A debate is brewing in Santa Cruz County between supporters and opponents of a passenger rail line to run along the 32-mile Union Pacific line.
A debate is brewing in Santa Cruz County between supporters and opponents of a passenger rail line to run along the 32-mile Union Pacific line. The idea was popular in a 2007 poll, but that was before the current recession. Opponents of the rail are more vocal now, citing the cost of upgrading the existing rail line to accommodate passenger trains. According to the Santa Cruz Coalition Against Recreational Rail, it would cost the county $2-5 million dollars per mile, while there is now just a single track that crosses as many as 40 bridges and trestles.
Advocates are unfazed by this, and cite the long-term economic and environmental benefits of new rail line. Another advocacy group, Friends of the Rail Trail, says that over 120,000 people live within a mile of the proposed route, and the population is growing. They want to see the UP tracks converted into a passenger line, with an adjacent trail for bikers and walkers.
Paul Dyson, President of the Rail Passenger Association of California, sees merit in both positions. “Passenger rail lines, especially short lines, don’t normally generate enough income to cover costs,” he says, in a statement reflected the opinion of the Coalition Against Recreational Rail. Then he adds, “but they can, if well run and well used.” As for now, the debate is on. Read more at Santa Cruz Sentinel.
