At least 10 Cobb County property owners along the Silver Comet Trail have claimed in federal court that they had a right to land once used for an old railroad.
The land was originally acquired for the railroad through easements that in some cases dated back to 1903. The property owners, a mix of individuals and companies, have argued that when CSX Transportation Inc. abandoned the easements in 2019, they should have had title to the land taken for the Silver Comet Trail.
The trail is named after the Silver Comet passenger train, which was in service from 1947 to 1969. It begins in Smyrna and continues to the Alabama state line where it becomes the Chief Ladiga Trail and extends to Anniston. Together, the two trails create a 94-mile corridor.
In three lawsuits, attorneys for the Cobb County property owners argue that under the National Trails System Act, and other federal laws, the government is responsible for compensation for the land that would have gone to their clients were it not for the trail.
In an email on Monday, a representative for Lewis Rice, a law firm representing eight of the property owners, announced that the federal government had awarded $700,000 to three plaintiffs. The firm represents five other Cobb County property owners, whose lawsuit is pending.
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