Railroad Salvage Project Planned

Officials from the Ventura County Transportation Commission plan to solicit bids for a salvage project along the Ventura Branch Line railroad recently sold by Southern Pacific Transportation Co.

Contractors plan to remove the railroad ties and signals along the Ventura Branch Line, which runs from Foster Park to the Ventura County Fairgrounds.

Much of that material can be used on the Santa Paula Branch Line, a 30-mile railway corridor purchased from Southern Pacific late last year.

“Such an arrangement would reduce future maintenance and capital improvement costs for the Santa Paula Branch,” transportation planner Christopher Stevens told the commission in his report.

Although the city of Ventura now owns the Ventura Branch Line, city officials agreed to allow the commission to pursue the salvage work so it can keep some of the materials for use on the Santa Paula Branch Line.

The commission hopes to improve the railroad system between Fillmore and Ventura to increase tourism and provide recreational opportunities to area residents.

Ventura officials plan to construct a bike and horse trail along the Ventura Beach corridor to connect the Ojai Valley Trail to the Ventura Beach Bike Trail.

Transportation Commission officials said preliminary indications are that a contractor would do the work at no cost, primarily because the salvage firm could keep leftover material that would be of no use to the commission.

The commission plans to begin seeking bids within a few weeks from potential contractors for the salvage project.