Home » The Port at Work » Ventura County Railway

The Ventura County Railway Company, LLC (VCY) owns railway lines used
for among other things the transport of port customers goods to and from
the harbor facilities and other private facilities to the main line railway
in downtown Oxnard. In 2003 the Oxnard Harbor District acquired 100% of the
membership of the Railway LLC. The Ventura County Railway traces its history
and construction back to January 1902 when the Bakersfield and Ventura Railway
was formed in Fillmore, California. The railway proposed building a track from
the Southern Pacific Railroads "Brownstone Spur" in Fillmore,
along Grand Avenue to Sespe Canyon's entrance at Devil's Gate near Bakersfield.
Building a route from Oxnard (Ventura County) for the 84 miles to Bakersfield
would be a significant feat across very mountainous terrain. Plans were
put into play but little progress was actually made. When the railway finally
opened for traffic on July 4, 1905 at Port Hueneme, the railroad only reached
Oxnard. Finally in 1911 it was clear the railway would never reach Bakersfield.
The Bakersfield & Ventura Railway dropped "Bakersfield" from its
name and was renamed the Ventura County Railway.
The Ventura County Railroad (VCRR) is a subsidiary short-line railroad
that is part of RailAmericas Sunset Division. RailAmerica began operating
on the Ventura County Railway in 1998. The VCRR currently extends for just
over twelve miles on four branches and plays a significant role in the transport
of freight and goods serving the industrial areas of south Oxnard, the Port
of Hueneme, and Naval Base Ventura County Port Hueneme Division. It connects
with the Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) Coast Main Line in downtown Oxnard. Both
the UPRR and VCRR alignments have potential for adding passenger service as
well as increasing freight use.
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