NCTD Announces Weekend Coastal Rail Closure

OCEANSIDE, CA — The San Diego coastal rail corridor will experience a major closure the weekend of Sept. 10- 11, the North County Transit District announced Friday. There will be no COASTER or Amtrak service during the closure, which is due to infrastructure improvements.

During the closure, NCTD will replace track, as well as install new culvert crossings, and shore a bridge as part of the Mid-Coast Corridor Project.

NCTD said passengers should be aware of the following:

• Amtrak 796, which is scheduled to depart Oceanside at 11:57 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 9, will not proceed further south.
• The special northbound Padres COASTER 699 train on Friday, Sept. 9, will run as planned.
• The special northbound Padres COASTER 699 trains on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 10-11, will be canceled.

During the closure, Amtrak will continue service to and from the Oceanside Transit Center, but will not operate south of the station. Metrolink will also continue service to and from the Oceanside Transit Center.

There will be no 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 morning commute on Monday, Sept. 12, but passengers should note that trains may be delayed up to 10 minutes that Monday.

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.

The closure is the first of four upcoming weekend closures on the corridor. The other three will occur on consecutive weekends in October (8-9, 15-16, and 22-23).

Image via North County Transit District