Rail Closure From O-side To SD Begins This Weekend: Construction

NORTH COUNTY, CA — Full railway closure from Oceanside to San Diego begins this weekend and runs through early Monday as construction activities along passenger and freight lines get underway for the Del Mar Bluffs Stabilization project and the Mid-Coast Trolley project, according to officials.

Closures will begin after midnight Saturday, Oct. 3 and run through early Monday, Oct. 5, said the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG). Regular passenger rail service is scheduled to resume by 5 a.m. Monday, but riders should leave extra travel time as trains could be delayed.

This closure affects four rail services operating on the San Diego segment of the Los Angeles–San Diego–San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN) Rail Corridor: North County Transit District; Metrolink; Amtrak; and freight carrier BNSF, the agency said.

Scheduled work during the closure will include ... in Del Mar, stabilization work on the bluffs:

"Crews will drill, install tieback anchors along previously placed support columns, and pour concrete to secure the support columns into the upper bluffs near 12th Street. Crews will also drill, place columns, and pour concrete to install support columns along the upper bluffs north of Torrey Pines State Beach," SANDAG said.

"Del Mar Bluffs Stabilization 4 will repair drainage infrastructure and stabilize portions of the 1.6 miles of coastal bluffs in the City of Del Mar. Project completion is anticipated by fall 2020. In San Diego, ongoing construction activities are planned throughout the Mid-Coast corridor."

The Mid-Coast Trolley project:

"Crews will make minor improvements to the surface of the Trolley bridge and conduct site walkthroughs," SANDAG said. "The Mid-Coast Trolley project will extend UC San Diego Blue Line Trolley service from the Santa Fe Depot in Downtown San Diego north to the University area and is anticipated to be complete by late 2021. View the project map. During all construction, nearby residents and businesses can expect intermittent noise and lights."

For alternative train-route schedules, visit GoNCTD, Amtrak or MetrolinkTrains.

As public-works projects are considered essential, active construction projects are continuing during the pandemic, officials said.

"Be assured that construction workers are following precautionary health measures and that we continue to monitor developments and follow all health guidance and orders," SANDAG added.

SANDAG is the San Diego region’s primary public planning, transportation and research agency, and is governed by a board of directors composed of mayors, council members and supervisors from each of the 18 cities and the county government.

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