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Too Many Obstacles For Railroad To Coast

A bold, though perhaps far-fetched plan to build a railroad link between the Sacramento Valley and Eureka wound up left on a proverbial siding after officials rejected money for a study. North State Public Radio’s Marc Albert sent this report.

After lengthy debate and close to two hours of testimony from local residents, Trinity County officials declined to accept a quarter-million dollars from Caltrans to study building an all new railway line. Pitched as a regional economic driver, the concept would link the Union Pacific’s main line in the valley with port facilities near Eureka.

But opponents pointed to several earlier studies, some quite recent, that concluded that the far-sighted project wouldn’t pencil out.

Environmental activist Tom Wheeler is from Arcata-based EPIC.

“If it’s not a rigged study, it will say that this is an infeasible project,” Wheeler said. “It will cost too much and we cannot make it up in the railroad business.”

While it may be less than a hundred miles as the crow flies, building a gently climbing railroad over the rugged and shifting coast range presents major challenges. Tunneling, bridges and straightening curves cost money. Big money. Skimp on those in construction, and trains will have to creep up grades and crawl around turns. Earlier studies estimated the cost at around a billion dollars.

Officials from Upstate Rail Connect, an organization promoting the project maintained that the earlier studies weren’t thorough enough. David Hull is a transportation consultant working for the group.

“I think there’s a misconception,” Hull said. “This is… This is only a study. This does not build anything. We’re only reporting a study right here.”

But arguments posed by locals appeared to carry more weight. Residents argued that any economic benefits would accrue to the coast and valley, Trinity County would absorb too much of the impacts. Larry Glass moved to rural South Fork Mountain for the tranquility.

“I bought that piece of property in the mid-70s because that was in the big gap,” Glass said. “That’s why I love it here. I don’t want to bring the big city and all of its problems into Trinity County.”

Rail backers said they’ll re-group.