Members of the santa cruz county regional transportation commission have unanimously selected iowa pacific to operate the rail line from davenport to Watsonville. Union pacific had been lined up to partner with the county, to run a passenger train along the central coast. That deal fell through, leaving the purchase of the rail line in jeopardy. The agreement with Chicago-based iowa pacific clears the way to finalize the purchase of the 14-point-2 million dollar rail. The deal still must be approved by federal regulators. Limited Passenger trains could be running as soon as winter.
