OCEANSIDE–The San Diego coastal rail corridor will experience three major weekend closures in January. Due to infrastructure improvements, there will be no Coaster or Amtrak Pacific Surfliner service in San Diego County on January 14 to 15, 21 to 22, and 28 to 29.
Additionally, passengers should be aware that Amtrak 796 and 592 (both Rail-2-Rail), which are scheduled to depart Oceanside on the Friday nights preceding each weekend at 10:19 p.m. and 11:57 p.m., will not proceed further south.
These closures are chosen to have the least impact on customers and are part of ongoing infrastructure improvements to the coastal rail corridor. These improvements include Los Peñasquitos Bridges, Mid-Coast Trolley, Elvira to Morena Double Track, and Oceanside Transit Center projects, as well as work at Palm Avenue, and Torrey Pines.
Amtrak and Metrolink will continue rail service to and from Oceanside Transit Center (north of the station) on January 14-15 and 21-22, but will only provide connecting bus service to that station on January 28-29.
There will not be replacement bus service connecting Coaster stations. Alternatives for some Coaster passengers may include Breeze Route 101 or MTS connections. Amtrak connecting bus service will require Amtrak reservations.
Coastal rail service will re-open for regularly scheduled service in time for the Monday morning commute after each weekend. Passengers should note that trains may be delayed up to fifteen minutes on each Monday.
While no passenger rail service will be available during these closures, other vehicles and equipment will operate along the railroad right-of-way and on the rail at non-specified times. Residents along the corridor should remain alert at legal crossings, and not trespass on the railroad right-of-way.
Customers are urged to plan ahead and make alternative travel arrangements. For trip planning assistance, customers can contact NCTD Customer Service at (760) 966-6500, or visit GoNCTD.com.
