RTC Rejects SC Train Plan 04-02-21 06:30 DC

This story is provided by a news source and has NOT been fully edited.

The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) rejected the proposal to develop plans for 60 trains a day travelling along the Santa Cruz Coastal Corridor. It was a 6-6 vote, meaning the proposed train plan did not get approved.

At the next RTC meeting on May 6^th, the RTC Commission will need to vote to “accept” the train business plan to fulfill the requirements of the Caltrans grant that funded the development of the train proposal. Accepting the train business plan does not mean the train plan is approved.

WHEN WILL THE COASTAL TRAIL BE BUILT?

OK, now that the RTC has voted not to move forward with more investments in a train, what are the next steps to opening the Coastal Trail, when will it start and when will we have a trail from Watsonville to Davenport?

There are three key issues the RTC must address:

Progressive Rail (PGR), who is registered as the common carrier to the Santa Cruz Branchline, does not want to continue to operate freight in Watsonville. To keep freight operations in Watsonville, RTC must sign an agreement with a new common carrier. Trail Now has provided a recommendation to help ensure freight continues in Watsonville.

California Transportation Commission (CTC) requires the RTC to return the Proposition 116 funds ($11M) if there are no rail operations on the Santa Cruz Coastal Corridor. It is not clear exactly how much needs to be returned to the CTC because the Proposition 116 funding agreement stated that the “appraised value” of the property needs to be returned to CTC. Trail Now has provided recommendations on how to minimize the amount of funds returned to CTC.

Railbanking is the next step to ensure the Coastal Corridor remains continuous and owned by Santa Cruz taxpayers. Railbanking is a federal process that allows a community to reserve railroad right-of-way for future transportation. Railroad tracks can be pulled six (6) months after submittal of railbanking application to the Surface Transportation Board (STB) and all legal issues that may occur with adjacent property own ers is paid with federal funds.

Trail Now has provided a proposed plan to complete an “interim” Coastal Trail (Stone Dust) from Watsonville to Davenport by 2023, with long-term plans for the world-class Santa Cruz Coastal Trail (asphalt). Trail Now has received bids from contractors who build Stone Dust trails with removal of tracks. The estimated cost to build an interim trail is less than $200K per mile and one mile of trail can be built per month. Construction of the interim Coastal Trail is the most expeditious and cost-effective approach to building the world-class Santa Cruz Coastal Trail. Stay tune…

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