between Paris and London (including the Newhaven - Dieppe ferry connection ), in Great Britain approx. 30 km from London south to the coast on routes 21 and 2 of the National Cycle Network (NCN), in France approx. 40 km on the former Paris-Dieppe railway line.

literature

• Peter Günther: RailTrails. The most beautiful bike paths on former railway lines, from the Vulkaneifel to the Alps. Bruckmann Verlag , Munich 2011, ISBN 978-3-7654-4606-1
• Christiane and Uwe Ziebold: By bike over old railway lines in the Eifel . JP Bachem Verlag , Cologne 2010, ISBN 978-3-7616-2372-5 , 2nd edition 3/2012
• Christiane and Uwe Ziebold: RailTrails - The most beautiful bike paths on former railway lines from Bremen to Essen . Bruckmann Verlag, Munich 2011, ISBN 978-3-7654-4979-6
• Bergische railway lines. With the Bergisches Panorama-Radweg, Niederbergbahn and Balkantrasse , ADFC -radausflugsführer 1: 50,000, BVA Bielefelder Verlag 2014, ISBN 978-3-87073-574-6

Web links

Wikivoyage: Railway cycle routes  - travel guide

Commons : Rail trails  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Directory of railway cycle paths in Germany and Europe and worldwide by Achim Bartoschek
• Selected railway cycle routes in Germany and Spain
• Railway area development company NRW with map downloads of possible new avenue cycle paths
• Cycle paths on old railway lines in Spain (English and Spanish)
• Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (US railroad tracks)
• Information on railway cycle paths in Rhineland-Palatinate
• Article about railway cycle paths in Westphalia
• Veloroutes and voies vertes

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Gredl cycle path on the former Roth – Greding railway line
2. ↑ Bayernbike Donau-Regen-Radweg
3. ↑ OpenStreetMap Danube-Regen cycle path
4. ↑ Pirach – Burghausen
5. ↑ Bayernbike Vilstalradweg
6. ↑ Traffic planning : Cycling on the old railway line from Beeskow to Groß Rietz , moz.de from May 14, 2020, accessed on May 21, 2020
7. ↑ Press release of the MBWSV NRW , accessed on September 30, 2013
8. ↑ Sauerland cycling ring
9. ↑ NW 3.27 Unna-Königsborn - Welver-Scheidingen , on bahntrassenradeln.de
10. ↑ NW 3.08 Essen Mechtenberg - Gelsenkirchen-Ückendorf (formerly Kray-Wanner Bahn) , on achim-bartoschek.de
11. ↑ The West: Allen Cycle Path - Up and Down Without Much, from October 19, 2010
12. ↑ City of Velbert - Technische Betriebe Velbert AöR: PanoramaRadweg Niederbergbahn , accessed on June 24, 2012.
13. ↑ Friends of the Sülztalbahn - experience the railway line and the landscape e. V. , accessed on August 17, 2013.
14. ↑ Cycle along the railway lines NW 4.19 Siegburg - Lohmar
15. ↑ Aachen-Jülich cycle path: construction of the route is making good progress. In: Aachener Nachrichten . July 16, 2015, accessed August 24, 2015 .  
16. ↑ Railway cycle paths in the Eifel . Tour planner Rhineland-Palatinate. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
17. ↑ SN 1.01 Elster-Saale-Radweg: Leipzig-Grünau - Rippach , on bahntrassenradeln.de (accessed on June 28, 2020)
18. ↑ SH 2.05 BahnRadWege Route A: Henstedt-Ulzburg - Bad Oldesloe , on bahntrassenradeln.de
19. ↑ SH 2.06 BahnRadWege route B: Bad Oldesloe - Trittau , on bahntrassenradeln.de
20. ↑ SH 2.07 BahnRadWege Route C: Glinde - Trittau (formerly Südstormarnsche Kreisbahn) , on bahntrassenradeln.de
21. ↑ New section of 1200 meters opened. Retrieved August 18, 2019 . 
22. ↑ First construction section of the Nessetalradweg finished , on eisenachonline.de, accessed on June 17, 2011
23. ↑ Achim Bartoschek: Railroad cycling in Thuringia - TH26a Esperstedt - Oldisleben. In: bahntrassenradeln.de. Retrieved June 26, 2020 . 
24. ↑ The footpath and bike path will be expanded. In: otz.de. July 26, 2019, accessed July 24, 2020 . 
25. ^ Railroad cycling in Austria
26. ^ Ligne 160: Bruxelles - Tervuren ( French, Dutch ) Retrieved March 2, 2007.
27. ↑ De Jodoigne à Namur Sur le RAVeL de la Ligne 142 (French), on ravel.wallonie.be, accessed on April 28, 2019
28. ↑ BE 142 Hoegaarden - Namur ("La Croix de Hesbaye", RAVeL 2) , on bahntrassenradeln.de, accessed on April 28, 2019
29. ↑ Fodsporet (in Danish)
30. ↑ Naturstien Horsens - Silkeborg ( Memento of October 5, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) (card with text in Danish)
31. ^ Cycle paths (Voies vertes) in France , accessed on April 9, 2012.
32. ↑ On the road by bike on the Klarälvsbanan in Sweden , on bjoerklunda.de, accessed on April 28, 2019
33. ↑ Car-free bike tours in Sweden , on radtouren-magazin.com, accessed on April 28, 2019
34. ↑ Klarälvsbanan , accessed on January 23, 2014.
35. ↑ Banvallsleden - på cykel . Retrieved June 29, 2014.