Historic partnership with OmniTRAX enshrines local railroad’s legacy of family-owned operations

Santa Maria, Calif. – June 12, 2025 – OmniTRAX, The Broe Group’s infrastructure affiliate, and one of North America’s fastest growing privately held rail management companies, has begun operations of Santa Maria Valley Railroad, the 29th rail operation in the OmniTRAX national rail network. The new era of ownership marks a historic joint venture partnership with Coast Belle Rail Corporation. Coast Belle Rail Corporation has been the local owner of the 114-year-old Santa Maria Railroad for the past two decades.

“This joint venture brings our companies’ collective strengths together to serve the community,” said OmniTRAX Co-CEO Dean Piacente. “By combining Coast Belle’s local passion with the national reach of OmniTRAX, we can bring new customers to the line and new jobs to the Central Coast.”

Located between Los Angeles and San Francisco, the historic California railroad provides the Central Coast commercial and agricultural customers a vital freight connection to coastal ports and the North American Rail Freight Network. The railroad’s system consists of 14.7 miles of main line track interchanging with the Union Pacific Railroad in Guadalupe that serves commercial and commodity customers in the Santa Maria Valley.

“Today marks the fulfillment of a very personal commitment to our community, my family, and the legacy of the Santa Maria Valley Railroad,’ said Santa Maria Valley Railroad President Rob Himoto. “To keep pace with California’s dynamic growth, we sought a partner with the resources to grow with us and the cultural values that align with the spirit of the line. In the Broe family’s OmniTRAX, we found both. This is an exciting day for the Santa Maria Valley Railroad as we write a new chapter of shared ownership in the storied history of families entrusted with the railroad’s legacy of service.”

With last month’s addition of Port Muskogee Railroad, OmniTRAX operates 30 railroads, serving ports and industrial parks across the country. By combining rail and real estate expertise, OmniTRAX continues to power major industrial hubs spanning from California to Georgia. As the largest private, family-owned short line holding company in North America, OmniTRAX has cultivated a reputation as a trusted growth partner for a diverse clientele of industry leaders and innovators.