Santa Cruz Branch Line

CA · Davenport → Watsonville

The most argued-over 32 miles of track in California.

Heads up: Freight runs at the Watsonville end, and Roaring Camp tourist trains run at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk end — avoid both.

The line along the north shore of Monterey Bay dates to the 1870s, when local railroads connected Santa Cruz to Watsonville and the Southern Pacific. It later carried cement from the big plant at Davenport and passengers to the beaches, crossing the famous Capitola trestle above Soquel Creek.

In 2012 the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission bought the branch. Since then it has been the center of a long fight between people who want trains and people who want a trail. In 2022 voters overwhelmingly rejected Measure D, which would have railbanked it for an interim trail.

Several freight operators have come and gone. The current one has served the Watsonville end and has filed notice that it intends to abandon the line. A coastal trail is being built alongside the tracks in sections.

⚠️ Before you go: every railroad on this map is private property. A line that looks abandoned may still be owned by a railroad, used to store rail cars, or put back into service at any time — sometimes with no warning. Before going near any track, make sure it's truly abandoned (no recent use, rails not polished, no signals or cars stored on it) and that you're allowed to be there. Never assume a track is dead.

📷 Photos & stories from riders

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