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The former Union Pacific Railroad line being turned into a shared user trail between Albert Lea and Hartland will now be known as the Songbird Trail.

The Freeborn County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday approved a resolution establishing the name for the trail after soliciting ideas from the Albert Lea Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and the Freeborn County Trail Association, said Commissioner Nicole Eckstrom Tuesday afternoon.

Eckstrom said they tried to avoid naming the trail after a person and looked for a wholesome name that applied to the area. They reviewed names of other trails in the state to make sure they weren’t duplicating any others and wanted something that wasn’t too specific but yet had ties to nature.

“As people ride that trail, we hope they encounter many, many birds, as well as other life,” she said.

The county acquired the 12 miles of retired railroad in 2014 and hopes to eventually develop the trail from Albert Lea to Manchester and then north to Hartland, where eventual plans call for extending it to New Richland, Waseca and even Waterville, where the Sakatah Singing Hills State Bike Trail is located.

The name was established as the county and the city of Albert Lea are applying for grants for the project.

Trail enthusiasts and city and county officials say the trail would benefit people walking, and biking and improve access to schools, parks and even the rural areas.