MLive: New trail could go from Paw Paw to Lawrence

The Van Buren County Board of Commissioners officially supports the conversion of the idle railroad track from Paw Paw to Lawrence to a trail, reports MLive. The rails are good, but the railbed itself won't support the weight of a freight train. The Paw Paw-based West Michigan Railroad Company wants to abandon the track from Paw Paw west of a point near Lawrence, opening up the possibility of a third recreation trail in Van Buren County.

 

Excerpt: Upgrading it for train use would run $1 million per mile, according to Edward VanderVries. The section of track being eyed for a trail covers 10.67 miles of the 15-mile railroad track that runs between Paw Paw and Hartford.

 

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