Santa Cruz Rail Trail Project Documentation

The starting place to learn about this transportation corridor project is with the lead agency, the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Agency.

The official portal for information about this Coastal Rail Trail may be found here.

The Rail Transportation Bond Initiative was passed by state voters in June 1990, with a goal of raising $1.9 billion to be spent on passenger and freight rail projects. 

The Santa Cruz Regional Transportation used Proposition 116 funds to purchase the Santa Cruz Branch Line, which is the core of the rail trail.

Learn more about Proposition 116 here.

In 2017, the California Legislature passed Senate Bill 1 with a goal of funding transportation projects with $54 billion over 10 years.

SB 1 is a source of funding for the Santa Cruz Regional Transportation Commission.

You can learn more about SB 1 here.

Measure D was a local measure passed in 2016 to add a local 1/2-cent sales tax with funds to be directed to local transportation projects.

8% of Measure D funds are specically allocated toward the rail trail.

Learn more about Measure D at the SCCRTC site here. 

Read the full text of Measure D here.

In November of 2021, the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission received an unsolicited proposal by Progressive Rail, Roaring Camp, and electric train manufacturer TIG/m for a public/private partnership to provide commuter, excursion, and short line freight service on the 32-mile rail trail.

You can download the proposal here.

Railbanking is an agreement with a railroad and a trail agency to utilize unused rail line as a trail until the railroad requires the rail line again for rail service.

You can read more about railbanking here.

In the 2018 November general election, residents of the City of Capitola approved Measure L, prohibiting expenditure of City funds for routing of pedestrians and bicyclists from the rail corridor onto Capitola streets and sidewalks.

More information about Measure L may be found here.

Supporters of the Greenway gathered signatures to put an initiative on the ballot amending the Santa Cruz County General Plan to omit mention of rail service on the Santa Cruz Branch Line.

The petition gathered enough signatures to qualify for the June 2022 ballot.

The text of the Yes on Greenway initiative may be found here.

On March 2, 2022, the County of Santa Cruz Community Development & Infrastructure Department prepared a report for the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors, as mandated by law, on the impacts of the Yes on Greenway Initiative of the Santa Cruz County General Plan.

The report PDF (15 pages) may be found here.

The SCCRTC has documented the history of rail in Santa Cruz County in a timeline format.

The PDF may be downloaded here.

At the February 17 SCCRTC planning meeting, staff presented updated plans for segments 8-12 of the rail trail, spanning the 8 miles between Pacific Avenue in Santa Cruz and Rio Del Mar.

The YouTube video of the meeting may be found here.

The PDF of the presentation is available for download at the SCCRTC web site here.

The Santa Cruz Regional Transportation Commission meetings are recorded by Community Television of Santa Cruz County and uploaded to YouTube within 2-3 days of the meeting.

The meetings are long but very informative.

The YouTube channel may be found here.