From Rails to Trails Docu, Narrated by Edward Norton, Gets PBS Premiere Date and Trailer (Exclusive)
Airing Wednesday, Oct. 15, on public television stations nationwide (check local listings) and streaming on PBS.org, From Rails to Trails chronicles the 60-year struggle — and transformative triumph — of one of America's most unlikely grassroots movements.
More from TVLine
PBS, NPR to Lose All Federal Funding as Congress Votes to Pass Rescissions Bill — 'This Is Big!' Cheers Trump
Grantchester to End With Season 11 — Find Out When It Will Air
Loot Season 3 Gets Fall Release Date - Plus, Watch New Teaser
Get an exclusive first look at a trailer above.
Trails whose origins are featured include the Illinois Prairie Path in suburban Chicago; the Burke-Gilman Trail in Seattle; the Atlanta Beltline; the West Rail Trail in Brownsville, Texas, which became one of the most bike- and pedestrian-friendly cities in the state; The High Line in New York City, built on an elevated railroad track from the 1930s; the Washington and Old Dominion Trail, which introduced the rail-trail movement to decision-makers in Congress; and The Great American Rail-Trail, which is halfway complete and aims to connect 3,700 miles of rail trails into a coast-to-coast route, from Washington, D.C., to Washington State.
From Rails to Trails also visits Queens, N.Y., where government and nonprofit organizations are lobbying to turn abandoned LIRR tracks into a linear park à la The High Line — though opponents hope the city will use the tracks to restore train and subway service to the cut-off community
Directed by Dan Protess (Up'N Running, 10 That Changed America), From Rails to Trails navigates the complex legal and political landscape that shaped the rail-trail movement, from property rights disputes to the landmark 'railbanking' legislation passed by Congress in 1983, which preserved abandoned rail corridors for future rail use while allowing them to be repurposed as trails.
Interview subjects include former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, former Vermont Governor Howard Dean (who shares the story of how Burlington's Island Line Trail became the subject of a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case), former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson (whose father had a role in creating the 32-mile Elroy-Sparta Trail, often regarded as America's first successful rail-trail and famous for its three cavernous tunnels), and Rails-to-Trails Conservancy co-founder Peter Harnik, who's also an executive producer on the documentary.
'Having spent my career advocating for the rails-to-trails movement, I've seen firsthand how abandoned rail lines — once scars across the landscape — have become lifelines for communities,' says Harnik. 'From the unlikely launch of the movement to today's coast-to-coast vision, From Rails to Trails captures the grit, imagination and passion that made it all possible.'
Adds director Dan Protess, 'I use my local rail-trail twice a day: for a morning run, and an after-dinner walk with family. Working on this program, I came to realize that the green space that is so integral to my life didn't just happen by accident — people had to fight hard to make it a reality.'
Are you a rail-trail aficionado? Me, I'll be on Cape Cod's early next month!
Best of TVLine
'Missing' Shows, Found! Get the Latest on Ahsoka, Monarch, P-Valley, Sugar, Anansi Boys and 25+ Others
Yellowjackets Mysteries: An Up-to-Date List of the Series' Biggest Questions (and Answers?)
The Emmys' Most Memorable Moments: Laughter, Tears, Historical Wins, 'The Big One' and More
Solve the daily Crossword
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NBC News
2 hours ago
- NBC News
Tea, cakes and funny signs greet Vance in quintessentially British countryside
LONDON — JD Vance got a very English welcome after he, his family and their large security detail rolled through the village of Charlbury this week, just not the kind the vice president would have hoped for. Bathed in sunshine, dozens of demonstrators drank tea, ate cake featuring a meme of the vice president's face and held up humorous placards Tuesday in the small community in the Cotswolds, as this part of the countryside is known. 'JD Vance Netflix password is 'password,'' said one handmade sign at a protest near where the Vances are vacationing some 100 miles west of the capital, London. A second sign declared that Vance 'claps when the plane lands,' referring to a practice mocked by some Britons who see it as very un-British overenthusiasm. Others held placards quoting Vance when he said he 'never liked' President Donald Trump. 'Cotswolds childless cat ladies say go home,' another read, referring to comments Vance made to former Fox News host Tucker Carlson in 2021 about senior Democrats in Congress that resurfaced during last year's presidential race. In the nearby town of Chipping Norton, some locals said they were unprepared for the level of security disruption as some of the already tight roads in the area were closed for Vance's motorcade. Design manager Geoff Holliday, 51, said Wednesday he was 'getting bored' with the closures, adding that he was longing for the motorcade to be slowed down by 'a disgruntled farmer and a combine harvester.' Nestled among the rolling hills that rise up from meadows of the upper River Thames, the Cotswolds' picture-postcard towns and villages have been popular with holidaymakers for centuries. More recently, the area has attracted a wealthier crowd. Chipping Norton and its surrounding area are known for the 'Chipping Norton set,' including former Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife, Samantha Cameron; Elizabeth Murdoch, media executive and daughter of Rupert Murdoch; and more recently, comedian and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres. Former "Top Gear" presenter Jeremy Clarkson's 'Diddly Squat Farm' in Chadlington is also nearby, and he shared an image on Instagram which highlighted how his farm is under a no-fly zone over the Cotswolds. Appearing to reference filming for his 'Clarkson's Farm' Amazon show, he wrote: 'The JD Vance no fly zone. We are the pin. So on the downside, no drone shots today. On the upside, no annoying light aircraft.'
CNN
8 hours ago
- CNN
Trump set to announce Kennedy Center Honorees as he tries to put his stamp on DC
Donald Trump FacebookTweetLink President Donald Trump will appear at the Kennedy Center on Wednesday, where he's expected to announce the first recipients of its hallmark honors since he seized control of the institution's board earlier this year. The visit to the iconic performing arts complex comes as Trump seeks greater authority over Washington, DC, and its most prominent cultural institutions in an aggressive bid to put his stamp on the Democratic-led city. Trump — who was installed as Kennedy Center chairman in February — teased the new slate of honorees in a Truth Social post on Tuesday that also alluded to Republican efforts in Congress to rename the complex after him. 'GREAT Nominees for the TRUMP/KENNEDY CENTER, whoops, I mean, KENNEDY CENTER, AWARDS,' Trump wrote. The Kennedy Center later said it's 'honored' to host the president and appeared to preview a slate of honorees that included a 'country music icon, an Englishman, a New York City Rock band, a dance Queen and a multi-billion dollar Actor.' The visit will mark the president's third Kennedy Center appearance since returning to the White House, underscoring his personal interest in the activities of the performing arts center. A White House official said Trump would tour the Kennedy Center, as he weighs how to spend the $250 million that Republicans set aside in July for renovations to the center as part of their tax and spending bill. 'Thanks to his advocacy, our beautiful building will undergo renovations to restore its prestige and grandeur,' the Kennedy Center said Tuesday on X. In addition to taking control of the performing arts center, Trump has pressured DC's museums, memorials and other historic sites to recast American history in a more favorable light, criticizing what he called in a March executive order a 'revisionist movement' meant to 'undermine the remarkable achievements of the United States.' On Tuesday, the White House ordered a review of Smithsonian museums and exhibits to ensure alignment with that directive. The president has also embarked on wide-ranging renovation of the White House. And in an unprecedented move this week fueled by his personal frustration with incidents of crime and homelessness in DC, Trump federalized the city's police force. The sprawling effort to exert federal influence across DC is an escalation from his first term, during which he remained largely disengaged from the cultural institutions of a city that had overwhelmingly rejected him at the ballot box. Trump notably declined to attend the Kennedy Center Honors all four years after some of the honorees in 2017 said they would boycott a traditional White House pre-reception. Yet since returning to office, he has prioritized bending key elements of DC to his will, as part of what officials have framed as an effort to beautify the city and its key institutions and drive out what Trump has long criticized as 'woke' elements that don't conform to his worldview. The Kennedy Center has served as an early focal point of that project, drawing an institution that had traditionally remained above the fray of partisan politics directly into the center of the nation's culture wars. Trump in February dismissed a slew of Democratic appointees from the center's board of trustees, replacing them with aides and allies that included chief of staff Susie Wiles and second lady Usha Vance. Trump was subsequently elected chairman, with longtime confidant Ric Grenell installed as the Kennedy Center's new president. The takeover prompted sharp criticism from Democrats and angered artists connected to the Kennedy Center — including the producer of the hit musical 'Hamilton,' who cancelled an upcoming run of the show that was supposed to go through 2026. A series of other prominent artists, including director Shonda Rhimes and musician Ben Folds, resigned from their positions at the center. Since then, Trump has taken a hands-on approach to overhauling programming and drawing up plans for renovating the complex. On Monday, the Kennedy Center said it would host the premier of a film produced by the Christian Broadcasting Network that 'showcases the remarkable resurgence of faith among the youth in America.' It's an early sign of how programming may shift under the Trump-appointed leadership. The movie includes an appearance by Ben Carson, Trump's former secretary of Housing and Urban Development. That premier follows an earlier run of 'Les Misérables' — a favorite musical of Trump's — that the president attended in June. The appearance drew a mixed reaction, with some attendees booing Trump and four drag queens sitting below the presidential box in protest of his prior vows to rid the Kennedy Center of drag shows. Yet within the GOP, the Kennedy Center has become another rallying point for demonstrating loyalty to Trump. In July, House Republicans added a measure to a spending bill that would rename the center's opera house after first lady Melania Trump. Soon after, Rep. Bob Onder of Missouri introduced the Make Entertainment Great Again Act, which would go a step further and strip former President John F. Kennedy's name from the complex in favor of making it the 'Donald J. Trump Center for Performing Arts.' But ahead of Trump's visit on Wednesday, that proposal had yet to gain steam; so far, Onder's legislation has not attracted a single co-sponsor.
CNN
8 hours ago
- CNN
Trump set to announce Kennedy Center Honorees as he tries to put his stamp on DC
President Donald Trump will appear at the Kennedy Center on Wednesday, where he's expected to announce the first recipients of its hallmark honors since he seized control of the institution's board earlier this year. The visit to the iconic performing arts complex comes as Trump seeks greater authority over Washington, DC, and its most prominent cultural institutions in an aggressive bid to put his stamp on the Democratic-led city. Trump — who was installed as Kennedy Center chairman in February — teased the new slate of honorees in a Truth Social post on Tuesday that also alluded to Republican efforts in Congress to rename the complex after him. 'GREAT Nominees for the TRUMP/KENNEDY CENTER, whoops, I mean, KENNEDY CENTER, AWARDS,' Trump wrote. The Kennedy Center later said it's 'honored' to host the president and appeared to preview a slate of honorees that included a 'country music icon, an Englishman, a New York City Rock band, a dance Queen and a multi-billion dollar Actor.' The visit will mark the president's third Kennedy Center appearance since returning to the White House, underscoring his personal interest in the activities of the performing arts center. A White House official said Trump would tour the Kennedy Center, as he weighs how to spend the $250 million that Republicans set aside in July for renovations to the center as part of their tax and spending bill. 'Thanks to his advocacy, our beautiful building will undergo renovations to restore its prestige and grandeur,' the Kennedy Center said Tuesday on X. In addition to taking control of the performing arts center, Trump has pressured DC's museums, memorials and other historic sites to recast American history in a more favorable light, criticizing what he called in a March executive order a 'revisionist movement' meant to 'undermine the remarkable achievements of the United States.' On Tuesday, the White House ordered a review of Smithsonian museums and exhibits to ensure alignment with that directive. The president has also embarked on wide-ranging renovation of the White House. And in an unprecedented move this week fueled by his personal frustration with incidents of crime and homelessness in DC, Trump federalized the city's police force. The sprawling effort to exert federal influence across DC is an escalation from his first term, during which he remained largely disengaged from the cultural institutions of a city that had overwhelmingly rejected him at the ballot box. Trump notably declined to attend the Kennedy Center Honors all four years after some of the honorees in 2017 said they would boycott a traditional White House pre-reception. Yet since returning to office, he has prioritized bending key elements of DC to his will, as part of what officials have framed as an effort to beautify the city and its key institutions and drive out what Trump has long criticized as 'woke' elements that don't conform to his worldview. The Kennedy Center has served as an early focal point of that project, drawing an institution that had traditionally remained above the fray of partisan politics directly into the center of the nation's culture wars. Trump in February dismissed a slew of Democratic appointees from the center's board of trustees, replacing them with aides and allies that included chief of staff Susie Wiles and second lady Usha Vance. Trump was subsequently elected chairman, with longtime confidant Ric Grenell installed as the Kennedy Center's new president. The takeover prompted sharp criticism from Democrats and angered artists connected to the Kennedy Center — including the producer of the hit musical 'Hamilton,' who cancelled an upcoming run of the show that was supposed to go through 2026. A series of other prominent artists, including director Shonda Rhimes and musician Ben Folds, resigned from their positions at the center. Since then, Trump has taken a hands-on approach to overhauling programming and drawing up plans for renovating the complex. On Monday, the Kennedy Center said it would host the premier of a film produced by the Christian Broadcasting Network that 'showcases the remarkable resurgence of faith among the youth in America.' It's an early sign of how programming may shift under the Trump-appointed leadership. The movie includes an appearance by Ben Carson, Trump's former secretary of Housing and Urban Development. That premier follows an earlier run of 'Les Misérables' — a favorite musical of Trump's — that the president attended in June. The appearance drew a mixed reaction, with some attendees booing Trump and four drag queens sitting below the presidential box in protest of his prior vows to rid the Kennedy Center of drag shows. Yet within the GOP, the Kennedy Center has become another rallying point for demonstrating loyalty to Trump. In July, House Republicans added a measure to a spending bill that would rename the center's opera house after first lady Melania Trump. Soon after, Rep. Bob Onder of Missouri introduced the Make Entertainment Great Again Act, which would go a step further and strip former President John F. Kennedy's name from the complex in favor of making it the 'Donald J. Trump Center for Performing Arts.' But ahead of Trump's visit on Wednesday, that proposal had yet to gain steam; so far, Onder's legislation has not attracted a single co-sponsor.
