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Santa Cruz County Supervisor Believes Rail Will Fail And Be Replaced With Trail
Author: Bait & Switch
Date: 06-18-2012 - 19:06
I wonder how many other Santa Cruz County Supervisors want Iowa Pacific to fail to provide passenger service so the ROW can be turned into a pedestrian trail.
The following is from the June 14, 2012 edition of the Mid-County Post.
[www.mcpost.com]
The Tracks that Divide the District
Many residents in Pirie's district don't want to see passenger train service restored, in some cases because of noise and in some fewer instances because the tracks run very close to some residences. For those who maintain reservations, despite the Commission's recent deal with UP for the right-of-way, Pirie doesn't think anyone has to worry about passenger train service. Ever.
"I don't think we will ever have passenger train [service]," Pirie said.
While earlier in the discussions, Pirie didn't support the rail line purchase, more recently her vote has been decisive to move ahead.
She said the change is the realization that the tracks could someday make a great walkway through the county. She says that walking the tracks from Rio del Mar to Aptos Village would certainly beat driving.
This is not necessarily a contentious opinion; most of the money to purchase the right-of-way will come from the state Prop 116 funds that are dedicated to commuter rail projects. But if Pirie is right, the only "commuters" the tracks will ever see are tourists being shuttled on a slow-moving train between Santa Cruz and Davenport. And that might not even last long.
Calling a walking path along the rail line a "wonderful amenity," she believes that commuter service is financially infeasible, and decades of reports support her view. One report suggested that if the rail line was replaced and commuter train service initiated, the necessary subsidy for each passenger would be in the range of $60 per passenger. That would make the tracks financially impossible to operate, as she believes the rail line would need to be entirely rebuilt to meet safety requirements.
"We don't have the kind of density of population [along the tracks we need]," Pirie said. "People think about [passenger rail service], but it isn't real."
She adds that she has walked most of the tracks in sections, and there are 38 trestles, cliffs and a "million" retaining walls, most built more than a century ago.
Does she worry that if the tourist train doesn't work long term, state regulators are going to want their $10 million back? Absolutely not, she answers.
Despite what state regulators have told The Post about the RTC's obligation to return funds if a tourist train is ever closed, Pirie believes the only obligation the RTC has is to initiate the project. However, she realizes even that is in question.
To get the Prop 116 funds, the RTC has to have an operator for the passenger and freight services. At the last minute, Sierra Northern backed out of the deal. A new operator from Iowa is interested, and talks are underway.
According to Pirie, the biggest problem is that the terms established with Sierra Northern have to pass through to the new operator, or a revised deal must be approved by regulators. And, the last deal was only barely passed by regulators.
Pirie adds that a trail may also be a ways off, since at some points the rail line is so narrow that a train and walkers can't share the space safely.
Among Pirie's interests, she has been working with a group to help complete a walking trail that would traverse the county.
"There is [now] a master plan of a trail network," she said. "I think it will happen eventually."
The following is from the June 14, 2012 edition of the Mid-County Post.
[www.mcpost.com]
The Tracks that Divide the District
Many residents in Pirie's district don't want to see passenger train service restored, in some cases because of noise and in some fewer instances because the tracks run very close to some residences. For those who maintain reservations, despite the Commission's recent deal with UP for the right-of-way, Pirie doesn't think anyone has to worry about passenger train service. Ever.
"I don't think we will ever have passenger train [service]," Pirie said.
While earlier in the discussions, Pirie didn't support the rail line purchase, more recently her vote has been decisive to move ahead.
She said the change is the realization that the tracks could someday make a great walkway through the county. She says that walking the tracks from Rio del Mar to Aptos Village would certainly beat driving.
This is not necessarily a contentious opinion; most of the money to purchase the right-of-way will come from the state Prop 116 funds that are dedicated to commuter rail projects. But if Pirie is right, the only "commuters" the tracks will ever see are tourists being shuttled on a slow-moving train between Santa Cruz and Davenport. And that might not even last long.
Calling a walking path along the rail line a "wonderful amenity," she believes that commuter service is financially infeasible, and decades of reports support her view. One report suggested that if the rail line was replaced and commuter train service initiated, the necessary subsidy for each passenger would be in the range of $60 per passenger. That would make the tracks financially impossible to operate, as she believes the rail line would need to be entirely rebuilt to meet safety requirements.
"We don't have the kind of density of population [along the tracks we need]," Pirie said. "People think about [passenger rail service], but it isn't real."
She adds that she has walked most of the tracks in sections, and there are 38 trestles, cliffs and a "million" retaining walls, most built more than a century ago.
Does she worry that if the tourist train doesn't work long term, state regulators are going to want their $10 million back? Absolutely not, she answers.
Despite what state regulators have told The Post about the RTC's obligation to return funds if a tourist train is ever closed, Pirie believes the only obligation the RTC has is to initiate the project. However, she realizes even that is in question.
To get the Prop 116 funds, the RTC has to have an operator for the passenger and freight services. At the last minute, Sierra Northern backed out of the deal. A new operator from Iowa is interested, and talks are underway.
According to Pirie, the biggest problem is that the terms established with Sierra Northern have to pass through to the new operator, or a revised deal must be approved by regulators. And, the last deal was only barely passed by regulators.
Pirie adds that a trail may also be a ways off, since at some points the rail line is so narrow that a train and walkers can't share the space safely.
Among Pirie's interests, she has been working with a group to help complete a walking trail that would traverse the county.
"There is [now] a master plan of a trail network," she said. "I think it will happen eventually."
Santa Cruz County Supervisor Believes Rail Will Fail And Be Replaced With Trail