San Diego, California: Pacific Surfliner Trains Stop All Weekend as Coastal Rail Work Closes the Line

Anyone planning to ride the train along the Southern California coast this weekend needs another way to get there. No Pacific Surfliner trains will run anywhere between San Luis Obispo and San Diego on Saturday, November 7 and Sunday, November 8, as several agencies carry out construction and maintenance work at the same time along the LOSSAN rail corridor.

Amtrak and Pacific Surfliner confirmed the full closure in a service notice issued on November 4, covering service adjustments from November 5 to November 9. On the weekend itself, every Surfliner train is canceled and no alternate transport is provided. Amtrak Connection buses will keep running on their normal schedules, but the train connections those buses usually meet will not be available.

Friday changes come first

The disruption starts on Friday, November 6. Southbound Train 794, which runs from Goleta to San Diego, will end at Los Angeles, and Bus 3594 will carry passengers onward between Los Angeles and San Diego, making all stops except San Juan Capistrano. Northbound Train 595, from San Diego to Los Angeles, is canceled, with Bus 5811 listed as alternate transportation.

COASTER and Metrolink stop too

The closure reaches beyond Amtrak. The COASTER commuter service between Oceanside and the city of San Diego is also suspended for the weekend, the North County Transit District said. No passenger or freight trains will operate in NCTD territory during the closure, although test trains, construction vehicles and equipment will be active along the tracks. Regular COASTER service resumes on the morning of Monday, November 9.

Metrolink will suspend its Ventura County Line, Orange County Line and Inland Empire Orange County Line for the weekend, again with no alternate transport offered. Regular services across the corridor are expected to resume on Monday, November 9.

Three projects in San Diego County

In San Diego County, the North County Transit District has assigned three projects to the weekend work window. The first is Phase 5 of the Del Mar Bluffs Stabilization work, which protects the tracks against bluff erosion near Del Mar. The second is the Batiquitos Lagoon Double Track project between Carlsbad and Encinitas, which replaces a wooden trestle dating from the 1940s with a modern concrete bridge and adds a second track. The third is Phase 2 of the double track work between San Onofre and Pulgas.

The weekend is part of a larger program to renew a busy coastal railroad that carries more than 350 miles of service. Agencies say the projects will add capacity, allow passenger trains to pass slower freight trains, protect the line against bluff erosion and improve reliability for riders who depend on the corridor every day.

Riders who had booked Surfliner, COASTER or Metrolink trips for Saturday or Sunday should check the Pacific Surfliner, GoNCTD and Metrolink service alerts before traveling and arrange another way to make the trip.