Carmageddon: RTC’s $4.3B passenger rail plans to face scrutiny in pair of public meetings this week

Santa Cruz County residents will get their first look this week at how much a proposed 22-mile passenger rail system could cost taxpayers, where stations would be built and how many riders are expected to use the zero-emission train service being proposed by the Regional Transportation Commission.

The RTC will present these details at two meetings this week: a public information session Monday focused on ridership and costs, followed by a presentation to commissioners on Thursday revealing a full draft blueprint for the rail project. Both meetings mark key steps before a final vision for the RTC’s proposed passenger rail service is expected to be released this fall.

On Friday, the RTC published a draft executive summary of its plans for the train service, which it says could cost $4.3 billion to build and as much as $41 million a year to operate. The 22-mile line could feature nine stations between Santa Cruz and Pajaro, with trains running every 30 minutes between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. and potentially serve up to 6,000 daily riders by 2045, the RTC said.

In Monday’s information session, which runs from 3:30 to 5 p.m., the project team will focus on projections for the number of riders who would use the train and how many are expected to board the train at each of the 10 proposed stations. The team will also give information on estimates related to both how much it will likely cost to operate the train, as well as capital expenses like building out stations, purchasing equipment and upgrading bridges and other infrastructure.

The overall cost of building and running a passenger train route through the county has been a central issue for both critics and advocates. At its Thursday meeting, the RTC will provide its first initial cost estimates for the project.

RTC spokesperson Shannon Munz said via email that the presentation on the draft concept report on Thursday will be the first look at all of the project’s components, from proposed station locations to the path that the rail would take, to ridership forecasts. Commissioners will also get a look at plans for segments of Coastal Rail Trail that have yet to be built.

“The RTC is sharing this information now so the community can review the information over the summer and provide input ahead of the concept report coming out,” she said.

The commission was initially set to release its Zero Emission Passenger Rail & Trail Project concept report this spring, offering an early vision of the details about the county passenger rail plans. But in February, the agency said it planned to delay releasing the report until the fall because it needed more time to do more technical analysis and community engagement.

Thursday’s meeting will also include announcements of upcoming public meetings where members of the community can ask questions and review the plans ahead of an Aug. 7 public hearing. After that, RTC staff will revise the draft concept report in order to formally present a final version to commissioners in the fall.

Monday’s information session can be viewed virtually here or in person at the RTC’s office at 1101 Pacific Ave., Suite 250, in downtown Santa Cruz. Thursday’s meeting will begin at 6 p.m. in the Watsonville City Council chambers and can be viewed virtually here.

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Check out our Carmageddon road project list here. This week, pay particular attention to:

• The Highway 1 off-ramps at Park Avenue will be closed for months as part of the Highway 1 expansion project. The southbound off-ramp will be closed for six months starting April 17. The northbound off-ramp closed April 7 and will stay closed for four months.

• A full closure of the Murray Street Bridge will begin on June 23 and is scheduled to run until February 2026. It will be closed for vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians.

• The installation of a water treatment plant pipeline will take place in Soquel along Soquel Drive between Cunnison Lane and Cinnamon Street from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and on Cunnision Lane from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays. The closures will move between lanes and will last until early July.

• The two rightmost lanes on southbound Highway 1 between Soquel Drive and Bay Avenue/Porter Street will be closed overnight on Sunday and Monday from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. At the same time, there will be alternating closures of the 41st Avenue and Soquel Drive offramps.

• There will be a closure of one lane on northbound Highway 17 due to landscaping work between Redwood Estates to Alma Bridge Road in Los Gatos. The closure will take place between 9 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. from Monday through Thursday.

• The installation of the Newell Creek Pipeline on Graham Hill Road between Summit Avenue and Lockewood Lane will take place on weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and could cause delays of up to five minutes.

• There will be overnight single lane closures of Soquel Drive between La Fonda Avenue and State Park Drive from Tuesday through July 1 for repaving and striping along the road. The closures will take place between 7:30 p.m. and 5:30 a.m. from Sundays through Thursdays.

• Tree work will close down one lane of Highway 9 on Monday and Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. between Pacific Street and Irwin Way. One alternating lane of traffic will be open throughout the working period.

• In Watsonville, a single lane on Green Valley Road from Holohan Road to Casserly Road is closed for the Multi-Use Trail Improvement Project. Lane closures occur from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Additionally, a single lane is closed on Buena Vista Drive and Ranport Road for overhead tree trimming on weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., causing potential delays.

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