The North Coast Railroad
Authority (NCRA) was created by the State Legislature in 1989 to ensure the
continuation of rail service in north western California. NCRA obtained ownership and/or right-of way
to 316 miles of rail corridor extending from the national rail interchange at
Lombard, south of Napa, to Humboldt Bay in the north.
NCRA was created without
a dedicated source of funding but with considerable deferred maintenance and
environmental cleanup issues. NCRA
operated from 1992 until 1998 when the line was shut down by FRA Emergency
Order 21. Freight service resumed in July, 2011 on the southern 62 miles of the
line from Lombard to Windsor.
NCRA is governed by a
nine member board of directors. The Board of Supervisors of the counties of
Marin, Sonoma, Mendocino and Humboldt each appoint two directors. The ninth
director is appointed by the city/mayor selection committee of one of the
counties.
The Rail Corridor
NCRA is currently
responsible for oversight and maintenance of 280 miles of rail corridor from
Healdsburg north to the Port of Humboldt Bay. The northern portion of the line
is known as the Eel River Division and the southern portion is known as the
Russian River Division. SMART is now responsible for maintenance on their
operational segment, a distance of approximately 36 miles of the shared right
of way.
Agency Financing
NCRA currently has two
sources of consistent revenue: lease of rolling stock and revenue from leases,
licenses and encroachment permits. In addition, periodic revenue results from
the sale of property, equipment or one-time long term lease arrangements.
Annual property revenues collected by the NCRA range from $300,000 to
$500,000.
Recent property sales
proceeds have been dedicated to site development in an effort to create an
additional source of long-term funding through commercial leases once property
improvements are completed. The most recent example is sale of a 4.1 acre
portion of the Ukiah Depot property to the Judicial Council of California for
construction of a new Mendocino County Courthouse.
NCRA's liabilities
include the outstanding RRIF loan, the loan from NWP Company, and outstanding
amounts due to contract service providers for legal and engineering services.
In 2005 and 2007 NCRA
sought assistance from the State legislature to allow NCRA to utilize State
funds that were no longer required for repayment of a federal loan, and instead
use the funds to address health and safety issues. In both 2005 and 2007 the
legislature approved the requested legislation, but the bills were vetoed by
the Governor.
Operational Challenges
NCRA was created without
a dedicated source of funding but with considerable deferred maintenance and
environmental cleanup issues. A lack of stable agency funding has hindered
NCRA's ability to respond to maintenance and emergency issues, secure payment
for use of NCRA property and apply for and secure grants.
NCRA has also been
hindered by the historic choice to construct a rail line through the Eel River
canyon, one of the most geologically unstable areas in the world. For example,
the day the ceremonial spike was driven at Cain Rock in 1914, completing
construction of the line from Willits to Eureka, a landslide prevented the inaugural
train from completing the trip to Eureka. NCRA commenced operations in 1992 but
was plagued from the start by line closures due to storm damage and slides in
the Eel River canyon, with some closures lasting for months at a time. The
entire line was shut down in 1998 by FRA Emergency Order 21 ("E021").
NCRA, as steward
of a 316-mile railroad line, is required to coordinate with the following
regulatory or trustee agencies involved in coordination, permitting and other
approvals:
Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA)
Federal Railway
Administration (FRA)
Federal Highway
Administration (FHWA)
Army Corps of Engineers
(USACE)
Environmental Protection
Agency (USEPA)
United States Fish &
Wildlife Service (USFW)
National Marine
Fisheries Service (NMFS)
Advisory Council on
Historic Preservation
United States Forest
Service (USFS)
United States Coast
Guard (USCG)
California
Transportation Commission
Office of Emergency
Services
California Department of
Transportation (Caltrans Districts 1 and 4)
California Department of
Fish & Game (DFG)
Regional Water Quality
Control Boards - North Coast and San Francisco Bay Regions
Department of Toxic
Substance Control
State Historic
preservation Office
State Lands Commission
California Coastal
Commission
California Public
Utilities Commission
San Francisco Bay
Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC)
15 Cities along the
railroad right-of-way
6 Counties along the
railroad right of way
Regional transportation
planning agencies
SMART
Numerous private
property owners encroaching on and neighboring the rail line
NCRA, with strong
support from Humboldt County, led an effort that resulted in a broad based
community consensus in the Humboldt Bay area regarding development of rails
with trails. In accordance with NCRA's adopted rails with trails guidelines,
multi-use trail projects have been constructed within the NCRA right of way in
Healdsburg, Ukiah, Arcata, Eureka and Humboldt County. All of these trails have
been intentionally designed to work in concert with rail service.
NWP Co., in conjunction
with NCRA, has identified portions of the line where the return of freight
service is economically feasible. NWP Co. is preparing a separate business plan
which is expected to address the viability of freight rail in the following
areas:
Several companies have
expressed interest in shipping with NWP Co. on the Russian River Division north
of Windsor, including Mendocino Redwood Company, Mendocino Forest Products,
Reuser, Inc., All Coast Forest Products, Redwood Empire Forest Products and
Syar Industries.
From South Fork to Eureka,
Arcata, and Samoa, along with a tourist train. Shippers that have expressed
interest include Humboldt Redwood Company, gravel operators and contractors,
many of whom work with both the County and CalTrans, including Eureka Ready
Mix, Mercer Fraser, Thomas R. Bess Inc. and Jack Noble.
The remainder of the
rail line, from Willits to South Fork, including the Eel River Canyon, is less
suitable for freight rail traffic. The area has a long history of landslides,
flooding and heavy maintenance requirements that make it prohibitively
expensive to maintain as a rail corridor. Estimates for the restoration of rail
service through the Eel River canyon start at $600 million. There is currently
no economic justification for making that kind of investment.
Phase 1 - Windsor to
Cloverdale
The portion of the rail
line from Windsor (MP 62.9) to Cloverdale (MP 85.2) is currently planned by
SMART for reconstruction to Class 4 with all new rail and track section using
concrete ties. SMART also will be completing significant bridge and other
infrastructure improvements to allow for 69 mile per hour passenger service.
SMART is expected to complete the reconstruction of this portion of the rail
line in 2021.
Phase 2 - Cloverdale to
Ukiah
North of Cloverdale to
Ukiah, outside the limits of the future SMART passenger service, the track
rehabilitation is based on repairs to a level of Class 3 for freight with
speeds up to 45mph. The repair cost includes $12 million in estimated repairs
for the tunnel.
Repairs for the 5.3 mile
Ukiah to Redwood Valley phase include bridge repairs, culvert cleaning and
replacements, public crossing and signal repairs, private crossing
modifications and track Upgrades for an estimated total of $5.1 million.
Repairs in this 21.5
mile phase consist of culvert cleaning and replacement, bridge repairs,
drainage repairs to address geotechnical issues, public crossing improvements,
private crossing modifications and track improvements estimated to total $19.2
million.
Phase 5 – South Fork to
Eureka Rehabilitation
This 46.5 mile section
is estimated to cost $47 million and includes vegetation clearing, upgrading of
track, culvert cleaning and replacement, replacement of the Van Duzen bridge
steel spans, timber bridge repairs, repairs to three tunnels and crossing signal and surface repairs and replacements.
Phase 6 - North Humboldt
Bay Rail Corridor
Repairs for this 16.5
mile phase include track upgrades, brush cutting and vegetation removal
embankment repairs, culvert repairs and cleaning, timber bridge repairs,
crossing and signal repairs and upgrades for a total estimated $15 million.
CONCLUSION
NCRA is pursuing a
course of action to accomplish the following:
Railbank a 120 mile
portion of the right of way from Willits to South Fork, including the entire
Eel River Canyon. Receive one time funding in exchange for railbanking to be
used to retire debt.
Obtain dedicated funding
to maintain necessary staffing and resources to manage the maintenance of those
portions of the line that do not have freight service and are not yet
railbanked.
Work toward obtaining
grant and private funding to complete phased improvements to restore freight
service from Cloverdale to Willits and establish a freight belt line and
tourist train around Humboldt Bay.
Next move? Stay tuned.
