Abbeville, La. - Discussions over potentially converting unused railroads tracks in Vermilion Parish to a walking and biking trail has sparked mixed reactions within the community.
A coalition of business owners, avid bike riders, and parish organizations proposed the idea a couple of months ago.
The proposal, which is in its early stages, suggests transforming the nine mile railroad tracks that travel from Abbeville East past Delcambre, into an area that avid bikers and tourists can use.
Longtime Abbeville Resident Timothy Moore believes this can change Abbeville for the better.
“You go around these other towns like Youngsville, they are growing and for us to grow here in Vermilion parish with new developments - you couldn’t ask for much,” he said.
Moore, who owns a custom paint shop says this biking trail can help generate more business.
“Nobody likes to ride a boring bike and the kind of bikes I customize have music, it’s nice, and shiny, and gets a lot of attention,” Moore said.
But those who live near the tracks like Anthony Frederick say this plan raises safety concerns.
“It’s going to be a highway for criminal activity. I don’t see it being able to work here with our criminal rate,” Frederick said.
While Anthony understands the push for bettering Vermilion Parish, he believes the community needs to address safety issues first before adopting this plan.
“I’m all for bettering the parish, promoting a better parish, a better Abbeville. I agree with that, but not at the expense of residents’ peace of mind, safety, and privacy. It’s just going to be a hard pill to swallow,” Frederick said.
The Louisiana Delta Railroad Midland Branch currently owns the railroad. The coalition would need permission from the owners to move forward with the plan and/or wait 20 years (when the tracks would be considered abandoned) to take over. The last train on the line ran in April 2020. To date, the state has converted seven unused railroad tracks into trails.
While there are mixed reactions to this idea, Abbeville Tourism Director Alison Miller believes this change will help draw more people into the parish.
“We are losing some of our residents and some of our businesses are closing and through our research we found that adding a trail can spur economic development,” Miller said.
The proposal is still in its early stages. There is no set date on when or if this will happen.
