The 32-mile Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line is a continuous transportation corridor offering tremendous potential for new mobility options for residents and visitors alike. The rail line is designated as active and spans the county from Davenport to Watsonville, running parallel to the Highway 1 corridor and the coast, and connecting into state and other regional rail lines in Pajaro. This important transportation corridor is within one mile of more than 90 parks, 40 schools and over half of the county’s population (per census blocks). Construction of the rail line from Santa Cruz to Watsonville was completed in 1876. In October 2012, the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) took ownership of the line using voter-approved rail system expansion funding (California Proposition 116), bringing this transportation resource into public ownership to increase transportation options. More information on this rail corridor is available on the RTC website (web attachment 1).
In late 2019, the RTC, in partnership with Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District (METRO), initiated the Transit Corridor Alternatives Analysis and Rail Network Integration Study (web attachment 2). One of the outcomes of the Unified Corridor Investment Study, completed in January 2019, was to reserve the Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line (SCBRL) for high-capacity public transit adjacent to a bicycle and pedestrian trail. The Transit Corridor Alternatives Analysis (TCAA) evaluated public transit investment options that provide an integrated transit network for Santa Cruz County utilizing all or part of the length of the rail right-of-way as a dedicated transit facility. A performance-based planning approach based on a triple bottom line sustainability framework was utilized to assess various public transit options for the rail right-of-way. Transit alternatives were compared to define a locally-preferred alternative that offers the greatest benefit to Santa Cruz County in terms of equity, environment, and economy. Proposed future intercounty and interregional connections to Monterey, Gilroy, the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond were considered.
At its February 4, 2021 meeting, the RTC accepted the Transit Corridor Alternatives Analysis and Rail Network Integration Study (TCAA/RNIS) that selected Electric Passenger Rail as the locally preferred alternative. The final component of the TCAA/RNIS was a 25-year strategic Business Plan for Electric Passenger Rail on the Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line (web attachment 3), which is meant to serve as a guiding document for funding and implementation of electric passenger rail on the Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line. Attachments 1 and 2 are maps showing the alignment and stations for the electric passenger rail alternatives, commuter rail and light rail. A cash flow analysis provides a detailed picture of the anticipated revenues and expenditures and can be used as a guide for determining the level of funding per year that is required to implement the project. The cash-flow analysis incorporates federal, state, and local funding of environmental review and clearance, system design and permitting, and construction, as well as operations and maintenance once service begins.
RTC staff will present an update on the project at this meeting.