California/Railroads/Active/Northern

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This is now a "sub-wiki" to both California/Railroads, and California/Railroads/Active from which it was split off due to length.

Main article: California/Railroads. See also California/Railroads/Active and California/Railroads/PassengerState Train.svg

Common Carrier Lines in Northern California, expressed as route=railway relations, with active, regular rail traffic, whether freight or industrial. For Active Southern California rail, see California/Railroads/Active/Southern.

Due to the sheer size of the amount of Active rail and the space taken up by their data and tables, this wiki is geographically split between Northern and Southern California: Common Carrier Lines Northern and Common Carrier Lines Southern. Small enough to not split is Private Rail (all of California). The north/south split occurs in San Luis Obispo at the northern terminus of UP's Santa Barbara Subdivision and the southern terminus of UP's Coast Subdivision as well as at "Tehachapi Loop" south of Bakersfield (approximately MP 351), splitting BNSF Mojave Subdivision, so it is found in both BNSF Northern and BNSF Southern sections/tables.

Common Carrier Lines (Mainline, Branch, Industrial and Short), Northern

Active Lines tables are "largely complete" and "mostly correct." There may still exist some minor usage=industrial lines or spurs not yet included here. If you find a railroad, subdivision, line (relation link, Review Status...) that needs to be added, updated or improved, whether to the map or to this wiki, please do so and thank you for your contributions!

California High Speed Rail (CAHSR), under construction

This will become a "common carrier passenger line" (only, no freight) when it opens for revenue service in stages during the early 2030s. Segments from Shafter (near Bakersfield) N to Madera are tagged usage=main, highspeed=yes and for well into the 2020s, construction=yes; many landuse=construction polygons are active in this corridor and will be into the early 2030s. The (newly) "initial" segment under construction is name=Sierra Subdivision, along with its "Construction Packages" (public works projects, currently CP1, CP2-3 and CP4). Its inclusion at the very top of this wiki's "CCL, Mainline" section is deliberate. While CAHSR will be a purely passenger rail line, its transformative effects on the entirety of rail in California cannot be overstated; the project's "mainline" status deserves at least this brief mention here. OSM efforts to map details in the Sierra Subdivision corridor exploded into activity during 2022 and continue until project completion, expected by "late 2030" with a contingency to complete as late as 2033.

Union Pacific Railroad, Roseville Division (UP)

In California, UP operates an expansive network of over 3364 miles (5414 km) of track (including trackage rights), over 48% of California's railroads. In 2015, with a workforce of about 5,000 employees, UP’s California operations handled over 3 million carloads. UP operates in California as two divisions, Roseville Division (Northern California) and Los Angeles Division (Southern California).

Mainline

Note there is a UP Valley Subdivision in this (UP's Roseville Division Mainline) section (Roseville - Chico - Dunsmuir) and a different SCRRA Valley Subdivision (Los Angeles - Palmdale, owned by SCRRA/Metrolink-SCAX, while UP has trackage rights) in Southern California Regional Rail Authority/Metrolink section.

Name old_railway_operator=* Relation Route TIGER Review Notes
Black Butte Subdivision Southern Pacific (SP) relation 4510755 Dunsmuir - Mount Shasta - Weed - Dorris - Klamath Falls (Oregon) A good amount of review already done, should be double-checked Supports Amtrak Coast Starlight passenger=national route=trains.
Canyon Subdivision Western Pacific (WP) relation 4483009 Oroville - Keddie Wye - Portola A good amount of review already done, should be double-checked BNSF has trackage rights
Coast Subdivision Southern Pacific (SP) relation 4515581 San Luis Obispo - Paso Robles - Salinas - Gilroy - San Jose - Oakland Done; should be double-checked Supports Amtrak Coast Starlight passenger=national, Capitol Corridor passenger=regional and ACE passenger=suburban route=trains. Trackage rights allow UP to travel through the JPBX-owned segment between Tamien and Santa Clara. Trackage rights allow Caltrain to travel through the UP-owned segment between Gilroy and Tamien. BNSF also has trackage rights.
Fresno Subdivision Southern Pacific (SP) relation 2748023 Bakersfield - Fresno - Stockton - Sacramento Reviewed S of Fresno; retagged between Fresno and Ripon, reviewed N of Ripon Supports Amtrak California San Joaquin passenger=regional route=trains. Under development is the "Stockton Diamond" project to relieve bottleneck congestion between UP's Fresno Subdivision and BNSF's Stockton Subdivision. Construction is expected to begin in 2023 with completion of the full "flyover" and all other segments in the project by 2026.
Martinez Subdivision Southern Pacific (SP) relation 4493104 Oakland - Martinez - Fairfield - Davis - Sacramento - Roseville Done Supports Amtrak Coast Starlight and California Zephyr passenger=national and Amtrak California Capitol Corridor and San Joaquin passenger=regional route=trains. BNSF has trackage rights.
Niles Subdivision Southern Pacific (SP) relation 6170480 Newark - Fremont/Centerville - Fremont/Niles - Hayward - San Leandro - Oakland/High Street Done Supports Amtrak California Capitol Corridor passenger=regional and ACE passenger=suburban route=trains.
Roseville Subdivision Southern Pacific (SP) relation 4489569 Roseville - Colfax - Truckee - Reno (Nevada) - Sparks (Nevada) Reviewed between Roseville and Auburn. Probably needs to be realigned or updated at a few places. Supports Amtrak "California Zephyr" passenger=national and Amtrak California Capitol Corridor passenger=regional route=trains.
Sacramento Subdivision Western Pacific (WP) relation 1954847 Stockton - Sacramento - Marysville - Oroville Partially complete Supports Amtrak Coast Starlight passenger=national route=trains. BNSF has trackage rights. Tagged usage=branch S of Sacramento River to Stockton (41% of the subdivision), where no passenger=national service exists.
Tracy Subdivision Southern Pacific (SP) relation 4498925 Martinez - Antioch - Brentwood - Tracy - Lathrop Reviewed W of Port Chicago Supports Amtrak California San Joaquin passenger=regional route=trains.
UP Valley Subdivision Southern Pacific (SP) relation 4487778 Roseville - Marysville - Chico - Red Bluff - Redding - Dunsmuir Partially complete Supports Amtrak Coast Starlight passenger=national route=trains. BNSF has trackage rights.
Winnemucca Subdivision Western Pacific (WP) relation 4487490 Portola - Reno Junction - Gerlach (Nevada) - Winnemucca (Nevada) California segment lightly reviewed BNSF has trackage rights.

Branch

Note there is a Modoc Subdivision relation in this (UP's Roseville Division Branch) section (Alturas - Klamath Falls, Oregon) and a different Modoc Subdivision relation in the Abandoned / Southern Pacific section (Alturas southwards to the Nevada state line, then SE to near the Winnemuca Subdivision). Note that the Sacramento Subdivision (in the above Mainline section) is tagged usage=branch S of Sacramento River to Stockton.

Name old_railway_operator=* Relation Route TIGER Review Notes
Altamont Southern Pacific (SP) relation 6200734 Tracy - Midway Done
Modoc Subdivision Southern Pacific (SP) relation 4487489 Klamath Falls, Oregon - Tulelake - Perez - Canby - Lakeview Junction - Alturas Looks good, please double-check From Perez through Canby to Alturas, hosts Lake Railway, operated by Frontier Rail. See Lake County Railroad section. Another relation Modoc Subdivision relation, from the southern edge of this to the California-Nevada border, nearly all the way southeast to Winnemucca Subdivision in Nevada, is railway=abandoned.
Lombard Subdivision Northwestern Pacific (NWP)? relation 4492801 Suisun City - Cordelia - Lombard (near American Canyon) Done CFNR is an operator which feeds freight to NWP at Lombard (thence on Brazos Subdivision)
Oakland Subdivision Western Pacific (WP) relation 4498892 Oakland - Niles Canyon - Livermore - Tracy - Stockton Done Supports ACE passenger=suburban route=trains.
Tidewater Subdivision Western Pacific (WP)/Tidewater Southern (TS) (subsidiary) relation 6184197 Modesto - Hatch Done
Warm Springs Subdivision ? relation 6742549 San Jose - Milpitas - Fremont Done

Industrial

As noted above, there may still exist some minor usage=industrial lines or spurs not yet included here.

Name old_railway_operator=* Relation Route TIGER Review Notes
Chemurgic Industrial Lead ? relation 6280365 Hatch (Jct. at Tidewater Subdivision) - Chemurgic
Granite Rock Industrial Lead ? relation 6742550 Warm Springs Subdivision - Berryessa Road (San José)
Hollister Industrial Lead ? relation 6208109 Carnadero (Gilroy) - Hollister Believed complete, please double-check
Ione Industrial Lead SP relation 4520042 Galt - Ione
Loyalton Industrial Lead ? relation 4510757 Loyalton - Winnemuca Subdivision Done, but might need more bridges/water crossings Segment south of Loyalton industrial area seems to be abandoned
Luther Industrial Lead SP relation 6680587 Coast Subdivision (near Almaden Expressway) - East Alma Avenue (San José) Done A short segment of the old 4th Street Line, the remainder of which is abandoned
Madera Spur ? relation 6660772 Madera - Italian Swiss Colony Done (for core spur, not additional leads) Name is likely not correct. Additional industrial leads need better naming
McHenry Industrial Lead Western Pacific (WP)/Tidewater Southern (TS) (subsidiary) relation 9295821 Stockton - Manteca Jct. - Escalon - Meyers A bridge crosses the Stanislaus River south of Escalon at Meyers (near Del Rio Country Club) and this becomes Virginia Corridor Bike Path
Newark Industrial Lead ? relation 6714345 Newark - San Francisco Bay Done The western portion actually in San Francisco Bay is disused, but may be revived
North Milpitas Industrial Lead ? relation 11204135 Warm Springs (Fremont) - Milpitas Done Not sure where boundaries / edges are; please check if extents are correct
Redwood Harbor Industrial Lead ? relation 6280312 Redwood City Part of this is street-running down the middle of Chestnut Street
Redwood Junction Industrial Lead ? relation 6280300 Redwood City Done
Reno Industrial Lead ? relation 6274339 Reno (Nevada) - Panther Valley (Nevada) - Reno Jct.
Turlock Industrial Lead ? relation 6280366 Turlock - Hatch (Jct. at Tidewater Subdivision)
Vasona Industrial Lead ? relation 6133755 San Jose - Campbell - Lehigh Permanente Quarry Done This is also tagged with alt_name=Permanente Branch.

BNSF Railway, Northern California (BNSF)

In California, BNSF operates over 2015 miles (3242 km) of track (29% of statewide total) – about 16% of the statewide total are owned by BNSF and about 13% of the statewide total through trackage rights, with a workforce of almost 3,500 employees. BNSF is North America’s largest intermodal carrier, handling over 4.9 million trailers and containers in 2015 in the United States (compared to UP’s 3.9 million). In addition to its own routes, BNSF holds trackage rights over UP between Salt Lake City and the San Francisco Bay Area, as well as in California's Central Valley. In California alone, BNSF moves about 3.9 million carloads per year.

All routes are formerly Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe (AT&SF) unless otherwise noted.

Mainline

Name Relation Route TIGER Review Notes
BNSF Mojave Subdivision relation 3313150 Barstow - Mojave; Kern Junction - Bakersfield Fully reviewed Two discontiguous segments linked by UP Mojave Subdivision: a brief one in Bakersfield and the other from about the State Route 14 flyover in Mojave, east to Barstow. Supports Amtrak California San Joaquin passenger=regional route=trains on the Bakersfield segment. Because of the wiki-split geographically at Tehachapi Loop (MP 351), this table entry is found in both this (BNSF Northern) and BNSF Southern tables.
Gateway Subdivision relation 4484473 Keddie Wye - Bieber - Klamath Falls (Oregon) TIGER reviewed Oregon segment between Klamath Falls and California boundary Formerly Western Pacific (WP) south of Bieber; formerly Great Northern (GN) north of Bieber
Stockton Subdivision relation 2926455 Calwa - Fresno - Merced - Modesto/Empire - Stockton - Richmond Fully reviewed SE of Stockton, except the yard in SE Stockton; retagged W of Stockton Supports Amtrak California San Joaquin passenger=regional route=trains. Under development is the "Stockton Diamond" project to relieve bottleneck congestion between UP's Fresno Subdivision and BNSF's Stockton Subdivision. Construction is expected to begin in 2023 with completion of the full "flyover" and all other segments in the project by 2026.

Branch

Name Relation Route TIGER Review Notes
Richmond relation 4614689 Richmond - Stege Jct. (Martinez Subdivision) Done

Industrial

As noted above, there may still exist some minor usage=industrial lines or spurs not yet included here.

Name Relation Route TIGER Review Notes
Port of Richmond relation 4614687 Richmond - Port of Richmond Done Infrastructure elements are tagged usage=industrial. May be owned by SFBR or RPRC; not known if BNSF, SFBR or RPRC is owner or acting as operator.

Short Lines (Branch, Industrial or Freight, occasionally Mainline), Northern

Active "short lines" (exclusively Class III railroads) expressed as route=railway relations. Short Lines largely have tags of usage=branch or usage=industrial on underlying infrastructure. On occasion, usage=main is found on Short Line passenger routes, for example, JPBX supports Caltrain passenger=suburban route=trains. Some segments of Short Line infrastructure are tagged railway=light_rail to reflect their primary usage, while the same or closely-parallel tracks are also but not simultaneously used (temporally shared at night) as usage=branch, for example, parts of SMART. California is home to 19 active short line railroads and 7 switching and terminal railroads operating on over 1296 route miles (2085 km).

There are hundreds of km of railways tagged usage=military which might be collected into route=railway relations and added to this or a sibling section. Some military rail segments are tagged tiger:name_base=US Government Railroad (or similar), though these can and do vary on military reservations (e.g. "Old Rail Garrison Railroad," "U S Navy RR R W"). This Overpass Turbo search might be useful. In Northern California, there are military rail areas at Sierra Army Depot, Travis AFB, San Joaquin Depot Tracy, NWS Concord, MOT Concord, NCS Stockton, DLA Distribution San Joaquin (both Tracy and Lathrop) and possibly others.

All of that now said, Short Lines tables are "believed complete" and "mostly correct." If you find a railroad, subdivision, line (relation link, Review Status...) that needs to be added, updated or improved, whether to the map or to this wiki, please do so!

Genesee & Wyoming, Northern California (CFNR, CORP, SJVR)

A "railroad holding company" with two railroads in Northern California which own their trackage. G&W as CFNR is an operator only on Lombard Subdivision; CFNR does not own Lombard Subdivision, UP does. Total mileage (in California): 657 miles, just over half of the state's short-line rail.

California Northern Railroad (CFNR)

A Class III railroad hauling mainly food and agricultural commodities, as well as stone products. Trackage rights on Martinez Subdivision (UP) between Davis and Suisun-Fairfield connect otherwise discontiguous segments. Interchanges with NWP at Brazos Junction, UP at Tracy, Davis and Suisun-Fairfield and NVRR at Streblo. Total mileage: 210 (282 owned and leased).

Name Relation Route TIGER Review Notes
Hamilton Subdivision relation 6290060 Orland - Hamilton Done
Napa Subdivision relation 4492800 Lombard - Napa Needs TIGER review Vicinity of Streblow Road is where G&W's ownership ends, Napa Valley Railroad (NVRR) is owner north of there.
Lombard Subdivision relation 4492801 Lombard (Napa Jct.) - Suisun/Fairfield Needs TIGER review Owned by UP, CFNR is an operator only. Tracks parallel with UP's Martinez Subdivision between Suisun/Fairfield and Davis are UP, not CFNR, though some are tagged as if they are UP. CFNR interchanges with NWP (NCRA) at Lombard.
Travis Spur The single 4 km way way is entered Fairfield - Travis AFB Done This is tagged usage=military and may be railway=disused or railway=abandoned. Name is a reasonable guess.
Vallejo Subdivision relation 4492805 Napa Jct. - Vallejo Done
West Side Subdivision relation 4501157 Tracy - Patterson - Gustine - Los Baños Needs TIGER review Hauling tomatoes, tomato paste, grain, other agricultural products.
West Valley Subdivision relation 4498171 Tehama - Willows - Dunnigan - Woodland - Davis Needs TIGER review

Central Oregon & Pacific Railroad (CORP)

A Class III railroad based in Roseburg, Oregon. Total mileage: 362, 65 of which are in California. Interchanges with UP at Black Butte and with YW at Montague.

Name Relation Route TIGER Review Notes
Siskiyou Subdivision, Central Oregon & Pacific Railroad relation 4522356 Weed - Montague - Medford (Oregon) - Roseburg (Oregon) - Eugene (Oregon) Partially complete The California segment (from UP's Black Butte Subdivision near Weed) to the Oregon border is included in this relation as elements named "Siskiyou Subdivision." These may be named "Siskiyou Subdivision" in California only; this is not known. Hauling logs, lumber products, and plywood.

San Joaquin Valley Railroad (SJVR)

All lines remapped by happy5214 unless otherwise noted.

Total mileage: 493. SJVR has trackage rights over UP from Fresno - Algoso (near Bakersfield) via Goshen Jct. (former SP). SJVR interchanges with UP at Goshen Jct. and both UP and BNSF at both Bakersfield and Fresno.

Name old_railway_operator=* Relation Route TIGER Review Notes
Arvin Subdivision AT&SF/SP relation 3983968 Arvin - Lamont - Algoso/Magunden Done Absorbed from AT&SF/SP, with SJVR as operator, then abandoned by TVRR.
Buttonwillow Subdivision SP relation 3977701 Kern Junction/Bakersfield - Gosford - Buttonwillow Done
Clovis Subdivision AT&SF between BNSF Stockton Subdivision and Clovis Avenue/SP on either end relation 3285449 Fresno - Clovis Done
Exeter Subdivision SP relation 2640886 Fresno - Sanger - Reedley - Exeter - Lindsay - Strathmore Done Might have been headed for abandonment, but  Cross Valley Corridor is an 80-mile (130 km) proposed passenger rail service (in the 2040s) which would include this infrastructure
Goshen Subdivision SP relation 2748031 Exeter - Farmersville - Visalia - Goshen Done Was named Visalia Branch.  Cross Valley Corridor is an 80-mile (130 km) proposed passenger rail service (in the 2040s) which would include this infrastructure.
Hanford Subdivision SP relation 2748032 Goshen - Hanford - Lemoore - Huron Done  Cross Valley Corridor is an 80-mile (130 km) proposed passenger rail service (in the 2040s) which would include this infrastructure
Landco Subdivision AT&SF relation 3320280 Landco - Oil Junction Done
Loma Spur AT&SF relation 2643325 Visalia - Loma Done
North Joint Subdivision SP relation 6794390 Hollis - Famoso Done CPUC confirms name, but FRA wants to call this "Exeter Subdivision." Broken out of Eastside Line and added as a separate relation by stevea.
Oil City Subdivision AT&SF/SP relation 3936006 Oil Junction - Maltha Done Absorbed from AT&SF/SP, with SJVR as operator, then abandoned by TVRR.
Porterville Subdivision AT&SF, Visalia Electric (VE) relation 5483654 Exeter - Lindsay Done
Riverdale Subdivision SP relation 3925077 Burrel - San Joaquin - Tranquillity - Ingle Done Southeastern end (Burrel to Kerman Branch) is abandoned.
Sunset Subdivision SUN (joint subsidiary of AT&SF/SP) relation 3983904 Gosford - end of line Done
West Side Subdivision SP relation 4259489 Fresno - Kerman - Mendota - Firebaugh - Oxalis Done

End of Genesee & Wyoming section.

Central California Traction Company (CCT)

Total mileage: 16. A Class III switching railroad jointly owned by UP and BNSF. Believed to interchange between both as well as with Stockton Terminal & Eastern Railroad in Stockton (at Port of Stockton).

Name Relation Route TIGER Review Notes
Sacramento Branch relation 9045275 Southeast Sacramento Done
Stockton Branch relation 6177218 Stockton - Lodi Done
Lodi Industrial Lead relation 6795993 Lodi Done Disappears over a bridge into a residential neighborhood: active rail or disused? Is/was the name of this "Woodbridge Industrial Lead?" Is this owner=CCT or owner=UP;operator=CCT?
Port of Stockton Industrial Lead relation 9050664 Stockton Done Contains many spurs and sidings not included in the relation, as much as 55 miles. (This relation's elements, the "main lead," are just over two miles). May have been named (or is now) "Stockton Public Belt Railway."

Goose Lake Railway/Great Western Railway, Lake County Railroad (LCR), Lake County Railway (LCY), Lake Railway, Nexxt Rail LLC (GOOS)

Total mileage: 105 miles, 40 in California. Based in Lakeview, Oregon, LCR is owned by (the People of) Lake County, Oregon (owner=Lake County Railroad) with operator=Frontier Rail as the Lake County Railway (LCY) from Lakeview to Alturas. Frontier Rail also operates on Union Pacific's Modoc Subdivision between Alturas and Perez as Lake Railway (not included in mileage total as it is UP line). It is believed the present name is "Goose Lake Railway," although ownership / operator(s) have a complex history that remains somewhat unclear to this wiki editor. May be managed by Nexxt Rail LLC (a "rail holding company"), the parent company is Nexxt Logistics. See here for what might be more recent detailed history.

Name Relation Route TIGER Review Notes
Lakeview Subdivision relation 6172156 Lakeview (Oregon) - Alturas Partially complete Both the California and Oregon segments of this branch are included. (Was or is?) operated by Frontier Rail as LCY from Lakeview to Alturas, hauling products for both the perlite mine and lumber from the Collins Fremont Sawmill. Not sure exactly where the change-of-ownership is with UP's Modoc Subdivision in Alturas, nor around Perez, if any. Interchanges with UP at Perez.

Mare Island Rail Service (MIRS)

Total mileage: just under 5 (7.44 km).

Name Relation Route TIGER Review Notes
Mare Island Rail Service (MIRS) relation 6271605 Vallejo/Flosden Acres - Mare Island Done An industrial railroad to serve Mare Island from an interchange with CFNR's Vallejo branch.

Modesto and Empire Traction Company (M&ET)

Total mileage: 50.

Interchanges with Union Pacific at/near Beard Industrial District in Modesto and with BNSF at Empire Jct.

Name Relation Route TIGER Review Notes
North Main relation 6184196 Modesto - Empire Complete, though would benefit by being checked one final time While the 9 km of usage=branch track between Modesto and Empire (North Main) is fully reviewed, much extra rail on this railroad (sidings, spurs, yards, crossovers) can benefit from additional/continuing review, perhaps 70 km of additional usage=industrial track in total. Hauls food products, wine, syrup, plastic and paper products.

Napa Valley Railroad (NVRR)

Total mileage: 18. Interchanges with CFNR at Streblo.

Name Relation Route TIGER Review Notes
Napa Valley Railroad relation 5149956 Napa - Saint Helena Partially complete Supports Napa Valley Wine Train usage=tourism passenger route=trains and sees occasional freight/industrial service.

Niles Canyon Railway (NICX)

Total mileage: about 9.5 of preserved rail, half again as much when disused, abandoned and razed railway are included in the relation.

Name Relation Route TIGER Review Notes
Niles Canyon Railway relation 3111553 Niles - Sunol - Pleasanton Partially complete Infrastructure tagged railway:preserved=yes. Supports Golden Gate Railroad Museum usage=tourism passenger route=trains between Niles and Sunol run by the Pacific Locomotive Association. Contains a fair amount of railway=disused and railway=abandoned segments to UP's Oakland Subdivision east of Pleasanton.

Oakland Global Rail Enterprise (OGRE)

Total mileage: 15 (Possibly more or a different value, as the Intermodal Yard needs to be reviewed and better tags applied in OSM. Please update the total mileage number when that is completed).

The US Department of Defense decommissioned the Oakland Army Base in 1999. After 15 years of strategic planning, the Oakland Army Base was approved to become a rail-served logistics center, to include a multi-commodity bulk terminal, state-of-the-art warehouses and rail yards. This new, world-class facility is known as the Oakland Global Trade and Logistics Center, or “Oakland Global.” Oakland Global is the result of eight years of collaboration among the City of Oakland, the Port of Oakland and California Capital & Investment Group (CCIG). Two primary features of Oakland Global are the Oakland Bulk and Oversized Terminal (OBOT), which is a multi-commodity bulk marine terminal and the Oakland Global Railroad Enterprise (OGRE), Oakland Global's switching railway. OBOT and OGRE are affiliates of CCIG. OGRE interchanges with UP.

Name Relation Route TIGER Review Notes
Oakland Global Rail Enterprise The way representing the landuse=railway is entered. Oakland Global Trade and Logistics Center Done Oakland Global Rail Enterprise is the rail operator at Oakland Global Trade and Logistics Center (through a lease agreement with the owner, City of Oakland). As of 2019-Q1, some rail is represented (in existence and/or tagged) in OSM, but without operator=Oakland Global Rail Enterprise tags where this is true (but apparently, not known in OSM). The Oakland Union Pacific Intermodal Yard needs its internal contents (rail, rail infrastructure) to be more widely reviewed and updated (especially better name=* and operator=* tags), though the linked enclosing landuse=railway and much of the infrastructure looks roughly OK via 2019 imagery.

Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board / Caltrain (JPBX)

Total mileage: 88 (141 km).

Name Relation Route TIGER Review Notes
Peninsula Subdivision relation 7916804 San Francisco (King & 4th) - Millbrae - Palo Alto - Santa Clara - San José (Diridon) - Tamien (end of ownership) - Gilroy (on UP Coast Subdivision) Done Supports Caltrain Baby Bullet, Limited and Local passenger=suburban route=trains. Tracks are tagged usage=main as they are rather heavily-travelled passenger rail. Trackage rights allow Caltrain trains on the Coast Subdivision to travel through the UP-owned segment between Tamien and Gilroy. Trackage rights allow UP trains on the Coast Subdivision to travel through the JPBX-owned segment between Tamien and Santa Clara. Electrification ("CalMod" project) is now taking place (estimated completion 2024) between San Francisco and Tamien for California High Speed Rail integration (the so-called "northern bookend"), where "blended rail" Caltrain passenger=suburban / commuter service and CAHSR passenger=regional service (circa 2030?) will share this corridor at speeds up to 110 MPH (167 km/hr).

Quincy Railroad (QRR)

Total mileage: 3.27 (5.26 km). Interchanges with UP at Quincy Jct.

Name Relation Route TIGER Review Notes
Quincy Railroad relation 6289965 Quincy - UP Canyon Subdivision Done A switching and terminal railroad located at Quincy in Plumas County. QRR formerly operated a separate 37.5 km branch running over former Southern Pacific line from Wendel - Susanville (now abandoned). Owned by (parent company) Sierra Pacific Industries.

Richmond Pacific Railroad (RPRC)

Total mileage: 12 (20 km). Interchanging with both BNSF and UP at Richmond.

Name Relation Route TIGER Review Notes
Richmond Pacific Railroad relation 4614688 Richmond Shipping Terminal Done An industrial switching and terminal railroad serving the Port of Richmond. Owned by (parent company) Levin-Richmond Terminal Corporation.

Sacramento-Placerville Transportation Corridor Joint Powers Authority (????)

Total mileage: 34 (54.6 km).

Name Relation Route TIGER Review Notes
Placerville Branch relation 6289700 Folsom - Malby Crossing - Latrobe - Shingle Springs - El Dorado - Mission Flat Needs TIGER review Supports Placerville & Sacramento Valley Railroad and El Dorado Western Railroad usage=tourism passenger route=trains.

Sacramento Southern Railroad (SSRR)

Total mileage: 3 (5 km).

Name Relation Route TIGER Review Notes
Sacramento Southern Railroad relation 6142387 Sacramento - Walnut Grove Roughly entered Owned by the (People of the) state of California, this branch line south of Sacramento's UP interchange supports California State Railroad Museum usage=tourism excursion trains. To Walnut Grove (33 km) line is tagged railway=disused and/or railway=abandoned, however, light freight/industrial usage growth might extend movements further southward.

Sacramento Valley Railroad (SAV)

Total mileage: about 7 (12 km).

Name Relation Route TIGER Review Notes
Sacramento Valley Railroad relation 6297117 McClellan No TIGER review required Owned by Patriot Rail, these industrial lines and spurs serve McClellan Business Park northeast of Sacramento, interchanging with UP on Martinez Subdivision. Roughly entered.

Saint Paul & Pacific Railroad (SPP)

Total mileage: 32 (52 km). Part of this is street-running down the middle of Chestnut Street. Interchanges with UP at Watsonville Jct.

A May 2021 agreement between SPP, SCBG, (but not?) the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (SCCRTC) allows SCBG to assume day-to-day operations on this branch on behalf of SPP. Unknown for certain (as of 2022-Q3): how far W from Watsonville Jct. towards Santa Cruz, believed to be MP 7.0, there is active traffic (which could be SPP or SCBG via trackage rights to Watsonville Jct.) and whether or not there is traffic W of Davenport Jct., that is, whether this W of Jct. segment is best tagged railway=disused.

Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (SCCRTC, the Santa Cruz Branch rail corridor's public ownership agency) selected a new operator in 2018: Saint Paul & Pacific Railroad Co. LLC, a Class III railroad and a subsidiary of Lakeville, Minnesota-based Progressive Rail, Incorporated (a "railroad holding company"). According to SCCRTC, "The operating agreement that (SCCRTC) has with...Progressive Rail...is broken up into two phases. Phase I allows Progressive Rail to provide freight service on the south end of the line to existing freight customers in Watsonville. Phase II of the agreement (has activated since SCCRTC completed the Unified Corridor Study, UCS)...(made) a decision on the future use of the rail line. (As SCCRTC made in January, 2019) the decision to keep the tracks in place and pursue potential passenger rail service...consistent with its existing policy and its decisions over more than two decades...the agreement...remain(s) in place for 10 more years (over) the entire length of the rail line."

SCCRTC's "UCS Preferred Scenario" (page 7) notes the "time frame for Project Completion" on the "Rail Right‐of‐Way" for "High-capacity public transit service" is "Mid Term," or 2035. It also says (page 12) "operating improvements are intended to be delivered in the near term wherever practicable, from 2022 to 2027." This includes "keeping freight and excursion (non‐commuter) passenger service on the rail line" (page 2). No excursion service exists in 2019, however, the operating agreement says SPP may operate such trains.

Due to 2020 upgrades to the Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line track between Capitola and Santa Cruz to Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Class I standards, SCCRTC can now (2021) allow for demonstrations of rail vehicles as part of the high-capacity public transit alternatives analysis. Also in 2020, SCCRTC adopted a resolution authorizing a temporary license to operate for TIG/m to conduct demonstrations of its passenger rail trolley between Capitola and Santa Cruz and in Watsonville. TIG/m did indeed conduct such a demonstration of its proposed "Coast Futura" battery-electric vehicle in October, 2021.

On July 1, 2020, SCCRTC published this: "The Commission is in the middle of a Transit Corridor Alternatives Analysis (TCAA) study to determine the locally-preferred alternative for public transit on the Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line, which is expected to be completed early next year. Saint Paul and Pacific (SPP) Railroad notified the Commission of their intention to terminate their Administrative, Coordination, and License (ACL) agreement with the Commission for freight and transportation rail service. The Commission does not intend to consider any alternatives to the existing agreement until the completion of the TCAA Study." On November 9, 2020, SCCRTC published the Draft Report. While the "passenger train" option was finally selected, in May 2021, SCCRTC delayed action on the project because the Commission needs $17 million for environmental and engineering reports to keep the plan on track. SCCRTC pledged to continue to search for state money, saying "Only the commission can agree to accept funding and approve the advancement of a project or potential project." This means SCCRTC staff are working off the last majority vote SCCRTC made, which was the choice of a passenger train project on the corridor from the TCAA. One Commissioner (also a Capitola City Council member) called this a 'timeout.' SCCRTC staff say they have been working with Caltrans leaders to try to pay for the preliminary engineering and environmental document, knowing that a significant portion of this will need to be locally funded. “Roughly half of the construction funds and half of the operation and maintenance funds are currently unidentified,” commission staff wrote in the business plan. Current timelines remain that construction would start in 2029 at the earliest and open to passengers around 2034 (according to the business plan).

Here is a fairly-recent (November 2021) link to a memo by SCCRTC's Executive Director regarding the TIG/m "unsolicited" passenger rail proposal outlining recent history and late-2021 status with SCCRTC (owner), SPP (operator) and SCBG (operator with trackage rights, and "blocked with no access" to Watsonville and beyond without SPP and/or SCCRTC), who has assumed some dispatch duties (from SPP) out of Watsonville Yard via agreement between SCBG and SPP. It is complicated around here.

Name Relation Route TIGER Review Notes
Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line (SCBRL or "Santa Cruz Branch") relation 4710692 Watsonville Jct. / Pajaro (UP Coast Subdivision) - Watsonville - Santa Cruz - Davenport Complete Hosts light freight/industrial service (lumber, frozen food, biodiesel matter) for SPP, sole operator=* on this 140-year-old branch, interchanging with Union Pacific at Watsonville Junction. Might also operate seasonal usage=tourism excursion trains, as track/bridge rehabilitation completes. A goal by the owner (SCCRTC/People of Santa Cruz County) is to offer passenger=urban revenue service in the "mid term" future (circa 2035) with transfer at a future Pajaro Station. This would allow passenger connections to a planned southerly extension of (initially) Caltrain passenger=suburban, then Amtrak California's Capitol Corridor passenger=regional services to Salinas and Amtrak Coast Starlight (and possibly future Coast Daylight) passenger=national service to Los Angeles, as well as connections to Gilroy and San José/Diridon's (passenger=national, passenger=regional, passenger=suburban and passenger=urban) trains (correspondences with Amtrak, Caltrain, ACE, VTA and future BART and CAHSR).

A parallel mixed-use (pedestrian/bicycle) trail (Monterey Bay Sanctuary Scenic Trail/MBSST, inside the Santa Cruz Branch ROW, administered by SCCRTC and also known as CycleNet 40) is in early phases of construction: the first segment completed near Santa Cruz Main Beach with a pedestrian bridge (cyclists dismount) over the San Lorenzo River in May, 2019. Combining namespace conventions into one network=rcn ref=*, this displays in Cycle Map as a solid purple regional bicycle route labelled C40: Coastal Rail Trail (MBSST Network) + CycleNet 40. Newer Segment 5 Phase 1 (Wilder Ranch) may be in later phases of planning or early construction (2022-Q2), while Phase 2 of Segment 5 (to Davenport) may not be fully funded. Segments 8 and 9 (San Lorenzo River Bikeway Bridge via Murray / Seabright to 17th Avenue) may be in intermediate planning, though are not yet fully funded (there are three new bridges and four at-grade crossings in this $32 million section, over 70% of this funding is unidentified as of 2022-Q2).

San Francisco Bay Railroad (SFBR)

About 5 miles or 8 km of line (projected to grow to about 12 km, while service area remains the same).

Name Relation Route TIGER Review Notes
San Francisco Bay Railroad Relation not defined yet San Francisco (Southern Waterfront/Piers 80 & 94/96) Needs "light and easy" TIGER review. A Class III railroad consisting of a short series of industrial lines and spurs to serve the Port of San Francisco with UP interchange. Also may operate RPRC with BNSF interchange. Owned by (parent company) Republic Services.

Santa Cruz, Big Trees and Pacific Railway (SCBG)

Total mileage: 9 miles (15 km). Part of this is street-running down the middle of Chestnut Street. †A May 2021 agreement between SPP and SCBG (but not SCCRTC?) allows SCBG to assume day-to-day operations (e.g. dispatch) on the Santa Cruz Branch to Watsonville Jct. on behalf of SPP.

Name Relation Route TIGER Review Notes
Santa Cruz, Big Trees and Pacific Railway relation 4710708 Watsonville Jct.† - Santa Cruz - Felton (Roaring Camp) - Olympia Mostly complete Supports Santa Cruz Beach Train usage=tourism (or heritage) passenger route=trains, might also dispatch light freight use (lumber, frozen food, biodiesel matter) near Watsonville on usage=branch as SPP traffic

Sierra Northern Railway (SERA)

Total mileage: 110 (168 km). SERA interchanges with UP at Oakdale and both UP and BNSF at West Sacramento.

Name Relation Route TIGER Review Notes
California Western Railroad relation 4710758 Fort Bragg - Willits Partially complete Tagged as usage=tourism and railway:preserved=yes. Supports Skunk Train route=train. Freight service ended in 2001, though it is believed it will be revived in 2020 as NWP's Willits segments rehabilitate from disused to active rail. Occasionally, CWR/SERA stores equipment on NWP trackage.
Sonora Subdivision relation 3965922 Oakdale - Sonora Complete Supports freight traffic and Sierra Railroad Dinner Train route=train. Tagged as railway:preserved=yes along route of passenger train.
Riverbank Subdivision relation 4659185 Riverbank - Oakdale Seems complete BNSF interchanges at Riverbank
Woodland relation 4498375 West Sacramento - Woodland Seems complete Supports freight traffic and Sacramento RiverTrain passenger route=train. Tagged as railway:preserved=yes along route of passenger train.

Sonoma-Marin Area Rapid Transit (SMART), Northwestern Pacific Railroad Company (NWP), North Coast Railroad Authority (NCRA)

North Coast Railroad Authority (NCRA) was formed in 1989 by the California Legislature to railbank 316 miles (508 km) of former Northwestern Pacific right of way. In 1992, NCRA purchased the railroad from Willits north (to line-end at Samoa). In 1995-6, a separate transaction added the line from Healdsburg north to the NCRA's holdings and provided for a joint powers authority, the Northwestern Pacific Railroad Authority (NWPRA) to own right of way from Healdsburg south to Larkspur for SMART passenger service. In 2003, NWPRA was dissolved into SMART. In 2006, NCRA began leasing to NWP rights to manage and operate trains; NWP (sometimes styled as NWP Co) is now exclusive common carrier of all industrial/freight and passenger excursion trains between Lombard and (either Windsor or?) Willits, acting as operator / private contractor. At Brazos Jct. (Schellville), NWP interchanges freight with CFNR (as operator on Brazos Subdivision), CFNR continuing east as operator on UP's Lombard Subdivision 22 km branch line to connect to UP mainline Martinez Subdivision at Suisun-Fairfield (CFNR / UP interchange). Additionally, in May 2020, SMART's board voted to purchase NWP Co. As of July, 2020, it is not known if the California State Transportation Agency and the federal Surface Transportation Board have completed their required approvals of this sale. Meanwhile, SMART recommends that NWP Co remain as sole freight operator under contract to SMART (pending approvals). To summarize: Lombard to Ignacio Wye (Brazos Subdivision) and Larkspur to Willits (Healdsburg Segment and Willits Segment) are owned by SMART, most (Schellville to Willits) leased to NWP as operator, NWP possibly interchanging with CWR/SERA in Willits. Willits to Eureka/Arcata/Samoa (Eel River Block, Humboldt Bay Block) are owned by NCRA, though NCRA appears to be "dissolving into" a new Great Redwood Trail management agency (see below). Not only is the history around here complicated, the future looks to be, too! NWP is said to have (be operating on) 61 miles (100 km) of track between Lombard and Windsor, interchanging with CFNR at Brazos Jct.

California's 2018 Great Redwood Trail Act repurposes railroad right-of-way (ROW) from Eureka to SF Bay in Marin County for future use as the "Great Redwood Trail" (ref=GRW) rail-trail. Identified presently as (to be?) railbanked segments are all of NCRA-owned Eel River Block and Humboldt Bay Block. As ref=GRW progresses beyond its beginnings now (2020), please update known proceedings which either remove tracks or develop specific railtrail segments (or both), adding railtrail-specific tags accordingly (e.g. change to railway=abandoned + highway=cycleway or perhaps railway=abandoned + highway=path + foot=designated + surface=unpaved if left unpaved). Note that "to the San Francisco Bay in Marin County" implies that segments of parallel bicycle infrastructure (as in Larkspur) are to be included in this regional rail-trail, as active rail (SMART) runs parallel in the ROW (similar to MBSST's plan to run active trail next to becoming-active rail). Marin County is not initially included in the scope of GRW, but the legislation allows the county an option to join a new, as-yet-unnamed agency if it wishes to. NCRA's present status is not known, except that because the Act is now law, NCRA is in the process of "dissolving into" an agency administrating the entirety of the railtrail; please clarify as this develops. When more finality is known, the table's rows for Eel River Block and Humboldt Bay Block might be moved to California's Railtrails section. If present tagging is incorrect, please update with owner=* tags on rail segments where actual ownership is known, this is somewhat fluid in 2020-Q3.

Traffic and activity vary greatly. Since July 2011, freight (beer, grain, lumber, LPG, pre-fabricated concrete, solid waste, steel, wine) is lightly active (two to three trains per week) between NWP's freight depots in Schellville, Petaluma and Windsor. SMART Phase 1 (Larkspur to Sonoma County Airport) is in regular passenger revenue service, with Phase 2 completion to Cloverdale expected in 2027. In 2020 the first segment of Great Redwood Trail opened in Ukiah. A study examines potential future SMART east-west passenger service between Novato-Hamilton and Suisun-Fairfield. This is a dynamic railroad with much going on, so accurate updates are appreciated!

Name Relation Route TIGER Review Notes
Brazos Subdivision (aka "Lombard Segment") relation 4492836 Lombard (near American Canyon) - Schellville - Ignacio Wye (near Novato) Done Owned by SMART, relation members are tagged usage=branch. CFNR has trackage rights as far west as Brazos Jct. (Schellville), where it interchanges with NWP. NWP has trackage rights from Schellville to Ignacio Wye.
Larkspur to Cloverdale (aka "Healdsburg Segment") relation 4491389 Larkspur - San Rafael - Ignacio Wye - Novato - Petaluma - Rohnert Park - Santa Rosa - Sonoma County Airport - Windsor - Healdsburg Done Owned by SMART (certainly as far north as Healdsburg Depot), supports SMART passenger=suburban route=trains. Tagged usage=branch where there is active passenger service: Larkspur to Sonoma County Airport. NWP has trackage rights as a temporal freight operator here as far north as Windsor (and possibly Willits?), but not on the segment south of Ignacio Wye to Larkspur. SMART and Golden Gate Transit partner to offer SMART passengers free bus service from Sonoma County Airport station to Windsor, Healdsburg and Cloverdale. The 2018 California State Rail Plan says Windsor might see passenger trains by 2022 (since updated to 2024-5), Healdsburg and Cloverdale by 2027, completing SMART Phase 2.
Willits Segment relation 4520158 Healdsburg - Cloverdale - Hopland - Ukiah - Redwood Valley - Willits Done Members are tagged usage=branch where active, OR railway=disused, but not both. Was owned by NCRA, due to 2018 legislation (Senate Bill 1029, Great Redwood Trail Act), ownership was transferred to SMART (Healdsburg north only to Sonoma-Mendocino county line or further north to Willits?). A contiguous "usage gap" north of Hopland through Ukiah to Redwood Valley is tagged railway=disused, while tracks further north around Willits are active and rehabilitating for additional rail freight service (by CWR/SERA) beginning in late 2020. It is not known what will become of this disused section, as it isolates Willits and CWR/SERA from rail connectivity further south. SERA has trackage rights to Willits Wye and Willits Yard for Skunk Train (CWR/SERA), so both railroads (definitely CWR/SERA, not sure about NWP) may better resume freight service here. Occasionally, CWR/SERA stores equipment on Willits-area NCRA trackage. 54.3 miles of this (Cloverdale - Willits) will become largely rail-trail, but may retain freight rail connectivity to the rest of the national rail network for CWR/SERA and its interchange with NWP, this is unclear.
Eel River Block relation 6636008 Willits - South Fork Partially complete Owned by NCRA, but NCRA appears to be dissolving into a GRW state agency. All track segments are tagged railway=disused without usage=* tags. Intended to become in totality part of the "Great Redwood Trail" rail-trail, the Willits - Arcata segment being 153.0 miles.
Humboldt Bay Block relation 6854806 South Fork - Rio Dell - Fortuna - (Carlotta) - Eureka - Arcata - (Blue Lake) - Samoa Partially complete Owned by NCRA, but NCRA appears to be dissolving into a GRW state agency. Segments from Loleta to Eureka are tagged railway=abandoned, most segments are tagged railway=disused, segments from Rohnerville to Loleta are tagged usage=branch, but it is not clear this is accurate tagging as of mid-2020: please update. It is believed there are "crew speeders" run by the Timber Heritage Association in the vicinities of Eureka, Samoa, and Loleta. This ROW is intended to become nearly in its totality (to Arcata, fate of the segment to Samoa is unclear) part of the "Great Redwood Trail" rail-trail (GRW), the Willits - Arcata GRW segment being 153.0 miles. The Arcata & Mad River Railway (to Blue Lake) and Carlotta spurs are California/Railroads#Abandoned_lines, also believed owned by NCRA, though these may become owned by a yet-to-be-named agency responsible for GRW management and also have an unclear future status.

Stockton Terminal and Eastern Railroad (STE)

Total mileage: 25 (40 km).

Name Relation Route TIGER Review Notes
Stockton Terminal and Eastern Railroad relation 6270902 Stockton - Linden Begun, but not very far along Owned by Omnitrax (a "rail holding company"), interchanging with UP and BNSF around Stockton. Roughly entered, tracks need better naming. Hauling and interchanging agriculture, asphalt, cement, chemicals, food, lumber, steel.

Western Railway Museum (WRM)

Total mileage: 26.8 miles (43.12 km).

Name Relation Route TIGER Review Notes
Dozier to Cannon relation 6291770 Dozier - Cannon Needs TIGER review Tagged usage=tourism and railway:preserved=yes. Was old Sacramento Northern Railway, now part of Western Railway Museum. Believed to be seldom if ever used (to connect to UP).
Dozier to Pittsburg relation 6291754 Dozier - Pittsburg Needs TIGER review Tagged usage=tourism and railway:preserved=yes. Supports Western Railway Museum passenger=local? route=trains. Some portions are electrified and tagged with electrified=contact_line. Contains segments of railway=abandoned.

Yreka Western Railroad (YWRR)

Total mileage: 9 (14.5 km). Interchanges with CORP at Montague.

Name Relation Route TIGER Review Notes
Yreka Western Railroad relation 6174231 Yreka - Montague Done Into the early 20-teens, supported usage=tourism steam-powered excursion route=train, Blue Goose, but no longer. Tracks are tagged railway=preserved from when they were owned by Rocky Mountain Railroad & Mining Museum for Blue Goose. However, now owned by Railmark Holdings (a "railroad holding company"), YWRR sees light usage=industrial freight use (forest products and wood chips, propane).

Color semantics

About the (status) colors in the Name column

Green means that the route's TIGER data in OSM are fully reviewed. This strongly implies that all other relation attributes are correct, but this isn't always strictly true; see Notes column.

Yellow means "only partially reviewed" ; additional volunteer work is needed to enter or correct additional railway route data into OSM. Yellow may also mean a route has a volunteer entering data, yet route ambiguities persist about what is actually correct.

Red means that "something" (often very little) is known about the route, so it is useful to put a row in the table about it as a placeholder, but it likely may be too early to create a route relation: route data are unknown, incomplete or route attributes are significantly missing. Currently, no table entries here are red.

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