The first of three articles on the future of transportation in Santa Cruz County
By Noel Smith
The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission owns the only existing rail corridor in Santa Cruz County that originally opened in 1876. This 32-mile rail line starts in the north at Davenport, goes through Santa Cruz, Live Oak, Capitola, New Brighton, Seacliff Village, Aptos Village, Seascape, La Selva, and ends at the Watsonville/Pajaro junction. From there the Southern Pacific Railway follows the Pajaro River to connect with Cal-Train and Amtrak service in Gilroy. Santa Cruz County’s only potentially high volume passenger rail corridor is within one mile of more than 92 parks, 42 schools and approximately half of the county’s population and provides some of the most scenic coastal views on the west coast.
Most of the public’s interest in purchasing and improving the right of way has until now been the idea of adding a hiking/biking trail alongside the rail or converting the corridor to trail-only use. However, the grant money provided for the rail corridor’s purchase and its improvement has been predicated on some day using it for public transit.
Commute time in the county keeps growing. Its only east-west freeway, Highway 1, has traffic jams that continue to grow longer each year until at some times of the day it now takes over one and a half hours to drive between Watsonville and Santa Cruz. The only way to relieve this traffic – without mandating bicycles or walking shoes for everyone – is to widen the freeway… or find another mode of mass transportation available for people to use.
Why do we need Mass Transit?
According to the study, “Although Santa Cruz County is not considered a metropolitan area, the topography of the area concentrates development between the ocean and the mountains. The county’s population density is one of the highest in California, about 600 people per square mile overall, with areas along the rail line significantly higher (City of Santa Cruz and the Seacliff area are over 4,000 people/square mile; Live Oak almost 5300 people/square mile, Twin Lakes area and City of Watsonville over 7,000 people/square mile).”
In order to comply with the corridor’s funding criteria and to find a possible alternative to building a wider Highway 1 so that more vehicles can drive on it, the SCCRTC hired consultants to provide a Rail Feasibility Study. The study was completed in May 2015 and reading the study, it seems to provide a rational set of possible ways to use this irreplaceable transportation asset called a rail corridor. Here are some of the possibilities it provides for public discussion.
Assuming the corridor’s highest use between Watsonville and Santa Cruz in terms of the most service for the most people, here are some things that stand out (Scenario J) in the Feasibility Study:
- Number of train stations — Ten (10) from Western Dr. in Santa Cruz to Pajaro with an 11th stop during the academic year for Cabrillo College.
- Travel time between first (Santa Cruz West Side) and last station (Watsonville/Pajaro) = 43 minutes for the 21.8-mile trip even during crowded commute times.
- Travel time from Santa Cruz West Side to Capitola = 16 minutes
- For the system to be rider-friendly, headways should be no more than 30 minutes. (Headway is a measurement of the time between vehicles in a transit system.)
- One Commuter Train per half hour (30 minutes) each way (x 2) between the proposed operating hours of 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. = 60 trains per day.
- Number of train sets = 5
- Cost to upgrade the corridor and provide the necessary railway equipment so it can be used at transit speeds is estimated to be $48 million.
The Draft Report is now available online: www.sccrtc.org/rail The study includes:
- Introduction including why consider rail transit
- Goals and Objectives used to evaluate the feasibility of each scenario
- Service Scenarios representing a range of station locations, service hours, vehicle types (over for map)
- Technical Assessment of Seven Service Scenarios that includes for each
- Capital Cost Estimates
- Operations & Maintenance Cost Estimates
- Ridership Forecasts — how many people would ride trains
- Funding Assessment — how it could be funded
- Evaluation of how well each scenario advances community goals and objectives
- Preferred Service Alternatives – two highest rated options based on evaluation criteria
- Implementation Options
Get Involved — Your participation will help ensure that the Final Report reflects community input.
Step 1: Review the Draft Report
Online: www.sccrtc.org/rail – Or in person by reviewing a copy at RTC’s Santa Cruz office, the Santa Cruz Library or the Watsonville Library
Step 2: Submit Comments by July 8, 2015
Comment Form: Submit comments online: www.sccrtc.org/rail-study-comments
Email: Send your comments to [email protected]
Online Survey: The Survey will be posted June 4 – July 8: www.sccrtc.org/rail
Step 3: Stay Involved — Sign up for eNews to receive information about the study and to participate in the discussion. www.sccrtc.org/about/esubscriptions
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For more information, please visit the RTC web site: www.sccrtc.org or call (831) 460-3200. Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission, 1523 Pacific Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA 95060