Whats the connection between SMART, the North Coast Rail Authority (NCRA), and the Eel River?
The current plan calls for SMART and freight trains to run on some of the same track. According to SMART’s funding plan, the NCRA and SMART will share costs and revenues on the track they share. The NCRA will benefit from track improvements paid for by SMART. The NCRA right-of-way runs more than 300 miles, from Healdsburg to Eureka, through the Eel River Canyon. The canyon is steep and prone to landslides. Originally, the railroad carried passengers, until it was deemed unsafe to do so. Despite derailments and safety issues, the line continued to haul freight until it was finally closed in 1998. The NCRA wants to reopen freight traffic to the Island Mountain Quarry, a now-closed gravel operation, located in the Eel River canyon. There are no useable roads to the quarry. The only way to move the gravel out of the canyon is by rail. If plans to re-open the mine are approved, six million tons of gravel a year would be hauled from the canyon via thousands of rail car trips. Studies of quar
