California State Rail Plan 2005-06 to 2015-16

Chapter XVII - Funding
The Northwestern Pacific Railroad Authority (NWPRA) was a Joint Powers
Agency composed of the Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation
District (GGBD), Marin County, and the NCRA. On April 30, 1996, the NWPRA
acquired the line between Lombard in Napa County and Healdsburg in Sonoma
County. At the same time, the NCRA also purchased the Healdsburg to Willits
segment, and the entire rail line was again renamed the Northwestern Pacific
Railroad. In 2004, the Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit District (SMART)
acquired the NWPRA interests and properties. Subsequently the NWPRA was
dissolved and its responsibilities assumed by SMART.
The NCRA and the SMART are both working to restore rail services to the North
Coast. The NCRA’s primary objective is to preserve freight and passenger rail
service. It oversees the freight railroad operations of the 306 mile long NWP from
Arcata in Humboldt County to Lombard in Napa County. The SMART is
interested in operating commuter rail service from Larkspur to Cloverdale.
This railroad has a history of being plagued by high maintenance costs due to
frequent flooding along the Eel River. North of Willits, the railroad has been out
of service since February 1998 due to rail damage from the El Niño storms.
The southern end of operations has seen sporadic operations since being shut
down by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) in November 1998 due to
unsafe track conditions. Several construction projects have been completed south
of Willits since 1998. In 2001, a freight operation ran for several months.
A capital needs assessment of the entire line was completed in August 2002.
NCRA hired Willdan Associates and HNTB Companies to do the assessment.
It estimated that it would take about $40 million during the initial five years to
improve and repair the entire railroad and $250 million over the next 20 years.
For the five-year period, this includes $1.1 million for environmental mitigation,
$13.8 million for professional and technical services, $6.3 million for Willits to
Schellville (south), $13.7 million for the Eel River Canyon and $4.9 million for
the Eureka to South Fork (north).
In addition, NCRA commissioned a Financial and Economic Feasibility study that
was completed in January of 2003 by Parsons Brinckerhoff. The market analysis
concluded that the freight market potential along the NWP corridor is relatively
flat but there could be opportunities for growth in the solid waste, aggregate, and
port-related marine industrial activities.
The TCRP funding was delayed due to the State’s funding situation. Because of
this, NCRA plans to use Federal Emergency Management Administration and
matching Governor’s Office of Emergency Services Alternate project funds to
repair Haystack Landing and Blackpoint Bridges, purchase signals and box cars.
NCRA hopes to use Federal demonstration funds (which requires a non-Federal
match) to reopen the south-end.
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