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Significant Rail Construction in North County and San Diego

A scheduled closure of the region’s coastal rail line will be in effect this weekend to allow SANDAG crews to work on rail and station improvements.

The rail closure will occur this weekend – from just after midnight on Saturday, April 13, through early morning on Monday, April 15. All rail service will be halted between Oceanside and Downtown San Diego during this time.

SANDAG will complete several improvements to rail projects that will double track rail service where there is currently one track. SANDAG is double-tracking the rail corridor to improve capacity and efficiency.

The rail closure will affect four rail services operating on the San Diego segment of the Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN) coastal rail corridor: North County Transit District (NCTD), Metrolink, Amtrak, and the freight carrier BNSF.

These types of closures, called absolute work windows (AWW), are routinely scheduled in advance to manage rail construction, complete critical work on the rail line, and ensure worker safety. The next AWW is tentatively scheduled to occur in October 2019.

Regular passenger rail service is scheduled to resume in time for the morning commute on Monday after both closures. Riders are encouraged to allow for more travel time as trains could be delayed in arriving at the destination.

Over the weekend the following work will be done:

In Carlsbad, as part of the Poinsettia Station Improvements Project, crews will construct the pedestrian undercrossing. Work will include the removal of a portion of the eastern track and Cast-in-Drilled-Hole (CIDH) pile installation, which will support the bridge and walls of the new undercrossing. Pedestrian access will be detoured around the construction site.

The $33.7 million project will lengthen and elevate passenger platforms, install a fence between the tracks within the station, relocate a section of the existing tracks, and replace the existing at-grade rail crossings with an undercrossing featuring stairways and ADA compliance ramps on both sides of the tracks. Additional station enhancements will include new shelters, signage, and updated lighting.

The Poinsettia Station Improvements Project is expected to be complete by 2020. View project map.

In San Diego, ongoing construction activities are planned throughout the Mid-Coast Corridor. Crews will install screen walls and foundations at the future Tecolote Station, perform track work, continue construction of the Balboa Bridge, construct the flyover structure in Rose Creek, install walls, and move overhead electrical transmission lines. Crews will also move and store track across different project areas.

This Mid-Coast Corridor Trolley Project is being constructed concurrently with the Elvira to Morena Double Track Project and is expected to be completed in late 2021. View the Mid-Coast Trolley project map.

The $192 million Elvira to Morena Double Track Project will add a 2.6-mile second main track from State Route 52 to just south of Balboa Avenue. This new track will connect to existing double track, resulting in 10.3 miles of continuous double track.

In San Diego, at the San Diego River Bridge near Friars Road, crews will work on a Navy fuel pipeline and continue to build the bridge.

The $93.9 million project involves the addition of a second main track across the river. The new 0.9-mile track will connect to existing double track at each end, resulting in a continuous 7-mile double track segment for the southernmost portion of the LOSSAN corridor. The project includes a new double track bridge, construction of associated site improvements, and signal modifications.

The San Diego River Bridge Project is expected to be complete by the end of this year. View the project map.

During construction, nearby residents and businesses can expect intermittent noise and lights.

For a schedule of alternate routes, visit GoNCTD.com, Amtrak.com, or MetrolinkTrains.com.