NORTH COAST RAILROAD AUTHORITY 419 Talmage Road Suite M Ukiah, Ca 95482 707 463-3280 Phone 707-463-3282 Fax Mitch Stogner, Executive Director Allan Hemphill ncra.mstogner@sbcglobal.net vinguru@comcast.net CTC APPROVES NCRA FUNDING Ukiah - April 27, 2006 – The California Transportation Commission (CTC) today approved $7.8 million in funding for the North Coast Railroad Authority (NCRA). The funds, which are designated for NCRA under the state’s Traffic Congestion Relief Program (TCRP), will be used to begin repairing culverts, bridges, levees, and crossings along the NCRA’s 316 mile publicly-owned right-of-way, which extends from Eureka to Novato along highway 101 and eastward to Lombard. Today’s CTC approval at its meeting in Fresno comes on the heels of an April 21 letter from CTC Executive Director, John Barna to NCRA which says in part: “It is in the best interest of NCRA and CTC and the State to see that the railroad asset that you manage be maintained and that a viable rail operation be established as soon as possible. To that end, we concur with NCRA’s short-term strategic objective of establishing an operating segment along the southern end of the line to Windsor by the end of 2007. In our view achieving this objective is of paramount importance.” “This signals the beginning of the restoration work on the South-End which will lead to the return of rail service in phases,” said NCRA Chair Allan Hemphill. “The state is now clearly an active partner in the effort to bring trains back to the Northwestern Pacific (NWP) line,” he said. NCRA Director and Humboldt County Supervisor John Woolley emphasized that “this is the first step in an overall plan to bring rail all the way North to the Port of Humboldt Bay.” “The work will start on the southern end, but we all agree that the success of this line is ultimately dependent on a rail connection to the Port,” said Mendocino County Supervisor Hal Wagenet also a member of the NCRA Board. Woolley said “the CTC’s support was driven by a lot of hard work and advocacy by State Senator Wes Chesbro,” a leading proponent of North Coast rail service. Woolley commended the CTC for “partnering with us on a project that makes economic sense, environmental sense and saves energy.” ### The North Coast Railroad Authority (NCRA) was formed in 1989 by the California Legislature under the North Coast Railroad Authority Act, Government Code Section 93000, et seq. The mission of the North Coast Railroad Authority is to provide a unified & revitalized rail infrastructure meeting the freight and passenger needs of the region; a first class service working in partnership with others to build and sustain the economy of the region.
I have no idea where any of those towns are except for Eureka. Also, Back in october I picked up a couple different print newsletters for the area and never subscribed. Are their NWP publications online?
YoHo, If you pick up a map of Califronia and find Santa Rosa on it(north of San Francisco) you will find the cities they are talking about. If you get a chance on vacation or business or what ever take the trip from Santa Rosa up 101 to Eureka its great. You will see the railroad in several places however there are places the railroad is that are not close to the highway. As a matter of fact there not close to anything. My wife and I rode the North Coast Daylight in 1985 as one of our honeymoon trips. I was a great trip and we saw many areas not a lot of other people see. The Island mountian tunnel comes to mind and the Eel river right at the track edge is a site. When there is little water in the river you can see remains of cars that derailed and went into the river that were left to mom nature. Pictures do not do this area or the railroad justice. Shannon WP LIVES ATSF LIVES
And don't forget ... if you go up there remember to stop by at Willits and catch the Calif. Western's Skunk to Fort Bragg. Another beautiful ride!
Ha HA, I did go to Santa Rosa on Vacation and Took pictures of various railroad sites, but I don't remember those town names.
With all the giddiness and foam spewed over the NCRA’s new-found money and promise to choose a new operator, I hate to be the only one who still smells something rotten. According to my "sources," there are some serious obstacles between the NCRA and an operating railroad that were not disclosed in the NCRA’s search for a new railroad operator. Such as: The US Coast Guard still has an order out to remove all of the NCRA’s swing bridges. Uncle Pete has said they will not interchange with any new NCRA operator (never mind supply cars) until the millions they are owed is paid. The former operator has millions and millions in claims against the NCRA which no one can pay except the new operator. Also, the old operator never got federal permission to discontinue service and still holds the common carrier license that the state can’t just grab without a law suit. If what I’m being told is even half right, this old country boy doesn’t understand why anybody would want to do business with people who hide the facts or try to disguise them and can’t or won’t give you a straight answer on anything.
It sounds to me like the only fix will be if the State Government steps in and clears a lot of it up in the courts. Though they'll likely still need to pay the Borg off.
Well, with Sierra being one of the two possible operators, it is possible. Sierra currently operates the "Skunk". If they get to operate the old NWP too then its a pretty good bet that at least from Willits to a connection with CFNR will be opened back up. IMHO
