Pajaro/Watsonville station

Pajaro/Watsonville is a proposed train station on Caltrain and Amtrak California's Capitol Corridor trains to serve both Pajaro and Watsonville, California. The station is expected to open after track improvements in the area and service commences to Salinas.[1][2][3] It will be located in Watsonville Junction near the corner of Salinas Road and Lewis Road,[4] adjacent to the former Southern Pacific Railroad depot and current Union Pacific Railroad office.

Pajaro/Watsonville
LocationPajaro, California
Coordinates36.8914°N 121.7470°W / 36.8914; -121.7470
Line(s)UP Coast Subdivision
Other information
StatusIn planning
History
Opened1871 (SP)
Closed1971
Rebuilt1949
Previous namesPajaro
Watsonville Junction
Original companySouthern Pacific
Former services
Preceding station Southern Pacific Railroad Following station
Gilroy
toward San Francisco
 Coast Line Castroville
toward Los Angeles
Future services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Gilroy
toward Auburn
 Capitol Corridor Castroville
toward Salinas
Preceding station Caltrain Following station
Gilroy
toward San Francisco
 Limited Castroville
toward Salinas
Local

History

The Southern Pacific Railroad was built out to Pajaro by November 26, 1871.[5] The railroad changed the name to Watsonville Junction in 1913 to aide travelers unfamiliar with Spanish pronunciation.[6] A new station building was constructed in 1949.[7]

The overnight passenger train The Lark stopped at Watsonville Junction between 1941 and 1968. The Del Monte served the old station until service was discontinued on April 30, 1971, the day before Amtrak took over intercity passenger train service in the United States. The 1949-built depot was demolished in 2011.[7]

References
  1. Johnson, Jim (3 August 2018). "Salinas rail extension project set for groundbreaking ceremony". Monterey Herald. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  2. Johnson, Jim (9 May 2018). "Salinas commuter rail extension project gets $10 million SB 1 gas tax grant". Monterey Herald. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
  3. "TAMC Selects LAN as Part of Construction Management Team for Salinas Rail Extension". Mass Transit. 3 January 2018. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  4. "Pajaro/Watsonville Station Fact Sheet" (PDF). Transportation Agency for Monterey County. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  5. "History of Rail Transportation in Santa Cruz County" (PDF). Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  6. Gudde, Erwin Gustav (1969). California Place Names: A Geographical Dictionary. University of California Press.
  7. Jones, Donna (1 February 2011). "Tracks of history: Railroad represented "a lifeline" to Pajaro Valley". Santa Cruz Sentinel. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
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