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On Track! Rail & Trail Essentials
What Santa Cruz County Will Lose if the Tracks Are Demolished
by Friends of the Rail and Trail Local Transportation Agency Putting Both Rail and Trail at Risk After years of advancing a Rail & Trail project that would preserve the rail corridor while building a continuous trail, in December of 2026 the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) shifted toward pursuing a trail-only approach for the Mid-County corridor. That change has created new legal and regulatory questions that could ultimately delay the trail and jeo
Mid-County Trail Faces New Uncertainty
While construction continues on the North Coast Trail, the future of the Mid-County Trail has become far less certain.
State & Federal Rail Grant Could Be Lost
The Santa Cruz–Watsonville rail segment is part of the Central Coast Corridor, which was selected for Federal Corridor ID status in 2023. This program gives our Rail project state and federal sponsorship and access to non-competitive grant funding.
Rail & Trail Updates
ZEPRT Study Exposes Missteps at RTC
What Three Independent Reviews of the ZEPRT Study Found Friends of the Rail & Trail reviewed the RTC's Zero Emission Passenger Rail and Trail study carefully. Then, to make sure we were reading it correctly, we reviewed the analysis of two independent expert teams as well. All three reviews reached the same conclusion: the ZEPRT cost estimates are not a reflection of what passenger rail in Santa Cruz County actually costs. They are a reflection of what the RTC leadership dire
Jun 9
What Santa Cruz County Will Lose if the Tracks Are Demolished
by Friends of the Rail and Trail Local Transportation Agency Putting Both Rail and Trail at Risk After years of advancing a Rail & Trail project that would preserve the rail corridor while building a continuous trail, in December of 2026 the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) shifted toward pursuing a trail-only approach for the Mid-County corridor. That change has created new legal and regulatory questions that could ultimately delay the trail and jeo
Jun 9
Mid-County Trail Faces New Uncertainty
While construction continues on the North Coast Trail, the future of the Mid-County Trail has become far less certain.
Jun 29
Hybrid Rail-With-Trail Design Can Save Mid-County Grants
Hybrid Rail-With-Trail design is feasible, affordable, and delivers the full trail length in the grants within the required timeline.
Apr 27
Latest Updates from RTC Meetings
Update from December 4th RTC Meeting. What decisions were made and what's next.
Dec 10, 2025
Coastal Rail Trail’s latest Santa Cruz segment opens to fanfare
Community members, local leaders, and hundreds of Bay View Elementary students packed into La Barranca Park on Bay Street in Santa Cruz Wednesday morning for the official opening ceremony for the Segment 7, Phase II portion of the Coastal Rail Trail.
May 22, 2025
Rail & Trail in the News
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