Mendocino Railway Receives Federal CRISI Grant to Enhance Emissions Reduction and Rail Efficiency
Press release from Mendocino Railway:
mendocino railwayMendocino Railway receives a $14.8 million grant to replace three Tier 0 locomotives with three new Tier IV locomotives. The grant was made through the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvement (CRISI) Grant Program.
The CRISI Program, administered by the Federal Railroad Administration, funds projects that improve the safety, efficiency, and reliability of intercity passenger and freight rail. As a Class III common carrier railroad that offers freight rail services, Mendocino Railway is honored to have been awarded this grant, which will allow Mendocino Railway to further reduce the environmental impacts of its railroad operations. These new engines will run predominantly on the California Western Railroad, commonly called the “Skunk Train” out of Fort Bragg and Willits, in Northern California.
“Mendocino Railway is proud to stand alongside other Class II and Class III common carrier railroads in securing this vital funding to promote continued environmental sustainability,” said Robert Jason Pinoli, President of Mendocino Railway. “This project is a critical step in advancing our operations while allowing us to do even more to align with federal and state goals to reduce emissions in the transportation sector. Railroads are already among the most environmentally friendly ways to transport goods and services, accounting for less than 2% of total greenhouse gas emissions annually. Trains can move one ton of freight more than 500-miles on less than one gallon of diesel. This grant reaffirms our railroad’s commitment to even cleaner, and even more efficient, transportation of freight and passengers.”
Mendocino Railway’s sister company, Sierra Northern Railway, is the lowest emission railroad in America, operating a fleet of Tier III locomotives and building the first Zero Emission hydrogen fuel cell locomotive in the nation. In fact, the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association recently awarded Sierra Northern Railway its prestigious Environmental Award.
The new Tier-IV locomotives are projected to reduce fuel consumption by up to 47% and significantly reduce Mendocino Railway’s already low railroad emissions, directly supporting state and federal objectives to further reduce the carbon footprint of railroads. In addition to reducing emissions, the project will improve safety and operational efficiency by replacing nearly 70-year-old equipment.
The new Tier-IV locomotives will also assist Mendocino Railway in diverting more freight traffic from trucks to rail, which will help further reduce regional greenhouse gas emissions. By enhancing the capacity and efficiency of its freight operations, Mendocino Railway is positioning itself to meet the expressed demand for local freight services along its line.
Mendocino Railway extends its gratitude to the Biden-Harris administration, the Federal Railroad Administration, and the Southern California Air Quality Management District for their leadership and support. Mendocino Railway also thanks Crystal M. Zorbaugh and her colleagues at Mullins Law Group for their advocacy and commitment to this important project.
The CRISI Program is the only federal grant program that prioritizes smaller railroads. According to the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association, this round of funding involved a record $1.29 billion in grants being awarded to 81 short-line projects across 36 states.
Mendocino Railway’s California Western Railroad / Skunk Train is a Class III common carrier public utility railroad located in the redwood forests of Northern California’s Mendocino County. This heritage freight railroad, which has been operating since 1885, added passenger service after its founding, initially moved redwood logs from the rugged back country to Mendocino Coast sawmills, later transporting finished lumber out to the national railroad network. In 1925, the railroad became known as the “Skunk Train” and, since that time, has become a beloved institution touted as one of the “10 Best Rail Tours in the Country” (USA Today) and a “Top 10 Family Activity in California” (National Geographic Traveler). The Skunk Train’s journey covers the same 40-mile route that its freight trains use, crossing over some 30 bridges, all while retaining its original charm—minus the historic pungent aroma that once preceded the train’s arrival. Freight, passenger, and excursion trains operate year-round.
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>”… Mendocino Railway in diverting more freight traffic from trucks to rail…”
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This is a joke… yes ??
Not really. You can haul a lot more by rail than truck. And yes, throughout their line, freight gets moved. Lots of grapes, tomatoes, fuels (from diesel to recycled restaurant grease) and ag stuff gets moved around. Any sort of dry goods. Doesn’t have to be lumber all the time. The NWP line, for example where the SMART train also runs now goes all the way to Larkspur now. Mendo lines just tie them together. Beyond Willits however, there really isn’t anything that can justify rebuilding a line to Humboldt. We’d have to be the size of Santa Rosa to have enough freight customers. Better off keeping the bay dredged and move things that way, IMO.
Newsflash: Mendo Railway does not connect to the old NWP which has no open track north of Windsor – Mendo Railway doesn’t even connect Fort Bragg and Willits because of a tunnel collapse years ago.
All that said, the benefits of rail freight over trucks (efficiency, reduced GHG, fewer trucks on the road, economic development) easily justify repairing the tunnel and rehabbing the line from Windsor to Willits – the cost would be way less than $100 million – compare that to the high speed rail boondoggle which squandered 12 BILLION just on the “bridge to nowhere” for trains that may never run.
Mendocino Railway actually does connect to the old NWP track. While that NWP track is not in use, it is still considered part of the national rail network. It can only be removed from through a formal abandonment process, like what was done for the NWP track north of Willits. So far, no abandonment process has been started for the track to Willits.
Also, while that tunnel issue exists, do know that the 36 miles of track on the Willits side is in use.
The Skunk may be anticipating a major need for freight service between Willits and Irmulco. 😉
Wow – my tax dollars being used to subsidize the profits of a privately owned amusement ride masquerading as a public utility. Lets be honest, when you use taxpayer money to fund a private for profit business that charges people $50 plus dollars for a 3.5 mile ride out to your bar in the woods where you sell them liquor – you are a parasite not a public service. And people wonder why taxpayers are revolting in this country….geez
Welcome to northern California’s good ol boy system. It’s amazing what they spend our money on.
I don’t have a problem with it. Also, when was the last time you rode the Skunk? 1975? Been a few changes since.
Yeah you’re so right, things have changed. Back in 1975 the Skunk train was actually a business that paid its own way. Not now. Today it’s a booze and dope amusement ride that would go bankrupt if the federal government didn’t misuse tax payer money to prop it up. I see the latest manifestation of the train is to marketed itself as a “whiskey and mushroom train” ride. If you like the Skunk so much, you pay for it. It is offensive to waste tax payer dollars to support a private bar in the woods.
This grant is the first public money that I recall the Skunk Train will receive. It has paid its own way since Sierra reopened it in 2004.
I rode the whiskey and mushroom train that you mention. It was last Saturday. It was a great event with the proceeds going as a donation to MendoParks. So no public money used and all the ticket revenue going to a good cause.
While the trucking industry gets to use our publicly maintained highways, 90% of the railroads in the US are privately owned and privately maintained. So for the most part, your tax dollars subsidize the trucking industry, not the railroad industry.
Not only does society benefit from the cost of railroads being carried by private owners, they also have a clear environmental advantage over trucks. Nevertheless, California asked railroads to go further improve emission standards and this grant helps railroads achieve those goals.
Well Chris, some railroads may have “a clear environmental advantage over trucks,” but yours is an amusement ride and clearly doesn’t. And since you took over ownership of the Skunk it clearly hasn’t been maintained adequately at its own expense. Otherwise why did you need an $21 million federally subsidized loan for deferred maintenance. If you are a real railroad, why don’t you pay your own costs of doing business like any other successful private company would? All you have done is demand tax payer’s money for your amusement ride and this new $14 plus million gift of tax payer money is just the most recent proof. Please leave Mendocino county, we can’t afford your booze and dope trains any more.
Railroad maintenance is a long-term effort. Unfortunately, the condition of the railroad diminished before it ultimately went bankrupt and closed. Since we reopened the line we have invested over $30 million into the line. When we start using the loan, it will be to used partly to help with that catch up work but to also reopen the tunnel that was suffered from negligent operator error in 2015.
I think it is clear you don’t know much about businesses and railroads specifically if you think successful railroads don’t request loans. This RRIF Express loan is made specifically for railroads to do this very thing.
You may consider the grant a gift, but know that the project is to achieve lower emission standards requested by the State. When situations like this happen it is common for government to help businesses a bit with the task. Mendocino Railway is one of the most environmentally railroads in the industry and is helping pioneer this effort. You may be against these environmental goals but that is what the State has asked us to achieve.
We give free phones to drug attics billions in free money credit cards to illegal immigrants we pay for entire hotels to house them plane rides from south America and you pick one of the only nice things left on the north coast to complain about you are part of the problem have a nice post election afternoon
Is the Skunk Train taking people for a ride?
No, but the Mendocino Railway sure is taking people for a ride, by wasting money.
You may not worry about the environment, but Governor Newsome made emissions a priority that railroads need adhere. Mendocino Railway is working to achieve those goals.
Is there any possibility of this railroad being repaired so a real train can go from Fort Bragg to Willits? What is the status of the tunnel repair? Ive seen the track in a few places and it looks to be in very bad shape with most ties rotten. Likely bridges are in bad shape and need replacing as well. I`m guessing several hundred million dollars for this project.
If the railroad were repaired, to what does it connect? Is the old NWP line to Willits ever going to be repaired/rebuilt so it can be used?
Is this whole thing simply a scam to get public money as well as steal through condemnation valuable property along the right of way?
By the way, Im a big fan of trains & railroads.
I suspect the reality is people were tired of the heavy exhaust from the old engines. The “tier” designation refers to that. Since the state can’t just shut them down, they probably figured money to reduce emissions was the next best thing. The skunk folks just spun this the way businesses do.
And, no, nobody’s throwing the kind of money at this that would be required to make the rail safe or efficient, and there’s no reason to ship lumber between Ft. Bragg & Willits.
I watched a solo engine tip over, while going about 2mph, in Willits a few years ago. That’s how rotten the ties & ballast are.
>”I suspect the reality is people were tired of the heavy exhaust from the old engines.”
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CARB at work.
Ed, Mendocino Railway uses 39 of 40 miles of its line. Like most old railroads, the line could use improvement but it isn’t as bad as you make it out.
The former NWP line between Cloverdale to Willits has been out of service for 2 decades and needs significantly more work to get it back in service. Mendocino is trying to see this happen but they face trail advocates that want to bury the line, and have rebuffed the railroads request to have a trail & rail approach.
Since the lumber/pulp/particle board industry went ‘toes up’… there is not much to export or import.
Could be lots of gravel exports. Good gravel obtained by taking the depth of the river beds back to say…1890… but the greenies won’t allow that.
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Bummer.
The City of FB and Coastal Commission have led a coalition blocking the tunnel project, which would have been concluded in 2022 had they not been fighting it.
After several contentious years, the railroad finally secured the loan in January. The CC then filed for action to delay the project until May. By then the railroad lost the summer ’24 work window. The loan is now approved again, but any major work would get done until ’25.