PLACE STORY · SANTA PAULA
The Santa Paula Branch Line Trail: what is built, what is funded, what is not
Ventura County bought a railroad line in 1995 so people could someday ride bikes next to it. The plan is still not finished. 🚲🍊
Honest status check on the Santa Paula Branch Line Trail.
What Already Exists
- 32 miles of railroad right-of-way from Montalvo in Ventura east to Piru — 29 miles of it still has serviceable track
- VCTC bought the line in 1995. First trail master plan adopted in 2000. Trail segments already built in Santa Paula, Fillmore and Piru
What Is Being Planned Now
- 27 miles of improvements, including more than 20 miles of brand-new bike and pedestrian trail from Saticoy to Piru
- "Rails with trails" — alongside the track, not instead of it. Sierra Northern Railway still runs freight, film shoots and excursion trains on this line under a 35-year lease signed in 2021
- Final Master Plan and Final EIR are scheduled for August–November 2026
What Is Actually Funded
- Ventura's 4-mile Montalvo-to-Saticoy segment: in design, construction money secured
- Santa Paula's 2.5-mile extension: in design, still looking for construction funds
- Everything else: planning stage. No construction date yet.
E-bikes are expected to be allowed. And protecting the surrounding farmland is built into the design — VCTC is forming an Agricultural Working Group with growers along the corridor.
Sources
- Ventura County Transportation Commission, Santa Paula Branch Line Trail Master Plan Update, goventura.org,
Accessed and verified 2026-08-21.
