The 114-year-old Santa Maria Valley Railroad (SMVRR) is entering a new chapter. In a move slated to help grow traffic and improve infrastructure and customer service, the joint venture (JV) of OmniTrax, The Broe Group’s rail and real estate affiliate, and Coast Belle Rail Corporation will own and operate the short line, located between Los Angeles and San Francisco, Calif.
Denver, Colo.-based OmniTrax on March 12 reported entering the partnership with Coast Belle Rail Corporation, which has run the 14.7-mile SMVRR since 2006. The short line serves Central Coast Valley commercial and agricultural customers and interchanges with Union Pacific at Guadalupe (see map below). It offers numerous sidings and spurs that “support future growth capacity,” OmniTrax noted, as well as transload facilities at the Osburn Rail Yard in Santa Maria.
The addition of SMVRR brings OmniTrax’s short line portfolio to 29 railroads, serving ports and industrial parks across the country. In 2024, the company was selected as the exclusive rail operator at Ports of Indiana-Mount Vernon and began providing switching, sorting and other services via their 8.2-mile Mount Vernon Railroad. It also acquired Central Arizona Commerce Park’s rail infrastructure and remaining park acreage.
“The Santa Maria Railroad plays a critical role in California’s supply chains and this acquisition is another key step in the expansion of the OmniTRAX Rail Network,” OmniTRAX Executive Vice President Nathan Brown said. “Our agreement with Coast Belle Rail Corporation marks our first rail joint venture acquisition. As a multi-generational, privately held company, OmniTRAX has the capacity to create deal structures like this that can preserve the benefits of local involvement and knowledge.”
“The Santa Maria Railroad has been vital to the valley for decades and this new partnership adds the resources, relationships, and real estate development capacities to ensure that this century old railroad continues to serve Californians for generations to come,” SMVRR President Rob Himoto said. “Our shared cultural values with The Broe Group’s multi-generational ownership are not only the basis of a strong partnership, they are a fitting tribute to the dedicated families that have built the Santa Maria Railroad’s wonderful legacy of service.”
In a related development, Pittsburg, Kans.-based Watco Railroad Company Holdings, Inc. recently reported plans to acquire Great Lakes Central Railroad; it has been an equity investor in the GLC since 2013.
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