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RTC holds public hearing on milestone 3 of 0‑emission passenger rail and coastal trail
Summary
Staff presented milestone 3 refinements to alignments, station alternatives, and engagement plans for the 0‑emission passenger rail and coastal trail; the public hearing produced extensive feedback on station placement (Watsonville and West Side), safety and access at the Boardwalk, and calls for clearer cost/ridership numbers.
RTC staff presented milestone 3 of the 0‑emission passenger rail and trail project on Dec. 12, summarizing refined conceptual alignments, station options, and outreach to date and seeking public input ahead of further operations and cost modeling in early 2025.
Project staff said milestone 3 focuses on conceptual alignment refinements (not final designs), station siting and amenities, and ridership forecasting methodology. The project team highlighted several constrained locations where staff developed multiple alternatives: Segment 18 (Watsonville west beach access and potential trail along Beach Street), Segment 13 (Sumner Avenue trail adjacent to roadway to avoid two large bridges), several options near Cabrillo (including elevated or at‑grade alternatives on MacGregor Avenue), and a set of alternatives in Capitola and along Beach Street in front of the Boardwalk to address narrow right‑of‑way, pedestrian safety, and emergency access.
"We changed our public engagement approach for milestone 3 to hold technical webinars and community workshops before today’s public hearing," staff said, noting an online virtual open house available through Dec. 20 and a next webinar on noise and quiet zones on Dec. 16.
Commissioners asked about operational parameters and outcomes the modeling will produce. Staff described an initial service planning assumption of hourly headways between Pajaro and Santa Cruz, and said operations modeling and ridership forecasts — including station dwell times and travel‑time estimates — will be included in upcoming milestone 4 deliverables.
Public commenters spoke at length. Many Watsonville residents and advocates urged two Watsonville stations (a downtown depot stop near the historic depot and an Ohlone Parkway stop) to serve equity and commute needs; students and Cabrillo College commenters emphasized connections for students and staff. West Side residents and advocates urged that service extend beyond Depot Park to Natural Bridges Drive to serve UCSC and the dense West Side population. Business and tourism stakeholders raised safety, emergency access and operations concerns for any alignment immediately in front of the Boardwalk; Roaring Camp representatives noted their current operation and asked staff to preserve access for excursion trains.
Other commenters asked for clearer ballpark cost estimates and ridership projections, expressed skepticism about delivering both a full 'ultimate' trail and passenger rail in narrow corridor sections, and suggested pilot or phased implementations (seasonal or peak‑period stations) to demonstrate ridership and operational viability.
Project staff said alternatives will be carried forward into preliminary engineering and environmental tasks where necessary; in some constrained areas, staff expects to carry two or more alternatives into subsequent environmental review to analyze tradeoffs. The commission did not take an action to adopt a single alternative at the hearing; staff said work will continue and they will return with ridership and cost estimates in early 2025.
