The Santa Rosa Press-Democrat reports that on Thursday the California Transportation Commission released an additional $13.6 million to the North Coast Railroad Authority. The money will be used to fund repairs in Sonoma and Marin counties. According to the P-D, the NCRA says the money is enough to open a 60-mile stretch of the south end in the next few months.

The P-D further reports that the railroad authority believes that it can get to Willits by fall 2008, and that it has no "firm timeline" for getting past the treacherous Eel River Canyon to Humboldt Bay.

Meanwhile, the monster lawsuit filed against the NCRA by the City of Novato, the County of Marin and several HumCo and MarinCo environmental organizations, is now scheduled to go to trial on Jan. 8.

UPDATE: Major egg on face. See comment below. The CTC was on the NCRA agenda Thursday, but I ended up with the wrong Thursday. Let me make some calls.