Quick Take
Santa Cruz leaders have considered building a train from Watsonville to Davenport for decades, and the Regional Transportation Commission has repeatedly approved studies on cost and feasibility. Measure D (2022) was among the costliest and most contentious ballot initiatives in recent memory and saw 70% of voters reject a plan prioritizing a trail. More than two years after that vote, the RTC is waiting for the results of a $20 million environmental impact study on the feasibility of a rail. Will Mayall questions the logic of all the money and time poured into the idea of rail service: “At some point, we have to ask: Are we clinging to this train dream because it’s the best solution, or because we’re reluctant to admit it isn’t?”
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For decades, Santa Cruz County has debated whether to build a passenger train along the rail corridor from Watsonville to Davenport. Millions have been spent on studies and planning, yet we continue to battle over the best use of the unused Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line. For some, the train represents progress, equity and sustainability. For others, it’s an expensive and impractical project that diverts resources from better transportation solutions.
Trains evoke a deep sense of nostalgia. Many of us grew up riding them, building model sets or dreaming of the adventure they promise. But nostalgia isn’t a transportation plan.
The Santa Cruz Regional Transportation Commission (SCCRTC) has repeatedly funded studies that fail to resolve fundamental questions about feasibility and cost. The 2015 Rail Transit Feasibility Study should have provided clarity, but instead, we find ourselves waiting on yet another expensive study.
Will this one finally answer the questions, or will it just prolong the debate?
OPINION ON THE RAIL AND TRAIL: Read past Community Voices op-eds and letters to the editor
The latest study is expected this spring. Its findings are supposed to determine whether passenger rail is feasible, yet past studies have failed to provide clear direction. Why? And what assurance do we have that this study will be different?
Early results from the study suggest that implementing passenger rail service would be one of the most expensive projects in county history, requiring massive upfront investments and ongoing operational subsidies. To fund it, the county would need to pass a sales tax requiring a two-thirds majority vote — an enormous hurdle in a county where similar measures have struggled.
At some point, we have to ask: Are we clinging to this train dream because it’s the best solution, or because we’re reluctant to admit it isn’t? Are there more practical and affordable alternatives that could better serve the community?
Santa Cruz County has always prided itself on bold thinking. But real progress requires more than ambition — it requires adaptability and the willingness to confront hard truths. The real challenge isn’t just deciding whether to pursue the train; it’s learning how to balance vision with reality.
Will Mayall has lived in Santa Cruz County for 50 years. A lifelong train enthusiast, he has explored the county’s rail corridor, studied Regional Transportation Commission reports, and continues to ride and research trains, both historic (i.e., Roaring Camp) and modern.