A few years ago there was an outfit based in Palo Alto interested in building a planned community along the branch between Gilroy and Hollister. A friend of ours was a San Benito county supervisor at the time and went down to Arizona where the company had built a similar one, to see the layout. Everyone was impressed. IIRC, the branch was to be an integral part of it all, not to be removed. However, things being how they are in the economy, this idea most assuredly has been shelved for awhile. The UP still owns the branch and I believe they still actually own the tracks between San Jose and Gilroy but have agreements regarding the Caltrain operation. The Hollister branch has nothing to do with any expansion of Caltrain to Salinas. UP has consistently said that Caltrain cannot go to Salinas unless CTC is upgraded and sidings are built and other $$$$$$$$$$$$ spent. San Benito county is strictly a bedroom/farming community and has no tax base with which to purchase and/or maintain the branch, no matter how attractive it is to commuter traffic.
C.