I'd figured that rails-to-trails would actually help the odds of restoring old rail lines as they keep the right-of-way intact. Perfect being the enemy of good and all that.
as an active biker, i'd rather bike trails are converted to rails than no rails at all.
besides, especially for those rails in remote areas, tracks require maintenance roads and there is no reason those couldn't double as bike paths as well.
i forsee a future where railtracks and bike paths live side by side, away from car traffic.
bike paths don't need much space. for a long distance trail, a 1m wide path is enough. should not be to hard to find space for that.