PUC Halts Napa Valley Wine Train

The state Public Utilities Commission applied the brakes Friday to the proposed Napa Valley Wine Train, ordering operators to prepare an environmental review before beginning passenger service on the 21.3-mile tourist line.

The PUC’s 4-0 vote to assert jurisdiction over the Napa-to-St. Helena project was supported by city and county governments and the Napa Valley Vintners Assn. but opposed by the train’s owners, who plan a legal battle.

“We think it’s clearly wrong on a couple of grounds,” said Victor Ryerson, a lawyer for the Wine Train.

He said the proper regulatory agency is the federal Interstate Commerce Commission, not the state PUC, because the Wine Train acquired the right-of-way from Southern Pacific, an interstate railroad. Also, Ryerson said, even if the PUC has authority over the project, California law exempts railroads from state environmental reviews.

But the PUC said it could exercise its authority over the train as an in-state line because Southern Pacific abandoned passenger service on the line 60 years ago and freight service three years ago.

“Because the Wine Train proposes to transport half a million passengers annually over a line not used for passenger service for several decades through a Napa Valley much changed from the Napa Valley of 60 years ago, the potential environmental impacts due to increased volume of traffic and the effect of that on noise, air quality and traffic congestion needs to be addressed,” the commission said in a statement.

The project is opposed by the cities of St. Helena, Napa and Yountville, and by Napa County.

The train, powered by steam and diesel locomotives, is to make eight round-trips daily through the Napa Valley, hauling 80-foot cars.