The state Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld a lower court ruling to preserve an Armstrong County rail-trail project.

In 1995, nine families sued the Allegheny Valley Land Trust, which created the 52-mile Armstrong Trail from a railroad formerly operated by Conrail. Calling itself Land Owners Coalition Against Land Stealing, the group argued that the land should revert back to its original owners because the rail company gave up its right-of-way.

Federal and state law allows for trail conversions, called "railbanking," but the property owners claimed that Conrail had not followed the law and simply abandoned the property. The Supreme Court ruled that whether or not Conrail held onto its property claim did not matter, and the rail-trail project was legal.