SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — Local officials have agreed to provide funds to start a study to shape a proposal for a 22-mile electrified passenger rail system in Santa Cruz County — although they are providing only half the funds needed for what is expected to be a two-year study and lack the funds to complete the project.
The Santa Cruz Sentinel reports the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission voted 11-1 to approve a recommendation to contract with HDR Engineering for the project concept report, and provided $3.8 million in funding. The report is expected to cost about $7.7 million, with the commission planning to pursue grants to cover the remainder.
Despite the overwhelming vote in favor of the contract, a number of members of the commission expressed concerns about the project. Ultimately, they felt the study to better define the project was a necessary next step.
“As somebody who’s generally a strong supporter of rail, it’s possible I’m going to be persuaded at some point in this process not to spend that next $20 million or something,” Commissioner Mike Rotkin said, according to the Sentinel. “But at this point, I think we owe it to the public to proceed with the process we have now.”
I suppose my standing in the Santa Cruz Rail project is “Concerned Citizen”. Long ago I went to school in Watsonville and spent summers at camp in Bonny Doon. So I know and visit the area as often as I can. In fact, I was a passenger on the Roaring Camp train just last month.
I would like to call myself a railfan, but I really can’t because my interests are all passenger service operation. both then and now. I ride the rails of the New England Core on Amtrak 2 or 3 times a year. I graduated from the University of Delaware, and I can hear the whistle of the Wilmington and Western in memory without any effort.
I live in New England now and I feel it a privilege to to say that I rode the second round trip from Boston, MA to Portland, ME. in December, 2001, on The Downeaster. The latter station was the terminus for that line then, but it has expanded to Brunswick, ME, adding a stop in Freeport, ME on the way.
My purpose in writing this to you is to remind you that you are at the very beginning of a long and difficult journey, in reality filled with prople who will join and who will leave. But as things continue to progress and the railroad becomes a reality, you will realize that it is on it’s way to destinations and accomplishments that you can’t or at least haven’t even imagined…yet.
And the satisfaction level will be beyond belief.
P.S. A little research on The Downeaster will help you keep your eyes on prize.
$7.7M for a study? Sheesh. Wonder how much it would cost Henry Posner to bring the pop-up Metro out for some test runs. After they finish fixing bridges, that is.
I agree. Probably the same consulting firm California hired for their HSR project.
3) Could someone please translate the last paragraph of the article into English?
Many board members (and a very loud constituency) want the rail ripped up and turned into a trail.
There is another constituency who want to eliminate cars through better use of transit.
For awhile these 2 were fighting it out through advertising and public meetings to try and sway the commission.
Finally cooler heads prevailed and decided to see what it was going to take to actually use it for transit since ripping out tracks is cheap and easy.
So some board members need raw materials to support their argument for and against, hence why they voted for it.
The whole ripping out the tracks could made a moot point if California decided to terminate the rails to trails option and forbid the removal of any currently unused rail lines under the premise that they’re all potential transit and/or passenger corridors as long as they’re within State. Yes, I know the railroads are governed by the FRA, but since the FRA has dragged their ass on doing this(it makes complete sense to issue an abandonment moratorium) maybe a state can kick start the process…and in this case, the rail is owned by a government entity anyways, so the state can dictate what happens to it.
(1) $7.7 Million for “the project concept report”. I remember the days when that amount of money would buy you something more than a report.
(1 1/2) An effort to raise money not for the train but for a report. Where would the money for the train (and r/w, stations, etc.) come from.
(2) Second to the last paragraph, some board members voted to approve a project they oppose.
(3) Could someone please translate the last paragraph of the article into English?
(4) I give up, USA has become ungovernable. We have the developed world’s second worst passenger train system (better than Canada’s) but the world’s best reports.