OCEANSIDE–A full rail closure will be in effect this weekend to accommodate scheduled work along the passenger and freight rail line from Oceanside to San Diego.
The scheduled closure will occur just after midnight on Saturday, February 1, through early morning on Monday, February 3.
To improve capacity and efficiency, SANDAG will complete several projects to double track rail service where there is currently one track. During the rail closure, construction activities also are planned for the Mid-Coast Trolley project, which will extend UC San Diego Blue Line Trolley service from the Santa Fe Depot in Downtown San Diego north to the University community.
The upcoming full rail closure, called an absolute work window (AWW), is a routinely scheduled closure to advance rail construction and ensure worker safety.
The rail closure will affect four rail services operating on the San Diego segment of the Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN) coastal rail corridor: North County Transit District (NCTD), Metrolink, Amtrak, and the freight carrier BNSF.
Regular passenger rail service is scheduled to resume at 5 a.m. for the morning commute on Monday, February 3. Riders are encouraged to allow for more travel time as trains could be delayed in arriving at the destination.
The following work will be done during the closure:
In San Diego, ongoing construction activities are planned throughout the Mid-Coast corridor. As part of the Mid-Coast Trolley project, crews will construct retaining walls, identify the location for underground utilities, remove temporary asphalt track crossings and construct permanent track crossings, remove bridge walkway overhangs, install fencing, cable railing, track, communication and signal conduits, and perform landscaping in select areas.
The Mid-Coast Trolley project is anticipated to be complete by late 2021. View the project map.
At the San Diego River Bridge near Friars Road, crews will continue ongoing bridge and track construction activities. These improvements will add 0.9 miles of double track across the river connecting to existing double track at each end. The work will result in a continuous 7-mile double track segment in the southernmost portion of the LOSSAN corridor. The project also includes a new double track bridge and signal modifications.
The San Diego River Bridge project is anticipated to be complete in 2020. View the project map.
In Carlsbad, as part of the Poinsettia Station Improvements project, crews will sawcut and install trench drainage infrastructure at the new station undercrossing. During this AWW, the station undercrossing will be inaccessible to the general public and pedestrians will be detoured around the construction site.
The Poinsettia Station Improvements project is anticipated to be complete in early 2020. View the project map.
During all construction, nearby residents and businesses can expect intermittent noise and lights.
Visit GoNCTD.com, Amtrak.com, or MetrolinkTrains.com for alternate route schedules.
