Digest: Santa Cruz transportation commission puts off reconsideration of rail transit plan

Santa Cruz commission declines to revisit vote on rail proposal

The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission has elected to delay further action on the California coastal county’s proposed 32-mile rail-and-trail project, a reflection of the strong divisions that have developed over the possibility of building a rail transit system on the former Southern Pacific Railroad branch line. Good Times Santa Cruz reports a push during Thursday’s commission meeting to reconsider a recent split vote was set aside after several commissioners expressed concern that another vote would only further division on the topic. In its April meeting, the commission split 6-6 on approval of a business plan for the potential rail project, indefinitely halting the project, which could cost $465 million to $478 million [see “Digest: NTSB releases preliminary report …,” Trains News Wire, April 2, 2021]. Thursday’s move provided no indication when or if the proposal would again be considered by the commission.

Reading & Northern to buy rail line from county

The Reading & Northern will buy a 19.5-mile rail line from Carbon County, Pa., for $4.7 million following approval of the deal from the county’s railroad commission and board of commissioners. The Lehighton Times News reports the county purchased the line in 1981 for $991,500 when it was at risk of abandonment following the formation of Conrail, and contracted with the Carbon & Schuylkill Railroad in 1990 to operate the line; that railroad is now overseen by Reading & Northern owner Andy Muller. The Reading & Northern will spend several million dollars to upgrade the line, Muller said.

CN to buy 1,000 new grain hoppers

Canadian National has placed an order for 1,000 new high-capacity grain hopper cars, to be built at a TrinityRail facility in Mexico. The order is part of a larger program to build and renew a fleet of 6,000 grain hoppers over three years. “CN’s grain movement has been resilient during the pandemic, achieving 14 straight months of record Canadian grain volume shipments,” CN Chief Operating Officer Rob Reilly said in a press release. “The dedication of our railroaders as well as our agri-food and supply chain partners has been key to this exceptional performance. By purchasing additional hopper cars, we are strengthening our commitment to grain farmers, grain customers, and the overall supply chain to support and expand our movement of grain to international markets as demand continues to increase.”