LOSSAN is looking at the feasibility of putting railroad siding along the coast in the Summerland area. The original proposal can be seen below in blue; the new proposed alignment can be seen in yellow.
LOSSAN is looking at the feasibility of putting railroad siding along the coast in the Summerland area. The original proposal can be seen below in blue; the new proposed alignment can be seen in yellow. Credit: Evelyn Spence / Noozhawk photo

A 1-mile section of railroad track could be built next to the existing line in the Summerland area to allow trains to pass each other, similar to a car turnout.

The Los Angeles – San Diego – San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN) Rail Corridor Agency is looking into putting train siding in that area to allow for increased passenger and freight service in Santa Barbara and SLO areas.

It’s still very early in the process, and staff presented updates to the LOSSAN board on Oct. 19 and to the community during a Zoom meeting on Oct. 12.

Old siding along the coast was previously removed due to bluff instability. 

The initial proposal would have heavily impacted trees in the area and put the roughly 1.1 miles of siding closer to Padaro Lane and on the ocean side of the railroad tracks. 

A nonprofit group, Friends of Padaro, had formed, concerned about the impacts of possibly removing hundreds of trees in that area to accommodate the project.

Staff said at the Oct. 19 LOSSAN board meeting that the initial proposal would have been “very challenging” to build and the cost would have been high, so they elected to look at adjusting that footprint and moving it westward to alleviate “substantial” tree impacts. 

The updated proposal reduces the length of the siding and moves it onto the north side of Highway 101 and more toward Summerland.

The siding would stretch roughly a mile along the coast, starting from the area near the Loon Point Beach parking.

This would reduce the impact on the trees, staff explained. 

David Berryman, capital program manager at LOSSAN, told the board that staff believes the new alignment shift is “viable.”  

Ideally, the goal is to keep the siding at least a mile long.

Staff must ensure that the shortened siding still works with Union Pacific trains.  

A preliminary cost estimate on the new alignment will be available after the feasibility study. The cost of the project should be lower with the new alignment since there would be less infrastructure to build, according to LOSSAN staff.

The Friends of Padaro are more supportive of the new proposal, according to a press release sent out this month. 

“We are encouraged by the new proposal and believe it would be a better project for everyone. Both the environmental and financial costs would be dramatically reduced, benefitting the public who love Padaro Lane as well as the rail agency,” said Valerie Hoffman, Friends of Padaro co-chair. 

The next update should be available in February, per LOSSAN staff. 

— Noozhawk South County editor Evelyn Spence can be reached at espence@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.