Non-profit takes SCCRTC to court over Santa Cruz County rail line
The fight over the rail line in Santa Cruz is heading to court. A Santa Cruz County non-profit has filed a lawsuit against the Regional Transportation Commission.
It stems from a now years-long debate over potential uses for the rail line in Santa Cruz County.
Santa Cruz County Greenway is filing that lawsuit. It comes more than a month after the RTC’s decision to contract a new operator for the Santa Cruz rail line.
A move Greenway says is being done without a proper review.
Ways to develop the rail line have been an on-going controversy in Santa Cruz County.
“We’re pushing for seeing it turned into a bike and pedestrian trail as quickly as possible,” said Manu Koneig, a board member with Greenway.
The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission sees it differently.
In June, they voted in favor of a contract with Progressive Rail to provide freight transportation.
“By prioritizing freight over moving people, we really limit options for transportation in this corridor,” Koneig said.
Greenway says the RTC is entering into the 10 year deal without doing the proper reviews.
“The key point of the lawsuit is that California law was not followed by not at least doing an environmental review before agreeing to create freight use as much as they have,” Koneig said.
We reached out to the RTC who gave KION this statement:
“The RTC does not comment on pending litigation. In regards to the contract with Progressive Rail, it continues the function of the rail line, as it existed before the RTC’s acquisition of the line in 2012, and preserves all the options for the use of the line in the future. The Commission is confident that it scrupulously followed the law when it approved the contract, and we look forward to the resolution of these issues in court.”
Still, Greenway hopes this lawsuit can change their mind and bring a solution everyone can agree on.
“Handing this corridor over to freight first limits our options too much,” Koenig said. “We had to do something to at least hold off on the agreement until after we’ve really put all the options on the table and decide what the best uses are for this corridor.”
KION also reached out to the local group Friends of the Rail and Trail which has supported the Progressive Rail Contract. Though they didn’t want to comment on the lawsuit, they did say they aren’t surprised by it.
