BP=BS
Author: Howard
Date: 07-01-2020 - 18:57
Regarding the meaning of today’s statement from the RTC. What they are stating is that the Transit Corridor Alternatives Analysis is ongoing and nothing will be permitted to interfere with it including the ACL Agreement with the St. Paul & Pacific. There are four alternatives being considered and all previous alternatives, including a trail only, have been permanently eliminated.
The St. Paul & Pacific is not abandoning the Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line, but only requesting to terminate the ACL Agreement with the RTC. They have agreed to help the RTC locate a new rail operator to become the common carrier.
I just got off the phone with a new rail customer for the Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line. They plan to start taking rail cars by the end of this year. I wanted to update them with regards to today’s statement from the RTC regarding the current common carrier. I assured them that the St. Paul & Pacific will continue to service the rail customers and the transfer to a new common carrier will be seamless for the rail customers. The process to transfer the common carrier responsibility to a new rail operator could take six months.
By this time next year the line will be reopened between Watsonville and Santa Cruz and the first freight to be brought up will be locomotives for Roaring Camp. A light rail demonstration between the Boardwalk and Capitola is planned for the first quarter of 2021 and a third party rail operator plans to provide recreational rail service too.