A scheduled North County Transit District rail closure between Solana Beach and Downtown San Diego this weekend will continue as planned in spite of predicted stormy weather, the transit agency announced Friday.
On both Saturday and Sunday, the rail line between the cities will be closed from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. as part of an absolute work window to support maintenance work within the railroad right-of-way of the San Dieguito River Bridge, near the Del Mar Fairgrounds.
Weekend Coaster service is currently suspended due to COVID-19 service reductions. However, the weekend closure will affect most Amtrak Pacific Surfliner trains. The rail suspension will apply to both passenger and freight trains, but will end in time for passenger rail service to resume in time for the weekday morning commute.
Kimy Wall, a representative for NCTD, said the rain will have no impact on the work scheduled this weekend.
The absolute work window provides construction crews the opportunity to work safely and in an efficient manner to complete improvements and maintenance work.
While no passenger or freight trains will operate south of Oceanside from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., other test trains, construction vehicles and equipment may be active along the railroad right-of-way and on the tracks throughout the weekend.
Local
Residents along the corridor should remain alert and the traveling public is reminded to only cross the tracks at lawfully designated rail crossings. In addition, residents in the Del Mar Fairgrounds area may experience loud noise from construction equipment and trucks throughout the weekend as well as during the overnight hours on Nov. 10-12.
During the weekend closure periods, the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner will operate normal service as far south as the Oceanside Transit Center. South of the Oceanside Transit Center, Amtrak service will operate as follows:
- Southbound trains 1584 and 796 will terminate (as usual) at Santa
Fe Depot; - Northbound trains 763 and 1767 will originate at Solana Beach
Coaster Station;
All other scheduled Amtrak Pacific Surfliner trains will originate and terminate at Oceanside Transit Center, with alternate transportation provided for those originating or terminating their travel south of Oceanside.
Connecting bus service will be provided to Pacific Surfliner passengers as needed to Oceanside Transit Center, Solana Beach Coaster Station and Santa Fe Depot. The Old Town station will not be served by the connecting bus service.
The Rail 2 Rail program will remain available for passengers on the above-referenced trains only. Rail 2 Rail passengers may purchase a Coaster Regional Day Pass from the Compass Cloud mobile app. Connecting bus service will not be included and requires an Amtrak ticket.
Replacement bus service connecting Coaster stations will not be available. Alternatives for some Coaster passengers may include Breeze Route 101 or Metropolitan Transit System connections.
Reduced weekday Coaster service will remain in effect when service returns on the following Monday
