Rail is Moving Forward with State and Federal backing

Santa Cruz is in the Central Coast Corridor

The Central Coast Corridor is one of the 9 rail projects in California to be admitted to the Federal Corridor ID program. The Santa Cruz–Watsonville rail segment is part of the Central Coast Corridor, selected for Federal Corridor ID status in 2023. The Corridor ID program was part of Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and remains fully funded and continuing under the current administration.

There are three parts to the Central Coast Corridor.

• Adding more frequent stops to existing service on the main line between San Jose and San Luis Obispo

• Starting a new passenger rail service from San Jose to Salinas

• Starting a new passenger rail service from Santa Cruz to Watsonville

Purpose of the Corridor ID Program

The goal of the Federal Corridor ID program is to:

• Choose high value intercity passenger rail service projects and

• fund their planning, engineering, and environmental work,

• so they can be prioritized for federal funding for construction. 

The Corridor ID planning, engineering, and environmental work is called the Service Development Plan. Projects with a completed Service Development Plan are prioritized for Federal funding and are also more competitive for state funding because all the key planning questions are answered. 

Overall Corridor ID Process

Caltrans is starting Step 2 at the beginning of 2026

Once a project has a completed Service Development Plan, it is eligible to apply for 80% federal matching grants for final design and construction. Construction will happen in phases. Rebuilding the Capitola Trestle to carry both Rail & Trail would be a great 1st phase. 

The Service Development Plan Pays for Our Rail Planning, Preliminary Engineering, and Environmental Work

Once a project is selected for the Corridor ID Program and starts Step 1 activities, funding for Steps 2 and 3 is non-competitive. The FRA awards funds for Steps 2 and 3 once the preceding step is complete. Caltrans is the project sponsor and lead agency for the Santa Cruz passenger rail project, and has completed Step 1. Now they are ready to get to work on Step 2.

The Rail & Trail Projects are about making our Community more Connected

It's About People. 

• It's about improving mobility for seniors, kids, people with disabilities, and working families.

• It's about building a future where people from every part of Santa Cruz County can move safely, affordably, and sustainably.

• It's about following the will of the 73% of voters who said we need both the Rail and the Trail.

To move both the Rail and Trail projects forward demands we be creative and flexible as we look for ways to build the trail, without damaging the rail. These are big projects, and this isn't easy.  But it's worth doing.

Check out these links for more information about the Corridor ID program.

Corridor ID Information Links: 

• California Passenger Rail Summit presentation on the Corridor ID program in California 

• List of Chosen Corridors from FRA 

• Corridor ID Program Info from HDR

• FRA Presentation on Corridor ID Program 

• Santa Cruz Sentinel Corridor ID Announcement 

• SCCRTC Final ZEPRT Concept Report: page 14, Section 2.4.5 

• FRA Corridor ID Program Site