There are real costs to retaining disused tram tracks. In Boston, the MBTA Green line E branch tracks were left in place for decades after service was discontin

There are real costs to retaining disused tram tracks. In Boston, the MBTA Green line E branch tracks were left in place for decades after service was discontinued, no doubt increasing costs every time they had to pave around them or do utility maintenance below them. In Somerville, the Somerville Community Path was a disused heavy rail right-of-way when I first visited in 2002 or 2003. Ripping up the tracks and putting in the community path improved walkability to a Red Line station (Davis) and creating a nice space for recreational walking and cycling. There are real trade offs to leaving disused infrastructure in place. Not losing a continuous right-of-way is a huge upside, but there are definitely downsides too.