• Proposals are due by 5:00 pm Pacific Standard Time on Wednesday, March 28, 2012.
• A pre-proposal conference will be held on Wednesday, March 14, 2012 at 2:00 pm Pacific Standard Time at the RTC Conference Room,1523 Pacific Avenue,Santa Cruz,CA.  If you are interested in participating in the pre-proposal conference please RSVP by March 7, 2012.

The RTC has negotiated a purchase and sale agreement with Union Pacific and will take ownership of the Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line soon.  More information about this transaction and rail line is available at http://sccrtc.org/projects/rail/rail-line-purchase/ including environmental documents, inspection reports, appraisals and agreements.

For additional information and inquiries contact:

Friends of the Rail & Trail, in collaboration with People Power and Ecology Action, supports the Rail Trail as the centerpiece of Santa Cruz County’s portion of the MBSST. The Rail Trail will be contiguous to the rail line, or, in locations where the rail right-of-way is too narrow, located on nearby adjacent routes with safe, direct and easy-to-find connections leading to and from the Rail Trail.

The coastal rail corridor will include a rail trail that enables all forms of active transportation (walking, bicycling, wheelchairs, skating, jogging, and rollerblading) together with freight and passenger rail transit service. The rail trail will be contiguous to the rail line, or, in locations where the rail right-of-way is too narrow, located on nearby adjacent routes with safe, direct and easy-to-find connections leading to and from the rail trail. The rail trail will be the centerpiece of the Monterey Bay Sanctuary Scenic Trail System.

We are confident that most of the rail corridor is viable for both rail and trail due to a study performed by Mesiti Miller Engineering that provided the following information:

Survey Source: Mesiti Miller Engineering, 2002

“Based on the above analysis, it is our opinion that building a 32 mile rails with trails facility on the UP Right of Way is feasable based on the width of the available corridor, excepting a few short segments diverted to public streets.”  Mesiti Miller Engineering.

The RTC is in the process of performing a more in-depth study of the rail corridor prior to creating an engineering plan for the trail.

Learn more about minimum corridor widths for rail and trail, as defined by Alta Planning.

12/15/11 – Washington, DC – In another historic milestone, today the federal Surface Transportation Board (STB) granted a petition by the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) to acquire the 32-mile Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line. The STB’s decision removes one of the final barriers for the RTC to move forward with the final stages of closing escrow on the property deal.

Read the full story here.

In January 2011, the California Transportation Commission (CTC) approved a request from the SCC RTC to purchase the SCC coastal rail line from Union Pacific Railroad. Now we’re simply waiting for the “deal to close” and the line to come into public ownership now that all major stakeholders have approved the $14.5 million purchase.

When the line comes into public ownership we can begin working with the RTC and local jurisdictions to build segments of a rail trail, ultimately spanning the entire 32 miles from Davenport to Watsonville. We’ll also look forward to passenger rail service that helps local commuters as well as State-wide travel by connecting to high speed rail at Gilroy (Prop 1A).

We’re gearing up to raise the money, organize the community, and ultimately support the SCC RTC in building the rail trail! We invite your participation.

Federal Agency Decision Moves RTC toward Finish Line for Rail Acquisition - News from the SCC Regional Transportation Commission

12/15/11 – Washington, DC– In another historic milestone, today the federal Surface Transportation Board (STB) granted a petition by the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) to acquire the 32-mile Santa CruzBranch Rail Line. The STB’s decision removes one of the final barriers for the RTC to move forward with the final stages of closing escrow on the property deal.    Read the full story here

New Glitch in Rail Line Purchase: Freight Operator Does Not Renew Lease

Ironically, on Dec. 15, 2011, the same day that the Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) received notice that the federal Surface Transportation Board had approved the purchase agreement for the Santa Cruz Branch rail line, Sierra Northern Railroad, one of the three parties to the agreement, notified the RTC that it would not continue to operate freight service on the line after Dec. 31^st.  Pending the purchase of the rail line by the RTC, Sierra had been leasing the line for the past two years and had planned to initiate operations of recreational passenger rail services in 2013.

Citing significant losses on maintaining the Santa Cruz line, as well as business disagreements between Sierra and Union Pacific in areas other than Santa Cruz, Sierra has now removed its operations from the rail line.  The responsibility for the line has reverted back to Union Pacific, which is apparently still committed to executing a revised purchase agreement with the RTC.  How long it will take for this revised agreement to be approved by all parties remains to be seen.

FORT continues to strongly advocate for a timely, successful conclusion of the public purchase of the Santa Cruz Branch rail line, & asks others in the community to join us in urging the RTC to continue to work diligently to finalize the purchase.

When we get a date we’ll do all this:

• Music, food, wine, and celebration. Admission is free
• Ribbon cutting ceremony lead by the RTC with Passenger train
• Free train Rides from Swift Street Courtyard to Davenport and back

Other events planned:

• Train ride from Watsonville to Santa Cruz with stops in Aptos, Capitola, and Live Oak for short ceremonies
• Greenway’s to School lead family ride along Wilder Ranch Bike Path
• Bike ride from Watsonville to Santa Cruz to parallel the Train traveling north to the West Side of Santa Cruz.

sponsored by:

Locals Want Rail Do Santa Cruz County residents want passenger rail service? The facts show that they most certainly do. Read a recent transportation survey conducted by the Santa Cruz RTC, and check the Proposition 116 results.

Cost of Rail Service The cost of rail service is usually about the same, per passenger mile, as bus service. Read the studies from Monterey County.

Property Values Go Up The coastal rail trail will increase property values. Various studies show the results.

For more information, visit the Frequently Asked Questions section.