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The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission has agreed to pay $19 million to Union Pacific for the Santa Cruz Branch (rail) Line.

Once the our local RTC takes ownership of the rail corridor we can begin building segments of a rail trail, ultimately spanning the entire 31 miles from Davenport to Watsonville.

Passenger trains and the coastal rail trail can run together along the coastal line to help students, commuters, and visitors to travel througout the County.

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This poor kid is riding on the ballast because he doesn't have a rail trail!

Get Involved

The Santa Cruz rail trail is not a done deal. A neighborhood group named SCARRED opposes the project and is applying pressure on the RTC to stop the project. The RTC needs to hear from people who support this project (that's you!) You can email or call RTC members by going here.

By supporting the rail trail, you join a very long list of people and organizations, such as the Sierra Club, and many more supporters.

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Buy a Rail Trail Calendar!

The Santa Cruz rail trail calendar has12 months of spellbinding vistas of the Santa Cruz Branch Line. Of course there is no rail trail in the corridor yet - that depends on the SCCRTC completing the purchase, a top priority for the RTC for over ten years.

From Davenport to Watsonville, this calendar will remind you of the beauty along our coast line.

buy a calendar

Learn more about the rail trail route >>

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Why do we want a rail trail in Santa Cruz County?

There are many benefits to having a path adjacent to the railroad tracks. From young people to tourists, the rail trail helps people and local businesses alike. Read about how we will use the rail trail. >>

Recent Press Coverage

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Event Upates:

The Train and Bike Ride

Rail and Trail day took place in the Spring of 2006 & 2007 and was a huge success. Over 500 rail trail supporters took the Roaring Camp Trail - with their bikes - to Felton. Then they cruzed back down Highway 9 (in the rain!) to Depot Park.