December 1988
MCRS Chairman Jack
Boone reports:
On September 24th the MCRS hosted a meeting at Northspur to formulate a strategy for increasing the awareness and utilization of rail in Northern California. The meeting was well attended and extremely productive. As a follow-up we have contacted ten RR role-model states and asked for their assistance. To this date the states of Iowa, New York, South Dakota, Michigan, and Tennessee have responded. Their input has been valuable and we now have a model framework to offer for consideration.
A December 15th meeting (too late to report on in this issue) in Willits provided a quarterly progress report to our constituency and planned Phase Two of our strategy for Railway Regeneration.
January/February 1989
MCRS-Sponsored Symposium Explores Regeneration of County Rail
ON DECEMBER 15, 1988 the
Mendocino County Railway Society sponsored a symposium with the theme
"New Life for Redwood Empire Railroads." The meeting brought together
representatives of regulatory agencies, railroads, the lumber industry, and
tourism groups, with officials from city,
county, and state' governments.
The focus of the day was on
the
ways and means of making rail service once again a vital force in the region's
economy. What follows are highlights of that meeting:
Art
Lloyd of Amtrak: "In fact, some statistics are quite amazing. The Los Angeles/San
Diego (Amtrak) trains returned 133% of their costs in September, and the San
Joaquin trains returned 99% of their costs. So we're well on the way to not
being a burden on the taxpayer, and that's our eventual aim.
"Amtrak's problem today, that I might
as well discuss right now, is that we're suffering from a lack of equipment. We
have more demand than there is supply.
"You (NWPRR) can tie in with the proposed Marin/Sonoma commuter operation, if that ever gets off the ground, and run down into Larkspur and connect with ferries or buses into San Francisco."
Larry
D. Ruple, Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad:
"We
hope to pledge to you the support of the Rio Grande as a small company, which
is now a larger company, for working with the NWP and the other groups up here
in putting this together as a coalition, or a team effort, and finding out what
shippers have needed and what they didn't receive-and doing it as a team!"
Gerald Allen, California Western Railroad:
"We're
optimistic for '89. We're moving now towards getting a schedule. We're going to
be running some additional tourists/
recreational
trips from the Fort Bragg area. We got engine 45 back."
From
county government: Jim Eddie, Supervisor, Mendocino County:
"My
board is trying to support railroads in every way possible. We know they're
important to the North Coast. One thing that bothers me, as well as the other
board members, is that it is so difficult to improve the roads going north.
We've used up the existing corridors, and expanding those roads becomes
extremely difficult. It looks like railroad is the best alternative we've got
going to Eureka and now to the coast. We need to all work together in some type
of a coalition to strengthen railroads."
From city government: Ed Scott, Mayor,
Willits:
"If
you're in the railroad business, want you in this area; if you're a shipper,
those railroads need your business; and if you're part of the PUC-part of the
government, or regulatory agencies-we're going to need your cooperation."
From
consumer groups: Joanna Avilla, Standard Structures, Santa Rosa:
"I should say that the existence of
Standard Structures is dependent upon the railroad."
Rod
Woolley, Pacific Lumber Co., Scotia:
"Pacific
Lumber used to ship-when I used to work for them in '77-over 90% of our lumber
by rail. Up until this year it was down to about 10%. The last couple of months
it's been getting better."
From
railroad advocates:
Jack
Boone, Chairman, MCRS:
"The
three railroads, the California Western, the Eureka Southern, and the Denver
& Rio Grande Western (which now owns the NWP line), affect locally six
counties and directly affect the entire state. Our goal, our reason for being
here, is to develop a viable methodology that can allow and assist railroads to
become totally regenerated to service today and tomorrow."
Tony
Leibert, North Bay Transit Committee:
"We've
been able to convince all eleven incorporated Marin County cities that rail is
the way to go for the Highway 101 commuter crunch between Healdsburg and San
Francisco. Two weeks ago all eleven endorsed rail over a busway to use the NWP
right-of-way."
Ruth
Rockefeller, MCRS:
"I'd
like to give an overview of the data we've received from other states
concerning their rail transportation. The common thread is that most of them
began to act when they were faced with terrible losses of rail trackage. In
Iowa, they were going to lose 50% of their track in 1980. South Dakota, I
think, was losing 9,000 miles of track. Much of this was because of the
business failures of the Rock Island, the Great Northern, and other big
railroads.
So, other states have acted where perhaps we've been
a little smug. We haven't been faced with the devastating loss that others
have. We of the Society believe that we need to act regionally and also reach
out to the other areas in the state where there are short lines that need
help."
August – September 1989
The
two meetings in September and December of 1988 were followed by a conference in
January of 1989 in Senator Keene’s office in Sacramento. Several MCRS
directors, CPUC representatives and a railroad expert met with Senator Keene's
and Assemblyman Hauser's legislative transportation analysts.
The following bills were the direct results of this meeting. Legislative
Update
AB 1374 (Railroad Rehabilitation Bill by
Assemblyman Dan Hauser) passed the Senate Transportation Committee on August 22. The next step is the
Appropriations Committee. Your support is still needed. Write to:
Assemblyman Dan Hauser's Office, State Capitol, Sacramento CA
95814. AB 1374 will provide funds for the California short lines in need whose
survival is shown to be essential to the economic well-being of the areas they
serve.
Senator Barry Keene's Railroad Authority
Bill (SB 1663) was placed on the
Consent Calendar of the Assembly Ways and Means Committee on August 23 and
approved. The next step is the Assembly floor. Send your support to Senator Keene's office, State
Capitol, Sacramento", CA 95814.
SB 1663 will create a railroad authority
for Mendocino and Humboldt counties.
BART and Caltrain crews immediately went to work to check out the tracks, tunnels and bridges, but no damage was reported on the Caltrain tracks and only minor damage on BART. Caltrain started operations again at 10:00 PM and BART’s regular weekday morning commute service began rolling right on schedule early on Wednesday, October 18th.
Naturally, both
BART and Caltrain had increased riderships after the earthquake: BART has
carried about 50% more passengers above
its pre-quake normal, and Caltrain 30% more, which has gone down now to
20%.
Caltrain had also
run an additional train all the way from Salinas to San Jose, coming north
in the morning, going south in the
evening. At first only 160 passengers were patronizing the train, but the
ridership climbed to 450 before the train was discontinued after Highway 17
opened again.
Lesson: Would it not be much wiser to invest our transportation
funds in railroads instead of highways?
Rail
Legislation Moves Through Sacramento
By Ruth Rockefeller
FOUR PIECES OF CALIFORNIA LEGISLATION may affect North Coast
railroading. One is specific to the North Coast; the others have statewide
implications.
At this writing, three have been signed into law by
Governor George Deukmejian. The fourth is an initiative, which will appear on
the June 1990 ballot. Funding for one of the three already enacted will depend
on the passage of two June 1990 ballot measures.
The four pieces of legislation are: SB 1663, which establishes a North Coast Railroad Authority; AB 1374, which provides for short-line rehabilitation projects throughout the state; the Intercity Rail and the Commuter and Urban Rail Programs, which are a part of the major transportation package passed by the legislature and signed by the governor; and, finally, the Clean Air and Rail Transportation Bond Act.
They will be described briefly in the order in which they appear above
and then in greater detail.
SB 1663, establishing the North Coast Rail Authority, was authored
by Senator Barry Keene and coauthored by Assemblyman Dan Hauser. It is intended
to provide an alternative for ensuring railroad service if the Interstate
Commerce Commission authorizes the abandonment or discontinuance of service on
the Eureka Southern, the California Western, or the Northwestern Pacific
Railroad. The authority would have the power to issue bonds, payable from
revenues of any facility or enterprise to be acquired or constructed by that
body.
AB 1374, which was authored by Assemblyman Hauser and coauthored
by Senator Keene, provides for funding of short-line rehabilitation projects
through the Transportation Planning and Development (TP&D) Account of the
State Transportation Fund. AB 1374 was passed as an urgency statute and the
deadline for application to the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans)
was December 1, 1989.
The Intercity Rail and the Commuter and Urban Rail Transit Programs will
not be funded unless two measures are passed by the voters next June. One of
these is State Constitution Amendment 1 (SCA 1), which would raise the Gann spending
limit and increase the gasoline tax. In relation to this amendment, but
specific to rail funding, is a separate $1 billion bond issue.
Even though the funding is not yet in place, Caltrans set a deadline of
December 1 of this year for application, with the goal of including projects in
a Proposed State Improvement Program (PSTIP) to be submitted for approval by
the California Transportation Commission in the spring.
The Clean Air and Transportation Improvement Act of 1990 would authorize
a general obligation bond issue of $1.9 billion to provide funds principally
for passenger and commuter rail systems. Planned for the June 1990 ballot, the
measure is specific on various geographical allotments. Among them are $6
million for improvement of rail service, including rail freight and tourist
related services, in Humboldt County. Four million dollars is allotted to
Mendocino County for the same purposes.
Examining the four piece of legislation in more detail, one learns that
SB 1663 creates a North Coast Railroad Authority, which is to be governed by a
board five directors. Two persons are to be appointed by the Board of
Supervisors of Humboldt County and two by the Board of Supervisors of Mendocino
County. The District Director of Caltrans District 1 will be the fifth member,
serving ex officio.
The law requires that the authority shall conduct its first meeting not
later than 120 days after the abandonment or discontinuance of service on any
of the three railroads included in the measure.
In addition to issuing revenue bonds, the
authority is empowered to acquire properties, operate railroads, and accept
grants or loans from state or federal agencies or other
sources, both private and public. It may select a franchisee to acquire or operate a rail transportation system.
The legislation also provides that the authority can be expanded to
include Del Norte County if rail expansion becomes feasible, and to Marin and
Sonoma Counties if regional planning for a line from Humboldt to Marin becomes
appropriate.
AB 1374, the short-line rehabilitation urgency measure, provides that,
to be eligible for funding, a project proposal must be submitted by a public
entity that has made a finding, following a public hearing, that rail service
on the affected railroad is in imminent danger of being discontinued without
the expenditure of public funds and that the continuation of service serves a
public purpose.
"Short-line railroad" is defined in the law as any standard gauge railroad, which is being, or is planned to be, used for passenger service, other than a Class 1 railroad as defined by federal law.
(Class 1 railroads are major interstate
lines. Southern Pacific, Santa Fe and Union Pacific are examples.)
The Intercity and the Commuter and Urban Rail Transit Programs are
handled by Caltrans, acting under the direction of the California
Transportation Commission. In the Intercity Rail Program, the legislation
identifies five areas in which rail operations are eligible for funding.
Designated as "corridors," they are: Los Angeles-San Diego; Santa
Barbara County-Los Angeles ; Los Angeles-Fresno-San Francisco Bay Area and
Sacramento; San Francisco Bay Area-Sacramento-Auburn; San Francisco-Santa
Rosa-Eureka.
It is worthy of note here that the California Western Railroad runs the
only private intercity passenger service in the state of California. The others
are Amtrak, federally funded, and Caltrains, the state-funded operation on the
San Francisco peninsula.
Intercity projects can be nominated by local public entities, by
regional planning agencies, rail corridor agencies, Amtrak and by railroads
themselves. There are no requirements for a local match.
As mentioned above, the Clean Air and Transportation Act would include
specific allotments to specific areas throughout the state. These are spelled
out in considerable detail with the amount of the allotment stipulated in each
case. They are much more extensive than the five corridors designated in the
Intercity Rail Program. Grants would be handled by the California
Transportation Commission and Caltrans.
A REPORT ON THE MCRS
SPONSORED "RAILROAD COALITION PROGRESS MEETING"
RAILROAD ROLE MODELS from San Diego to Arcata were present at the third Railroad Coalition Progress Meeting sponsored by MCRS on January 17 at the Willits Civic Center. The first meeting of this kind was held in September 1988, in Northspur. Local officials and representatives from neighboring counties, from our legislators, Caltrans, CPUC and railroad societies were invited to discuss the regeneration of rail.
A second meeting in December, 1988, resulted in the introduction of
two railroad bills, AB 1374 and SB
1663.
The purpose of the third meeting was to assess what had occurred over the last year, to evaluate the situation, and to form a plan of action for 1990.
After a short introduction by MCRS Chairman Jack Boone, Mayor Ed Scott
welcomed everyone to Willits. He said the City
of Willits feels it is critical to keep
the railroad viable both for freight and passenger service in Northern
California. "We consider Willits as a hub or nucleus for continuing to
fight the struggle for a better rail service."
Marin supervisor Bob Roumiguiere gave a short account of the history of
the 101 Corridor Action Committee, which completed its job last year with
recommending the use of rail for the corridor. Negotiations for acquisition of
the NWP right-of-way have been going on for some time with Southern Pacific
Company. The asking price is $43 million for the rail line from Marin County to
Willits, including the connection from Ignacio to Lombard. The first part of
the line, from Bellam Boulevard in San Rafael to Novato, will probably be purchased
this year. The options are to buy the second part from Marin to Healdsburg
within three years and the rest up to Willits within four or five years. Margie
Handley, a local Willits resident and member of the California Transportation
Commission, talked in detail about possibilities and complexities of making
funds available for the local railroads and what could be in store if raising
the Gann spending limit were approved by the voters in June
Jim Knox, land-use director from the Planning and Conserva-
tion League, gave an excellent talk on the
rail initiative and pointed out that these funds can be used for rail only. The
moneys are allocated on a per capita basis to the individual counties.
Mendocino and Humboldt counties will receive $10 million. Endorsement of the
initiative by the supervisors of Mendocino and Humboldt counties and any civic
groups in the area would be very welcome and would help to get it passed by the
voters in June. The two major candidates for governor, Pete Wilson and John van
de Camp, have both endorsed the initiative.
Knox also
provided some background on his organization, a coalition of about 120
conservation groups around the state. PCL is a lobbying group for environmental
legislation and was the sponsor of Proposition 70, the California Wildlife,
Coastal and Parks Initiative, in 1988. They have been very much involved with
transportation issues for about five years. Rail use is an environmental issue,
he said.
Theresa Staber, Assemblyman Dan Hauser's aide, explained in detail how
the funds from the Short-line Rehabilitation Bill (AB 1374) could be expended,
a rather complex issue since transit money is very mixed up with highway funds.
The money could come from either the Transit, Planning and Development Fund or from
the Transit Capital Improvement Fund.
Given the budget
constraint, Governor Deukmejian's proposed budget this year wipes out the TCI
fund. He also took out $40 million from the TPD fund, which has only $19.2
million left, whereas last year's transit budget was $108.million, both funds
combined. Fifteen per cent of the TPD fund should go to some 20 counties that
qualify for the money through ballot initiatives, which were made possible by
Proposition 5 during the midseventies. In addition, the CTC has already made a
commitment for $700 million to fund the Los Angeles Metro system and BART.
So where do the $750,000 come from that the
Eureka Southern Railroad has applied for under AB 1374? There will be a public
CTC hearing on February 15 in Sacramento on transit issues and a priority list
for funds will be established and presented to the legislators. It would be
very important to have representation from the Mendocino and Humboldt county
supervisors, cities, railroads and lobby groups at the meeting to request high
priority for funding of the ESR.
Rick Provenca, Senator Barry Keene's aide, spoke about the Railroad
Authority, SB 1663, and explained that it could be extended to Del Norte County
as well as Sonoma and Marin counties. He pointed out how important a well
functioning rail service (freight and tourist and commuter trains) could be for
the north counties protecting the roads from congestion and increasing
deterioration.
The two Mendocino County commissioners for the newly created Railroad Authority
were also present: Ruth Rockefeller, MCRS vice president, and Gary Milliman,
Fort Bragg city administrator. They both believe that the commission should get
to work as soon as possible and develop a plan before an emergency occurs. At
this time, the Humboldt County members have not been named. The fifth member -
ex officio — is the Caltrans director,
Gene Poch, in Eureka.
The highlights of the meeting were two railroad success stories by Art
Lloyd, from Amtrak and Dick Engle, vice president of the San Diego &
Imperial Valley Railroad.
Amtrak has overwhelming response from the public—they almost always run
full trains! The prognosis for the year 2000 is that Amtrak will be the only
railroad in the world to break even or show a small profit. The San Diego-Los
Angeles train— although it runs through an area where there are more
automobiles than people—has the second highest occupancy rate in the nation.
Amtrak will get 165 new superliners this year to accommodate the growing
demand.
The total Amtrak
budget per year to run 300 trains daily is about $600 million—the cost of one
B-l Stealth bomber or the overhaul
of Air force One 747.
The SD & IVRR was sold by Southern Pacific to the San Diego
Metropolitan Transit Development Board, which started the now famous San Diego
Trolley System. Kyle Railways (the owner of California Western Railroad) had a
contract to operate freight movements on the line. But business declined and
finally the railroad applied for abandonment, which was denied by the California
Public Utilities Commission.
In 1984, Rail Tex Inc. took over the operation of the line and Dick
Engle became the general manager. In the beginning they were excited when they
had 80 freight cars a month; now they run 600.
Many of the goods formerly shipped by trucks are going by rail now,
which took a lot of trucks off the road. The trolley system has also become
very successful and serves the area well—an overall victory for the
"environmentally friendly" railroad.
Although they
now have more business, more engines, more employees, they have not lost their
individual thinking. The employees consider it their railroad and run it that
way. Profit sharing now brings a substantial amount to all of them every three
months. Someone from the audience asked Dick,
"How have you succeeded to be so successful?" Dick answered, "With persistence—never give up, and convince shippers with an aggressive marketing team that shipping by railroad is the most economical land transportation available."
MCRS envisions a partnership between freight and passenger service such
as this for the railroad from Larkspur to Eureka.
One of the shippers on the ESR, Paul Tureb from Blue Lake Forest
Products in Arcata, emphasized how important the
railroad is for their business, both
ecologically and socially. They ship a substantial amount of lumber by rail,
and he remembers the frustrating struggle when they had to ship all by truck
for two and a half years when the railroad was not running. They are very thankful
to the ESR for hauling their lumber.
Mendocino County supervisor Jim Eddie made a remark that was
dear to all of us who love railroads: not to give up if part of the line is
destroyed (pertaining to the Eel River floods) in tribute to those who built
it. But he also warned, considering the reality, giving up a railroad would be
an environmental disaster.
There were good comments from rail advocates: Lionel Gambill, from the
Sonoma County Redwood Railroad Council, stressed how little time we might have
left if we do not take drastic steps to save the environment. In view of the
environmental crisis, it is very important that trains start to operate as soon
as possible. Technically, they could start running within two years.
Toby Leibert, from the North Bay Transit Committee, talked about the
situation in Marin County. Except for San Rafael, all Marin cities have
endorsed rail for the corridor, and he feels San Rafael will soon follow suit.
The November election will bring a measure before Marin voters on whether to
implement a commuter rail service, and Tony is pretty sure that it will pass.
NBTC is already in high gear campaigning for the issue. Both Toby Leibert and
Lionel Gambill have been very active during all these years on the 101 Corridor
Action Committee.
Nick Tibbet, Congressman Bosco's aide, praised the positive spirit that guides Amtrak and the SD & IVRR and believes that this kind of spirit should get us through in our attempt to regenerate the Northcoast railroads. He has high hopes for the future of this project now, he would not have been so optimistic two years ago, he said. He suggested to go ahead with the Boy Scout's motto, "Be prepared."
MCRS hopes that the encouraging pro-rail talks of this meeting will
result again in good accomplishments for 1990—more trains and cleaner air.
April
1990
North
Coast Railroad Authority:
All the commissioners for the North Coast
Railroad Authority
(established recently by the passage of Assembly Bill 1374) have now been appointed. The first meeting will be announced soon. The Mendocino County commissioners are Ruth Rockefeller and Gary Milliman. The Humboldt County commissioners are Delbert Brown and Lloyd Hecathorn. The
fifth member—ex officio—is Gene Poch, the
Caltrans district director in Eureka.
NCRA Discusses Plans to
Acquire Marin-to-Willits NWP Right-of-Way
By Ruth
Rockefeller
A long anticipated meeting
between the North Coast Railroad Authority and Supervisor Bob Roumiguiere of
Marin County was held in Ukiah September 17. Also participating were
representatives of Marin, Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino and Humboldt counties, as
well as the Golden Gate Bridge and Highway District.
On the agenda
was a progress report on the acquisition of the Northwestern Pacific
right-of-way. So far only the southernmost portion, as far north as Novato
Creek, has been purchased by the NWP Acquisition Task Force, which in-
cludes the Golden Gate District, the
County of Marin and the Marin Transit Authority.
There are two options to purchase the
remainder of the line all the way to Willits, with the Golden Gate Bridge and
Highway District as the lead agency. The option to purchase the line to
Healdsburg is three years in length and to Willits, four years. The options run
concurrently, and the one to Willits includes the right-of-way as far as
Lombard in Napa County.
Raising funds to pay for the acquisition was one of the topics of
discussion. Many pro-acquisition activities, such as environmental assessments,
title reports, and appraisals are going on at present and will have to be paid
for. For a four-year period these costs are estimated at approximately $3
million.
Also discussed were the possibilities of creating a new entity under a joint powers agreement to acquire and later operate the railroad. Stan Hulett, who serves as a commissioner on both the California Public Utilities Commission and the California Transportation Commission, said that it was logical to assume that the North Coast Railroad Authority could be expanded to oversee the acquisition and perhaps the operation, if the Golden Gate Bridge District does not wish to do so.
Rick Provenza,
aide to Senator Barry Keene, agreed to bring the matter of expanding the North
Coast Railroad Authority to the Senator’s attention. It was Senator Keene’s
bill that created the authority under SB 1663. The legislation was sought for
and promoted by the Mendocino County Railway Society.
A second meeting
of participants in the September 17 meeting has been scheduled for December 10
in Santa Rosa.
December - 1990
Sierra Club Supports the Eureka Southern
The Redwood Chapter of
the Sierra Club (Humboldt, Mendocino, Lake, Solano, Sonoma and Napa counties)
has endorsed a resolution in support of the Eureka Southern
Railroad. The Sierra Club is a strong advocate for rail
transportation nationwide.
Following is the text of the resolution:
RESOLUTION: The Redwood Chapter of the Sierra Club
sup-
ports the viability of the Eureka Southern Railroad for freight
and passenger service for the following reasons:
—Liquidation of the ES
becomes inevitable if no buyer can be found within four months after the
creditors have accepted the reorganization papers filed by trustee Jerry Gregg
with the Bankruptcy Court.
—The tracks, bridges and
piers would be removed for their salvage value. In addition, the cessation of
maintenance of culverts, bridges and tunnels would hasten the destabilization
of the fragile riverbanks. An environmental disaster of unimaginable
proportions would ensue.
—Highway 101 already is
extremely congested in certain areas. Additional trucks that would carry the
freight now shipped by rail would make it worse. These trucks would use at
least three times more fossil fuels than the railroad and would consequently cause
substantially more air pollution than the train.
If the railroad would
ship freight again at the 1970 level, a
considerable relief from truck traffic on Highway 101 could be
experienced. Passenger service by rail from Marin to Humboldt County could also
decrease automobile traffic and pollution.
The Sierra Club Redwood
Chapter will therefore strongly support the viability of the Eureka Southern
Railroad because of its environmentally friendly influence on the quality of
life for the north coast counties and will continue to work with the
North Coast Railroad Authority to take over the railroad, hire a
qualified operator to run it, and thus save it from abandonment.
August
- 1991
Reprinted from The Willits News.
A bill by Assemblyman Dan Hauser allowing
the North Coast Railroad Authority to act in the event of bankruptcy or sale of
North Coast rail lines was signed by Governor Wilson last week.
Assembly Bill 344 (an amendment to 3B1663)
will clarify that the NCRA is also authorized to act in the event of bankruptcy
or sale of the rail service.
The Eureka Southern is currently in receivership. Because the bankruptcy
proceedings involving the railroad line will be ending in December of this
year, Hauser had an urgency clause added to the bill to make certain the NCRA
has the authority to act if it is necessary to acquire the railroad.
The North Coast
Railroad Authority for Mendocino and Humboldt counties, created by Assemblyman
Hauser and Senator Barry Keene legislation last year, was established to
provide a means for ensuring railroad service on the North Coast.
If the present rail lines are discontinued or
abandoned, the authority would be authorized to acquire and operate the
railroads or select a franchisee to operate a rail transportation system.
Additionally, the authority may apply for available public funds for railroad
purposes, issue revenue bonds and conduct planning and engineering studies for
improving rail service.
Bulletin:
Rail Authority Considers
Purchase of the Eureka Southern
At a regularly scheduled meeting July 10 in Eureka, the North Coast
Railroad Authority held a closed session during which negotiations toward the
possible purchase of the Eureka
Southern Railroad Company, Incorporated,
were discussed.
The Authority has called another meeting
for July 24 to dis-
cuss the matter further.
That meeting will be held at the Willits
City Hall at 1:30 p.m. That will also include a closed session. Further
information may
be obtained from the Authority's legal
counsel, the firm of
Davis, McClendon, Poovey, Anderson and
Morrison, Inc, 937
6th Street, Eureka 95501, telephone: (707)
443-6744.
December - 1991
North
Coast Rail Authority Granted Chance to Purchase
Eureka
Southern Railroad
THE WEEK OF NOVEMBER 11, 1991 was a
climactic one for the Eureka Southern
Railroad, the North Coast Railroad Authority, and somewhat more indirectly, the
Mendocino County Railway Society.
On Tuesday, November 12, a federal bankruptcy court decision was made public, naming the North
Coast Railroad Authority the successful bidder for the bankrupt Eureka Southern
Railroad. Two days later, the California Transportation Commission unanimously
granted the North Coast Railroad Authority $6.1 million in Proposition 116
funds to purchase the line and keep it operative.
Both the decision of U.S. Bankruptcy Court
Judge Alan Jaroslovsky and the favorable vote of the CTC are loaded with
conditions, which must be met by the NCRA before the purchase becomes a reality.
The five-member NCRA and its rail consultant, Calrail, with the
assistance of many government entities and individuals, are hard at work to
meet the deadlines imposed by the Court and the TC. The final and most crucial
of these is April 1, 1992, by which date, according to the judge's decision,
the sale must be consummated.
Throughout the always complex and often
stormy history of the bankruptcy,
the MCRS has also been hard at work, helping to ward off liquidation of the railroad, which stretches
from Willits to Eureka through the Eel River canyon. Many of the MCRS efforts have been
low key and behind the scenes, but very effective.
The Society cooperated
with State Senate Majority Leader Barry
Keene and State Assemblyman Dan
Hauser as the two North Coast legislators formulated two vital pieces of
legislation—Keene's SB 1663, which created the NCRA, and Hauser's AB 1374, a
short line rehabilitation measure.
Public meetings
sponsored by the MCRS, at Northspur and in
Willits, facilitated input into the legislative process. Society members
also worked for passage of Proposition 116, the Clean Air and Transportation
Act of 1990, from which the funds to purchase the Eureka Southern will come.
Keene and Hauser were
instrumental in the wording of Proposition 116, which makes monies available to
Humboldt and Mendocino counties on an entirely different basis from the
provisions for all other counties in the state. The key words are
"including rail freight service and tourist-related services."
The inclusion of "rail freight" is
vital to the North Coast needs, since, at present, continuation of freight
service is the key to the survival of the North Coast rail network, comprised
of the Eureka Southern, the California Western and the Northwestern Pacific
railroads.
At this writing,
freight rolls down the Eel River canyon at the rate of nearly 100 cars per
week. This represents about 75 per cent of the tonnage that moves south from
Willits on the Northwestern Pacific. Some freight, a relatively small amount,
comes off the California Western at Willits.
Because much of the
freight leaving Willits on the NWP moves at night, and because the Eureka
Southern trains slide unseen through the uninhabited canyon, there is a curious
public misconception that almost no rail service exists on the ESRR or the NWP.
The misconception has
been translated into "one train a week." There are, in fact, two
trains a day—or more accurately, a night— between Willits and Petaluma, one
northbound and one southbound, six days a week.
The
"one-train-a-week" myth spread to the Eureka Southern and almost went
into a public document before a hasty correction was made.
The facts are these: Currently 20 crews
are called each week, which means that 20 trains are moving somewhere on the
railroad every week. Of these, at present, six are long hauls, between Scotia
and Willits, three southbound and three northbound.
In short, in spite of
public misconception, freight service will be the major factor in the survival of
the North Coast rail network for some time to come. The NCRA, in formulating
its operating plans, is taking that fact into consideration. The Authority
hopes to improve relationships with shippers and to look for sources of new
business.
At the same time, it
plans to revive the North Coast Daylight passenger service as soon as possible,
perhaps, on a limited basis, as early as next summer. It might be of interest
that the North Coast Daylight, prevented from operating between Willits and
Eureka by Federal Railroad Authority decree since May of 1990, has, with the
approval of the FRA, made a number of short runs this year. They include trips
between Eureka and Arcata July 4, and two barbecue runs to Fort Seward from
Eureka this fall. Special holiday trips between Eureka and Arcata have been
scheduled for the Christmas season.
Meanwhile, the only
unsubsidized inter-city passenger service in California continues to run 362
days a year from Fort Bragg to Willits and return. This is, of course, the California
Western's Skunk train.
To put it briefly, the
North Coast rail network has, along with its distinguished past, a working
present and a viable future. The NCRA, with the help of many agencies and
individuals, is dedicated to the
premise that the future will be bright
and enduring.
May/June - 1992
Congratulations to the NCRA and the North
Coast Railroad!
As we mentioned in
the last newsletter's bulletin, all the hurdles for the purchase of the Eureka
Southern Railroad were finally overcome. On April 1 the deal was closed and the
North Coast Railroad Authority became the new owner of the "North Coast
Railroad."
The NCRA has
already made the first major decision to purchase four new/used engines from
Southern Pacific and lease two additional ones with the option to buy.
Aggressive marketing for new freight accounts is of utmost importance, and
already weekly loads are up compared to previous months.
When the earthquake hit Northern California April 25 and
26, we were all very concerned about "our railroad." But just as
Caltrain and Bart were running again only hours after the Loma Prieta
earthquake in 1989, the North Coast Railroad escaped serious damage. An
inspection trip showed the tunnels to be safe and some slides without damage to
the tracks. Of course we all are waiting for passenger excursions through the
Eel River canyon to be taken up again. Please be patient; it all will happen in
due time. We will keep you updated.
July/August - 1992
SAN FRANCISCO - EUREKA CORRIDOR
The public Caltrans hearing held June 18 in Santa Rosa on
intercity rail passenger service between the Bay Area and Eureka was
very encouraging. All of those
given testimony
advocating beginning rail passenger service. It was pointed out
that part of the corridor includes Napa
junction. Passenger service that Includes
this junction would enable
connections to Amtrak and points :North, South and East.
To qualify for State funding passenger service must obtain at
least 55% of its revenue from
farebox revenue by the third
year of existence. The Willits to Eureka segment has a history of profitable
service. Ruth Rockefeller, Co-Chair of
the North Coast
Railroad Authority, said, "We
expect to start passenger service very soon. Excursions may start by the
end of the year," Rail passenger service between Larkspur and Willits may
be less cost effective according to the Wilbur Smith Study. "Diesel
powered light-rail passenger cars are
much more economical" declared Mr. Setty of
the Modern Transit Society,
"these vehicles are mass produced by Duewag to run on
standard track." "This is a splendid
feasibility study," beamed
Paul Copeland, Chairman of the
MCRS. "It's time to go on to phase II. Traffic along the 101 corridor is
too congested and needs to be relieved as soon as possible.
February/March - 1993
The two
local rail measures in Mendocino and Humboldt—making them Article XIX
counties—were passed by the voters. Both counties are now eligible to receive
funding for rail transit from a general fund, there are no new taxes involved.
The monies are disbursed in relation to population figures and can only be used
for capital expenditures.
Unfortunately,
the rail bond proposition, 156, failed. This was a big blow to all rail supporters.
Interestingly, the voters of Marin County voted for 156 with the highest
percentage— 59.6%—in the whole state. This should give a clear message to those
people in Marin who have been boycotting passenger rail for the past five
years.
Acquisition of Northwestern Pacific Right of Way Negotiations
for the purchase of the Northwestern Pacific right- of-way from Lombard in Napa
county to Willits are continuing. The Golden Gate Bridge and Highway District
holds the option, which may be exercised by October of this year. In the
meantime, a search for an operator is being conducted, and efforts are being
made to pull an operating agency together that
would include Marin and Sonoma
counties. (Call your county supervisors and urge them to support rail.
They need to hear from you. Remember: 59.6% of the Marin voters and 50.5%
of the Sonoma voters voted for the rail bond. The majority wants
rail!)
Wilbur Smith
and Associates is beginning Phase Two of an inter-city rail passenger program
for the San Francisco Bay-Eureka corridor. This is a study commissioned by
Caltrans
and managed by Caltrans District 1 under the direction of Linda
Boyd.
Phase One of
the study concluded that three-day-a-week passenger service from Willits to
Eureka is feasible, with an emphasis on tourist travel. The study showed a less
than 55%
fare box return for the right of way south of Willits;
however, a separate study, also done by Wilbur Smith for Marin County concluded
that commuter service on the south end is feasible. Phase Two is expected to
clarify the possibility for passenger service all along the corridor.
With a record shipment of 564 carloads in April, the North Coast
Railroad goes into its second year of operation showing a 23 per cent increase
in car loadings for its first year.
The line, which runs from the Eureka area in Humboldt County to its
point of interchange with the Northwestern Pacific branch of the Southern
Pacific Railroad at Willits, operated as the Eureka Southern Railroad from 1984
through March of 1992.
Purchased out of bankruptcy by the North Coast Railroad Authority and
renamed the North Coast Railroad, the line posted overall car loadings of 4,466
in 1992, compared to 3,406 for the same period of time in 1991.
The record was established despite the major earthquake in Humboldt
County less than a month after the NCRA assumed ownership and massive storm
damage in January of this year.
Much needed rehabilitation of the railroad was given a boost by the
California Transportation Commission on May 6, when the commissioners voted
unanimously to approve an $800,000 grant of Transit Capital Improvement funds
to upgrade the line.
The grant will be matched by a like amount of "in kind labor"
on the part of the NCRA, thus totaling $1.6 million for rehabilitation.
The railroad will use funds to begin an extensive track improvement
program this summer between Island Mountain and Willits. Approximately 30,000
new ties will be installed with related improvements in track surfacing,
ballasting and alignment. Lines side ditching will also be a part of the
program.
The TCI grant is the second phase of the program begun while the line was in bankruptcy. Needed improvements north of Island Mountain were completed under Phase I by the NCRA.
Phase II of the program is expected to start early in June.
In the fall of 1992, the NCRA also completed work on Tunnel 40, near
Loleta in Humboldt County. This was the second oldest tunnel on the
Northwestern Pacific Railroad, dating from 1884, and the second longest on the
present NCRR at nearly 2,000 feet. (The 4,300-foot Island Mountain tunnel is
the longest.)
Phase n repairs and additional work planned under Proposition 116 funding
will improve the trackage to the point at which passenger excursion service can
be resumed from Willits to Eureka.
At present, the passenger service is operative with selected short runs
in the Eureka and Willits areas.
Negotiations are underway between the North Coast Railroad Authority and
Sonoma County to put into effect the agreement for the county to join NCRA. The
decision to join the Authority was passed unanimously by resolution of the
Sonoma County Board of Supervisors April 6. Details are being worked out by
attorneys for the two entities.
Entrance of Sonoma County into the NCRA will strengthen the Authority,
which has represented Humboldt and Mendocino counties since its inception in
January, 1990. It should speed acquisition of the Northwestern Pacific
trackage, which will improve freight service all along the North Coast of
California and open the way for some kind of passenger service south of
Willits.
August/September - 1993
Sonoma County Joins NCRA
The Sonoma County Board
of Supervisors and the North Coast Railroad Authority recently signed a
resolution that will finally make it possible for Sonoma County to join the
NCRA. Although a preliminary resolution concerning the same matter had been
voted on earlier in April, several technicalities had to be discussed and dealt
with. Now the road is clear and the two representatives from Sonoma County to
the NCRA, should be appointed very soon. In addition to the District 1 Caltrans
Director Gene Wahl as an ex officio member of the NCRA there will be another ex
officio member, a representative from the Golden Gate Bridge District Board. A
seventh voting member to the NCRA will be a representative of one of the cities
alone the line.
MCRS hopes that the new, expanded NCRA will soon finalize the
acquisition of the NWP from Willits to the south and begin to make plans for
the long-awaited passenger service.
February/March - 1994
Rail Authority makes bid to run line
By Ruth
Rockefeller
Two meetings, some 220
miles apart on Tuesday. February 1, attested to the growing strength of the
North Coast Railroad Authority (NCRA) and the railroad network it is rebuilding
after years of neglect.
One meeting in Santa
Rosa, a weekly session of the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors, reaffirmed
the Supervisors'
commitment to the NCRA as the potential owner of the entire line,
which stretches from Korbel in Humboldt County to the interchange with Southern
Pacific (SP) in Solano County.
The other, a smaller
but no less important meeting in Eureka, gave major shippers in that area an
update on track conditions and an outline of the NCRA five-year business plan,
prepared by John Williams of the Woodside Consulting Group, the executive
director of the NCRA. That plan includes $12 million worth of track
rehabilitation.
Also explaining the
NCRA program to the shippers were Dennis Wood, Authority chairman, and Dave
Hebert, the general manager of the North Coast Railroad (NCRR).
As the result of that
session, several major shippers pledged their support of the NCRA's acquisition
of the southern half of the former Northwestern Pacific Railroad (NWPRR) from a
point just north of Willits to the interchange with SP, a distance of
approximately 160 miles.
Two thirds of the
freight which now moves between the former NWP and the SP mainline originates
in Humboldt County.
At issue, and moving toward a resolution
at a summit meeting scheduled for February 25, are the stated position of Marin
County and the Golden Gate Bridge District and also the quality of service
provided between the Willits and the SP interchange by the California Northern
Railroad (CFNR), a lessee operator selected by SP, Marin County and the Golden
Gate Bridge District in September 1993 to move freight on the south end.
The summit meeting,
called by federal and state legislators, is an effort to iron out some of the
differences between the Bridge District and Marin County, on the one hand, and
Humboldt, Mendocino and Sonoma counties on the other.
The position of the
Marin County faction is that the railroad right-of-way, principally between
Larkspur and Healdsburg, should be acquired and owned by an "agency"
of indeterminate structure for promotion of rail passenger services—or possibly
for High Occupancy Vehicle highway lanes.
This stance is held despite the fact that
sales tax increases for passenger rail transit have been defeated in both Marin
and Sonoma counties.
Moreover, a recently
released working paper on an Intercity Passenger Rail feasibility study,
commissioned by Caltrans, concludes that passenger service on the south end of
the former NWP would be costly and would not recover the necessary 55 percent
the fare box return for intercity rail funding.
It
is the belief of NCRA directors and staff that ownership of the 300-mile line
and freight operation on it by the NCRA is the only viable answer to freight
movements in northwestern California, an area larger than several eastern
states.
The NCRA envisions a
future with intermodal freight operations, combining rail, highway and sea
transportation. This is an extremely important aspect of the future of port
development at Humboldt Bay.
Already a leader in
rail passenger excursion service on the North Coast, the NCRA is also confident
that it can develop eminent satisfactory passenger operations south of Willits,
beginning with excursion trips and expanding to intercity and commuter to meet
future demands.
May/June - 1994
NCRA's Acquisition of Willits-to-Larkspur
Rail Line Moves Closer to Realization.
by Ruth Rockefeller
REUNIFICATION OF THE
FORMER NORTHWESTERN
PACIFIC RAILROAD, a long-held dream of the Mendocino County
Railway Society, moved a step closer to reality during the week of May 16, with
positive action by two governmental bodies.
Perhaps
"dream" isn't the word here, for MCRS has been in the forefront of
the fight to bring the former NWP back under one ownership, preferably that of
the North Coast Railroad Authority, which the Society was instrumental in
establishing.
Although
there are undoubtedly roadblocks ahead, placed in large part by certain
elements in Marin County, acquisition of the line south of Willits, and,
finally, ownership by the NCRA now seems possible.
On Wednesday, May 18, the NCRA approved two
documents at its monthly meeting in Fortuna. One was a memorandum, which would
restructure the NCRA to afford protection to the NWP assets, separating them
from the assets of the NCRA.
"Protection"
of assets south of Willits had been a major bone of contention put forth by the
Marin County group led by Supervisor Bob Roumiguiere.
Other Marin County concerns were addressed in
a resolution establishing policy
"with respect to activating expansion of the Authority jurisdiction
to Marin County."
Both
documents had been approved in concept by the Sonoma County Board of
Supervisors the previous day, subject to final approval by the NCRA.
Jim
Harberson, chair of the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors and also president
of the Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District, announced that
he would direct Bridge staff to work with the NCRA on the acquisition.
The Bridge Board holds the option to buy the so-called
south end of the former NWP from its current owner, Southern Pacific Transportation
Company. SP has leased freight operation on the line to the California Northern
Railroad. Because of SP policy, no passenger service can be operated on the
trackage at present
The NCRA, which owns the line north of
Willits, operates both freight and limited excursion passenger service as the
North Coast Railroad.
Restructuring of the NCRA, as approved in the
memorandum, calls for the North Coast Railroad to be created as a separate
railroad operating entity; the NWP, the entity for the consummation of the
acquisition south of Willits, as another separate body; and the NCRA as a
holding company with
the responsibility for
establishing and providing policy, strategic direction, management, financial
control and common marketing of all three entities.
A further provision of the memorandum
stipulates that the NCRA would enter a contract with Sonoma and Marin counties
and the Bridge District for a 20-year term. That contract would require that
none of NWP's assets would be utilized either to fund the operations of the
NCRR or to be pledged as collateral for loans to the NCRR without the express
consent of all parties to the contract. The contract could be terminated or
modified only with the consent of all parties.
The resolution spells out further stipulations
designed to ally the concerns of the Marin County contingent
NCRA's
compromise moves right-of-way acquisition closer to reality.
Representatives
from Marin and Sonoma counties, the North Coast Railroad Authority and the
Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transit District met on November 4 in Santa
Rosa. They jointly developed a proposal concerning the pending acquisition of
the NWP right-of-way. At the NCRA meeting on November 16 in Fortuna, the
commissioners voted to accept the following proposal as a possible compromise:
1. Ownership of the remaining NWP right-of-way to
be acquired would be vested with the NCRA
2. The County of Marin and the Golden Gate Bridge.
Highway and Transit District would retain ownership of that portion of me
right-of-way already owned by those agencies in Marin County.
3. NCRA will convey to the Joint Powers Agency
formed by the Sonoma County Transit Authority, Marin County and the GGBHTD an
easement for passenger service
(commute, intercity and excursion) from Cloverdale south to Novato. NCRA
would retain the authority to offer intercity and excursion service south of
Cloverdale until the JPA offers such service, and thereafter through a coordination
of service agreement.
4. Marin and GGBHTD will convey a freight service
easement to NCRA between Ignacio and Novato.
5. NCRA and the new Joint Powers Agency would
develop and execute a coordination of service agreement.
6. NCRA/new JPA easement agreement would include
reversion provisions whereby ownership of right-of-way would revert to JPA in
the event NCRA became insolvent.
By accepting the compromise proposal, the NCRA has
made a very serious effort to facilitate the acquisition. The main obstruction
to the deal still comes from south of the Sonoma County line, and we hope that
with this latest compromise by the NCRA, Marin will do its part too and finally
support the acquisition. Although Southern
Pacific is not yet willing to sell to the NCRA (as again expressed in a
letter of November 9 by SP to Sonoma County Supervisor and GGBHTD president
James Harberson), one can only hope that the issue will finally be resolved to
the satisfaction of all parties and the deal can go through before the end of
the year. WE URGE ALL MCRS MEMBERS AND FRIENDS OF THE RAILROAD TO MAKE AN
ALL-OUT EFFORT TO CONTACT THEIR LOCAL REPRESENTATIVES, write letter to the
newspapers, call the talk shows and voice strong support for the acquisition of
the NWP right-of-way by the NCRA! You can make a difference!
In other matters, Gary Milliman, Fort Bragg city
administrator and commissioner on the NCRA for Mendocino County, was elected as
incoming chairman for 1995. The next
NCRA meeting will be in Sonoma County on December 21.
The
North Coast Railroad needs your help—NOW!
BUSINESS AND
COMMUNITY LEADERS from Humboldt County met on April 26 in Eureka to discuss
economic development ideas for the area. Dave Hebert, general manager of the
North Coast Railroad, emphasized the point that the NCR "is a very
integral part of the economic system on the north coast." Although the
railroad had been practically shut down since January 10 because of the
storm-inflicted track damage, it is now back to about75% of its operation. At
the North Coast Railroad Authority meeting on April 27, Hebert said that he
could foresee increasing freight shipping on the line to as many as 715 cars a
month by year's end. Without the freight coming from the north coast, the rest
of the rail line south of Willits cannot survive.
There is
no question that the railroad suffered great losses, not only from the damage
to the line itself, but also the loss in revenues. The financial report at the
April 27 meeting did not look good. NCRA executive director John Williams told
the board that by late summer the railroad will have a $2.2 million deficit.
Although the NCR is eligible for FEMA money, it will be slow in coming. Unfortunately,
the NCR is restricted in obtaining a loan because it is the only agency in the
state that cannot use its property as collateral.
The NCR's
problems were on the agenda of the California Transportation Commission on May
2. The CTC ordered a review of the NCRA to decide whether it will be possible
for the railroad to survive. Caltrans seems to favor shutting
down the railroad, preferring to use the funds for roads.
This
is where we need your help! Please join us in writing letters to or calling the state
representatives of the North Coast.
Tell them it would be a terrible mistake to give up this railroad.
Without the freight coming from the north cost, the rest of the line south of
Willits cannot survive.
The NCR has at
times run as many as 400
freight cars per day (see Fred Stindt’s
NWPR books.)
How can Caltrans be so
shortsighted and not recognize the railroad's potential? This is a political
ploy to torpedo the regeneration of rail for the entire San Francisco-Eureka
rail corridor.
At the March NCRA meeting, Mr. Hebert explained that all the areas where track rehabilitation had been completed last year, t