Santa Cruz County is about to receive $14.2 million from the California Transportation Commission. The money will be used to by the Union Pacific rail line from Watsonville to Davenport.
The county originally asked for $14.85 million, but as the deal was being worked out, Commissioner Joseph Tavaglione asked Union Pacific to drop the cost by $500,000. In a sign of goodwill, UP agreed to reduce it by $300,000. After a bit of prodding, it was cut by another $100,000, provided that the county come up with an additional $250,000. Mark Stone, who chairs the Board of Supervisors and the Regional Transportation Commission, immediately agreed to find the money somewhere. The sale is now on schedule to be completed by April 1.
And so, Santa Cruz County comes closer to having its own dinner railroad line. Perhaps they can serve burgers from In-N-Out. Read more at the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
