The City of Ventura's Santa Paula Branch Line Trail

Phase 3 Public Meetings 5 & 6 are tentatively scheduled for April 29, 2025 (Virtual) and May 8, 2025 (In-Person). Please visit 'Public Outreach' to review the results from our most recent engagement, and join our project notification list to receive more information as it becomes available by clicking the 'Stay in Touch' tab above or scrolling to the bottom of this webpage.

April 29, 2025, 6:00 PM - Virtual via Zoom, click the button below to register.

May 8, 2025, 6:00 PM - Junipero Serra Elementary ( 8880 Halifax St, Ventura, CA )

The City of Ventura’s Santa Paula Branch Line Rails to Trails Project will provide a 4-mile Class I trail, a direct route for residents of Saticoy, Montalvo, and Cabrillo Village for bike and pedestrian access. Project benefits include increasing safety and mobility for non-motorized users to reduce vehicle miles traveled, advance greenhouse gas reduction goals, and enhance public health.

Funded through Caltran’s ATP Cycle 6, this project will design and construct a new 4-mile multi-use bicycle and pedestrian trail to provide an east-west bicycle and pedestrian route from the unincorporated Saticoy area in Ventura County to the East Ventura Metrolink Station. Additionally, this project will include a connection to existing north-south paths, such as the Harmon Barranca path, further enhancing accessibility and connectivity for residents and commuters in the City. The new trail will feature a dedicated Class I bicycle and pedestrian facility with new and improved community connections as well as trees, solar lighting, respite stations, trash receptacles, park and ride facilities and more to provide a safer route of travel for all active transportation users.     The new direct bike and pedestrian access for the residents of the Saticoy, Cabrillo Village, Northbank, and Montalvo neighborhoods will provide safe linkages to area schools, jobs, and grocery stores. The direct connection to Montalvo’s Metrolink Station will increase multimodal access to jobs and create community benefit far beyond Ventura’s local region.  Expected benefits for this project include: (1) increased number of walking and bicycling trips, (2) increased safety and mobility, (3) reduced greenhouse gas generation and vehicle miles traveled, (4) enhanced public health, and (5) enhanced active transportation benefits for the area’s disadvantaged communities.

• Area Council Meetings: Montalvo Community Council, East End Community Council, and Saticoy MAC
• Special Community-Benefit Stakeholder Group, Meeting 1
• General Public Meeting #1, May 15th, 2024 held Virtually
• General Public Meeting #2, May 21st, 2024 held at the Jose Flores Community Center in Saticoy

• General Public Meeting #3 (Virtual) was held on Wednesday, September 26th at 6PM via Zoom. Recording and presentation materials can be found in the 'Document Library' below.
• General Public Meeting #4 (In-Person was held on Tuesday, October 1st at 6PM at Montalvo Elementary. Recording and presentation materials can be found in the 'Document Library' below.
• The Phase 2 Project Survey was available from September 26th to October 20th, 2024.

Area Council Meeting Presentations:

• East Ventura updates were provided at the East End Community Council on October 17th, 2024 and February 20th, 2025. The February meeting focused on a trail alignment change from north of the tracks to the south. The presentation can be viewed here:  https://www.cityofventura.ca.gov/DocumentCenter/View/43598/2025-02-20_SPBL-EVCC-Update 
• An update to the Montalvo Community Council was held on Tuesday, November 19th, 2024. The meeting recording is available via their YouTube channel:  https://youtube.com/watch?v=33R5VbGT6Qk%3Fsi%3DnsjB5TGqEOsnCXOX 
• An update to the Saticoy MAC was held during their regular meeting on January 6th, 2025.
• We returned to the Saticoy MAC on March 3, 2025 and provided an additional project update for the Saticoy Area improvements.

Public Meetings

• A Parks and Recreation Commission update was held on November 13th at 4PM at City Hall, 501 Poli St., Ventura 93001 in the Santa Cruz Room (2nd Floor).
• Special presentation to City Council, April 22nd, 2025
• General Public Meeting #5, May 2025; Date and Location TBD
• General Public Meeting #6, May 2025; Date and Location TBD

1. Where is the project located?  

• The 4-mile trail will follow the existing Santa Paula Branch Line connecting Montalvo’s Metrolink Station to the Saticoy Train Depot.  

• The new 4-mile dedicated pedestrian and cyclist trail (Class IV) will include new community connections by safe crossings over the rail line, bike/pedestrian bridges, park and ride facilities, a traffic signal, lighting, rest facilities, seating, water bottle fill stations, trash receptacles, trees, exercise stations, trail and wayfinding signage, and more!   

• The trail was first identified in 2000 by the Ventura County Transportation Commission in a trail masterplan to convert all 32miles of the Santa Paula Branch Line to a ‘Rails with Trails’ project. In 2022, as a priority project of the City of Ventura’s Active Transportation Plan, the Ventura portion of the trail was selected for a Caltrans ATP 6 Grant Application to fund the project.  

• The Santa Paula Branch Line refers to the 30-mile railroad line that reaches from Piru to Montalvo owned by the Ventura County Transportation Commission. In the 1990’s VCTC created a masterplan to add trails alongside all 30 miles of the rail line. Several of the trail portions have already been built including sections in Santa Paula, Fillmore, and Piru.    

• The City has hired specialty engineers and consultants to design the trail with various regulatory agencies that will comply with stringent policies for public safety. Trail design will include safety barriers such as fencing, signage, and ample spacing to protect trail users from the operational rail line.    

• Yes, this is an active rail line operated by Sierra Northern Railway and Metrolink. Although the rail line has relatively low use, it is permitted to be used for freight, film service, tourist, and excursion service as part of a 30-year lease made in 2023 between Sierra Northern/sister company Mendocino Rail and the owner the Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC). Sierra Northern operates and maintains the railroad tracks and right-of-way and provides freight and film service. Tourist and excursion service are provided through the cooperation of sister company Mendocino Railway. The initial Agreement is for a 35-year term with two 30-year extension options. 

• This project is funded through Caltrans Active Transportation Program (ATP) Cycle 6. The grant award is funding all design and construction and requires no City matching funds.  

• We have several upcoming opportunities to attend public meetings in-person or online, fill out online surveys, and provide general project input. Please visit our project website at cityofventura.ca.gov/SPBL for more information on the upcoming events, submit questions, and to sign up for our project newsletters.   

• The project is currently in the design process with three phases planned; Early Design (March – June 2024); Mid-Design (Fall 2024); and Final Design (Winter 2024 – Early 2025).  After Ventura City Council approves the project, it will move to project construction expected to be completed by the end of 2026.   

• The rail trail is estimated to open by the end of 2026.  

• This is the first practical opportunity to link West and East Ventura through a safe active transportation network. The trail will help provide non-motorized safe access to jobs, schools, fresh food, and healthcare via a safe route of travel that is part of a larger, proposed network to walk or ride from Ventura’s East End to the beach.  

• Project benefits include increasing safety and mobility for non-motorized users to reduce vehicle miles traveled, advance greenhouse gas reduction goals, and enhance public health. 

• As part of the City’s commitment to transportation equity, the trail will help fulfill the ATP goal of connecting all residents to safe, non-motorized routes of transportation to work, school, fresh food, parks, healthcare, and more. It will also help fill a critical gap in getting residents from the East End of Ventura to one of our best destinations : our beaches!  Generally, there are many benefits to using alternative transportation like greenhouse gas reduction, and lessening dependency on fossil fuels.   

• Yes, the Rail Trail will help connect residents to many transportation options like existing bicycle networks, bus transit, safe routes to school projects, the Montalvo Metrolink Station and many future biking and walking improvements included in the recently completed Ventura Active Transportation Plan. You can learn more about the plan and future trail transportation connections by visiting:

• City project efforts began in Fall of 2023 with design to conclude in mid 2025. Project Construction will take place between late summer of 2025 and will conclude by the end of 2026.

VCTC Trespass Policy for the Santa Paula Branch Line (2021)

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