North County Transit Begins Maintenance Along Sprinter Line

The North County Transit District announced Wednesday it has started track maintenance along the Sprinter line, making use of the time now that the trains are sidelined by brake problems.

Repairs will be made on the rails between the Crouch Street and Rancho del Oro stations, between the Melrose Station and North Avenue, and between the stations at Cal State San Marcos and the San Marcos Civic Center.

Work will take place from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays through March 29 and involve some construction noise, according to the NCTD.

Freight rail service will run on a normal schedule, according to the agency.

Sprinter service was suspended for up to four months on March 9 after accelerated wear patterns were discovered on rotors in the central disc braking system for its train cars. The shutdown, which started on the day the NCTD was to celebrate the train line's fifth anniversary, will allow the agency, Bombardier and Veolia to make repairs.

Alternative bus service is running along the Sprinter route between Oceanside and Escondido during the shutdown.

-City News Service