EIR Released To Re-Open 142 Miles Of Railroad

NCRA looking to restore line between Lombard and Willits

Humboldt Sentinel
3/9/09
By Sentinel Staff

UKIAH -- After years of bureaucratic in-fighting and even a public push to rip up passenger and freight railroad lines to install bicycle trails, the North Coast Railroad Authroity announced today that draft environmental documents are ready and funding is in place to restore rail service on the southern end of the Northwestern Pacific line.

The Draft Environmental Impact Report described the remediation steps necessary to re-open a 142-mile stretch of freight rail service between Willits in central Mendocino County southward to Lombard in Napa County where it will connect with the Union Pacific rail network. At first the scale would be decidedly small, with three round-trip freight trains per week shipping mostly feed grains, building materials, wine and general merchandise. The report looks to expand service to three round-trips per day by the second or third year of operations, according to NCRA Chair Allan Hemphill of Cloverdale.

“This 2 volume document cost $3.5 million to complete and painstakingly analyzes every potential impact of train service on the Russian River Division between the interchange with the Union Pacific [Lombard] and Willits,” Hemphill stated in the NCRA release. “What’s clear from the DEIR is that trains will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, take trucks off of 101, save energy and provide a cost-effective means to ship goods in and out of the North Coast.”

The NCRA claims that $35 million in state funds have already been invested to repair the first 62 miles of the line from the national rail interchange near American Canyon (Lombard) to Windsor with freight service scheduled to begin on this phase in October.

The NCRA has applied for a further $36 million in federal economic stimulus funds to continue repairs North to Willits.

Today’s submittal of the DEIR begins a 45-day comment period under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) which allows the public to respond to NCRA plans to restart freight service. A public hearing on the DEIR has also been set for April 15 at 6:30 p.m. at the Petaluma Community Center.

Before railroad operations commence, the NCRA Board of Directors must respond to all public comments and incorporate the responses in a Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) which the Board of Directors must certify.

The public can review the Executive Summary of the DEIR on the NCRA website,
www.northcoastrailroad.org.