New State Rail Plan Calls for Funding of Rail Service in Santa Cruz County & Integration with Extensive Statewide Rail Network

October 17, 2018 - Caltrans’ groundbreaking 2018 State Rail Plan establishes an integrated rail transportation system, enabling passengers to easily travel throughout California via regional, intercity and high-speed rail.The plan represents a major, long-term shift in focus from expanding highways to expanding railways and includes significant funding for passenger rail service in Santa Cruz County. In summary, the State Rail Plan aims to transform California into the “Switzerland of North America” with efficient, reliable, integrated rail service by 2040.

“Santa Cruz County is a clear winner in the state’s visionary rail plan for local rail service that connects us to the rest of the state,” said Mark Mesiti-Miller, Board Chair of Friends of the Rail & Trail. “Santa Cruz County has received the attention of state transportation planners and they are taking our needs seriously, as evidenced by the $1.5 billion in funding targeted at the Central Coast.”

The State Rail Plan also aligns perfectly with Scenario B, as described in the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission’s Unified Corridors Study, which includes both rail and trail in accordance with the Monterey Bay Sanctuary Scenic Trail Network Master Plan adopted in 2014 by the cities of Santa Cruz, Capitola and Watsonville; the County of Santa Cruz and the SCCRTC.

In Santa Cruz County, the State Rail Plan includes a station at Watsonville where the Santa Cruz County branch line will connect to the entire state rail network.

Learn more about the 2018 State Rail Plan at http://www.dot.ca.gov/californiarail/. Funding information is available on page 194.


https://santacruztrail.org/railtrail/new-state-rail-plan-calls-for-funding-of-rail-service-in-santa-cruz-county-integration-with-extensive-statewide-rail-network/


The Santa Cruz County Friends of the Rail & Trail (FORT) is a non-profit advocacy group founded in 2002 to advocate for rail and trail uses of the coastal rail corridor. FORT was instrumental in the County’s decision to purchase the coastal rail corridor (formally: the Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line) in order to build the 32-mile Rail Trail from Watsonville to Davenport.

FORT exists to expedite development of a 32-mile biking/walking trail running the length of Santa Cruz County, while keeping the rail line for future transit. Rail and Trail together will support a variety of transportation modes meeting the needs of the greatest number of residents.

FORT is fiscally sponsored by Ecology Action (EA), an established Santa Cruz non-profit organization overseeing a diversity of environmental services and partnerships. EA has provided staff support for FORT since 2011 and continues to play a major role in FORT’s work.

Santa Cruz County Friends of the Rail & Trail (FORT)
https://www.facebook.com/railandtrail/