The design and planning for new zero-emission passenger rail service is happening now, and includes an online survey plus two Community Workshops on Tues., Nov. 12, in Watsonville and Weds., Nov 13, in Live Oak.
From Friends of the Rail & Trail
November 8, 2024—ICYMI—Santa Cruz County has embarked on an ambitious Rail & Trail project that proposes to build a 32 mile trail next to the Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line and bring back passenger rail service connecting Santa Cruz to the state rail network in Pajaro. This round of community feedback will be Milestone 3 in the year-long process of coming up with an initial design for what passenger service will look like.
Catching-up: About the Project
The Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line is a 32 mile rail line owned by the County of Santa Cruz. The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission, Caltrans Division of Rail, and the Federal Rail Administration are working together to implement new passenger rail service from Santa Cruz to San Jose via Salinas. The new 22 mile service between Santa Cruz and Pajaro, with stops in Seabright, Live Oak, Capitola, Aptos and Watsonville, is being designed now.
How Rail Transportation helps everyone reach nature
Reliable and accessible public transportation such as rail is a vital community investment that allows people of all ages and abilities to access the amazing parks, beaches and trails that Santa Cruz County has to offer. Access to the beach can be hard to come by for children in families with unreliable transportation or people with disabilities who don’t drive. The Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line connects many neighborhoods that do not have direct beach access straight to beaches and stunning parks such as Nisene Marks and Natural Bridges State Beach.
This isn't just a rail project—it’s a trail project too. The award-winning Monterey Bay Sanctuary Scenic Trail Network (MBSST) plan1 puts a bicycle-and-pedestrian-friendly pathway along the 32 mile rail corridor along the tracks. You can already visit completed sections of the Rail Trail in Santa Cruz and Watsonville, and you can see construction and planning updates here. Read more about some completed sections of the Santa Cruz Rail Trail here.
“Rail and Trail together is a vision of a better future where we bike, walk, and roll around our cities and county. My children deserve a future where they can ride clean electric light rail and not have to be stuck in traffic.” Kyle Kelley, Santa Cruz City School Commissioner
Rail Service is the public transportation addition we need
Santa Cruz METRO is working hard to increase service and frequency along Soquel Drive and popular routes on the Westside of Santa Cruz. Unfortunately, these same expansions are not possible on the routes along the coast where most of us live. This is because in our county there isn’t a single road that travels a straight line between Capitola and the Westside of Santa Cruz.
This lack of linearity makes trying to run bus routes extra expensive, while also making it almost impossible to compete with car or bike travel times. Without rail service, most areas along the coast will have less service than they deserve, including neighborhoods like Beach Flats and La Selva Beach. Meanwhile there is no way to travel to or from the Westside of Santa Cruz on METRO without a transfer. The addition of rail service helps solve all of these open issues.
We need to keep investing in Santa Cruz METRO to ensure a robust public transit network across the whole county is possible. As we’re creating this network, adding rail service will bring the missing pieces to the system and provide a truly world class alternative option to traffic.
Rail service will benefit everyone
70% of Santa Cruz County residents both live and work in the county and most commuting is done in the narrow north-south corridor between the Santa Cruz Mountains and Monterey Bay. This happens to be the exact corridor that the Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line serves. In fact, Santa Cruz County grew up along and around the rail line, which is why it’s no surprise that it serves the densest neighborhoods and job centers, in addition to over 40 schools and 92 parks.
You can be a part of the Design Process
The Regional Transportation Commission is hosting two in-person workshops this month focused on station location. You can be a part of the design process by attending one of the workshops or participating online. Important decisions being made in this round of feedback include: Whether the new train service will serve the Westside of Santa Cruz, State Park Drive and La Selva Beach in Aptos and Ohlone Parkway in Watsonville. If bike lockers will be included at rail stops. And if your neighborhood would like to plan for a quiet zone to minimize train horns at crossings.
Get ready to comment! Your voice is important in deciding these questions.
- Which stops do you need included?
- What amenities do we want prioritized at stops?
- Does your neighborhood want quiet zones?
Do you have questions about best practices in designing rail service and want more information before you participate? Friends of the Rail & Trail has been going over design best practices, grant requirements, and demographic and transportation data to make sure the new rail service will serve the most people, and also be fundable. You can get a head start by reading about the various factors and design decisions we will need to make here.
Get Updates about the Rail & Trail project!
Founded in 2002, Santa Cruz County Friends of the Rail & Trail is a grassroots, not-for-profit organization that advocates for transforming the 32-mile Coastal Rail Corridor into a trail and rail transit system that will provide a traffic- free commute, reduce our environmental impact, and supports equitable access to opportunity and our beautiful coastline. Sign-up to get alerts about the Rail & Trail and when you can make your voice heard.
November 2024 Workshops and Input opportunities:
Community Workshop #1: Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024 | 6-7:30 p.m.
Henry J. Mello Center, 250 E Beach St., Watsonville
Community Workshop #2: Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024 | 6-7:30 p.m.
Live Oak Community Center, 1740 17th Ave., Santa Cruz
Virtual Open House
Starting in early November, visit our Virtual Open House at ZEPRT.com anytime, 24/7, to conveniently participate when it works for you and share your input. The RTC requests community feedback on Milestone 3 be submitted by Dec. 20, 2024.
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