Zero Emission Passenger Rail & Trail Project

Project Overview

The Zero Emission Passenger Rail and Trail (ZEPRT) Project proposes a new high-capacity passenger rail service and stations on approximately 22 miles of the Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line (Branch Line) from the city of Santa Cruz in the north to Pajaro, just south of Watsonville. The project also proposes 12 miles of Coastal Rail Trail Segments 13-20 from Rio Del Mar Boulevard through the community of La Selva Beach and the City of Watsonville, as well as the Capitola Trestle reach (Segment 11, Phase 2).

The project aims to take advantage of the publicly owned rail right-of-way to provide passenger rail service to connect the most populated areas of Santa Cruz County to each other and to the greater region as well as provide integrated intercity travel options for riders on the Central Coast. Passengers will be able to bypass Highway 1 and local arterials that are highly congested, providing high-quality connections to key destinations within the county.

In addition to the 22 miles of rail transit service, the new trail would nearly complete the 32-mile Coastal Rail Trail providing a dedicated bicycle/pedestrian travel facility serving the proposed rail stations through development of 12 more miles of trail that are currently not constructed or under development.

In October 2023, as the first project task, the RTC began work on the Project Concept Report that will define, evaluate and develop a project rail and trail build concept to be advanced into subsequent project tasks. Read the project’s Preliminary Purpose and Need Statement here (or in Spanish here).

Project Benefits

• Offers high-capacity zero emission passenger rail transit service and stations on approximately 22 miles of the Branch Line, reducing transit travel times and improving transit system reliability
• Connects the most populated areas of Santa Cruz County to the California State Rail network
• Improves transit connections to community activity centers supporting the local economy and providing better access between housing and jobs
• Provides 12 miles of new multi-use bicycle and pedestrian trail to enhance bicycle and pedestrian connectivity and safety
• Passes within 1 mile of more than 90 parks, 40 schools and approximately half of the county’s population
• Reduces vehicle miles traveled and associated greenhouse gas emissions

Project Schedule

Anticipated key milestones will occur throughout the development of the ZEPRT Project Concept Report, which is anticipated to be complete in summer 2025. Key milestones for this phase of work, and the anticipated engagement opportunities, are shown in the schedule below.  Throughout the activities, meaningful, proactive, and focused public and stakeholder outreach will occur, including several virtual and in-person public workshops and open house meetings.

Following completion of the Project Concept Report, the project has the opportunity to move into preliminary engineering and environmental documentation through the California Environmental Quality Act and National Environmental Policy Act, subject to the availability of funding.

Resources

• English Fact Sheet
• Spanish Fact Sheet

Engagement Opportunities

The RTC and its project partners are committed to meaningful public engagement throughout the project’s lifecycle. Community participation is vital to aid in minimizing impacts while meeting the needs of riders, bicyclists and pedestrians. There are many voices in our community, and we want to hear yours.

Summaries of engagement activities conducted and community feedback received during each project milestone are provided below.

• Milestone 1 Engagement Summary (February – March 2024)
• Milestone 2 Engagement Summary (June – July 2024)
  • Milestone 2 Engagement Summary Appendix
• Milestone 3 Engagement Summary (October – December 2024)
  • Milestone 3 Engagement Summary Appendix A: Public Engagement Materials
  • Milestone 3 Engagement Summary Appendix B: Public Comments

Upcoming Events

May 2025 Community Workshops

Each workshop will begin with a brief presentation at 6:15 p.m., followed by an open house where attendees can participate in interactive sessions to view updated alignment maps and exhibits, and provide input to help advance the Project Concept that is expected to be shared with the community in June 2025.

WATSONVILLE COMMUNITY WORKSHOP Monday, May 12 | 6-7:30 p.m. Civic Plaza Community Room 275 Main Street, 4th Floor | Watsonville, CA Workshop Topics: Updates on the proposed rail and trail alignments and Watsonville station location options

SANTA CRUZ COMMUNITY WORKSHOP Wednesday, May 14 | 6-7:30 p.m. London Nelson Community Center Multipurpose Room 301 Center Street | Santa Cruz, CA Workshop Topics: Updates on Beach Street rail and trail alignment alternatives, traffic patterns in Beach Flats neighborhood and grade crossings along the proposed West Side alignment

Additional Milestone 4 engagement events will be conducted in 2025. To stay informed about future events as the project moves forward, sign up to be added to the project email list.

Past Events

Since project inception, the RTC has hosted many virtual and in-person engagement events to engage with the local communities, share updates and gather community input.

Virtual Open Houses

• Milestone 2 Archived Virtual Open House
• Milestone 3 Archived Virtual Open House

Informational Community Sessions

• Session #1: Oct. 23, 2024, focused on project funding and service type. Watch video here.
• Session #2: Oct. 28, 2024, focused on the project’s ridership approach. Watch video here
• Session #3: Dec. 16, 2024, focused on grade crossings, noise impacts, and quiet zones. Watch video here.
• Session #4: March 12, 2025, focused on railroad bridge infrastructure for the Branch Line with details related to bridges slated for repair, rehabilitation or replacement, as well as conceptual design types and cost estimates for proposed replacements. Watch video here.
• Session #5: April 1, 2025, focused on the project’s conceptual alignment and operations that will support intercity passenger rail service, including information related to preliminary travel times, station locations and rail vehicles. Watch the informational session video here.

In-Person Community Workshops

• February 2024: Presented project overview and gathered community feedback on the development of the Preliminary Purpose and Need statement. View board exhibits in Milestone 2 Engagement Summary.
• June 2024: Shared project updates and gathered community feedback on initial conceptual rail and trail alignment, and proposed rail vehicle types. View board exhibits in Milestone 2 Engagement Summary.
• November 2024: Shared project updates and gathered community feedback on rail and trail alignment options in development, project funding opportunities, ridership modeling approach, stations, bridge structures and noise impacts. Watch presentation video here: ZEPRT Community Workshop Presentation.

Stay Connected

  EMAIL

Email questions or comments to zeprt@sccrtc.org

  MAILING LIST

Sign up below for the project email list to receive regular electronic updates and learn about future engagement opportunities.