The district may exercise the right of eminent domain to take any property necessary or convenient to the exercise of the powers granted in this act. The district, in exercising such power shall, in addition to the damage for the taking, injury, or destruction of property, also pay the cost of removal, reconstruction, or relocation of any structure, railways, mains, pipes, conduits, cables, or poles of any public utility which is required to be moved to a new location.
No such taking or acquisition by the district which would involve the abandonment, removal, relocation or use of the property of a railroad corporation, as defined in Section 230 of this code, shall be permitted, unless the Public Utilities Commission, after hearing, shall find and determine that the public interest and necessity require the abandonment, removal, relocation or use of such property and that such taking or acquisition will not unreasonably impair the ability of the railroad corporation involved to provide safe, adequate, economical and efficient service.
(Amended by Stats. 1975, Ch. 1176.)