NCTD Coaster
Vorlage:Railroad The San Diego Coaster, or Coaster, is a commuter rail service administered by North County Transit District of San Diego County, California and operated by Amtrak. It services central and northern San Diego County, with 8 regular stops. Its northern-most station is in Oceanside, at Tremont Street (near Mission and Coast Highway.) Its southern terminus lies in downtown San Diego, at Kettner and Broadway. It is primarily used by commuters.
Background
The Coaster was originally intended to help ease congestion along Interstate 5, the primary freeway running parallel to the coast. The money to purchase the right-of-way from the Santa Fe Railroad was garnered almost entirely from TransNet, a 0.5% sales tax imposed on San Diego County. One third of the tax money received from TransNet is designated to improve public transportation services.
The Coaster saw 700,000 riders in its first year. It carried 1.4 million passengers in 2004. Today, on a morning southbound train, approximately 40% of passengers detrain at Sorrento Valley and 50% detrain in downtown San Diego.
The San Diego Northern Railway (Coaster) owns 62 miles of mainline track as well as the 22 mile Escondido Branch. The Coaster commuter train runs on 48 miles of the mainline.
The San Diego Northern maintains two rail yards. One is south of the convention center and is shared with the San Diego Trolley. It is used to store trainsets during midday for use during rush hour. The other is at Stuart Mesa on Camp Pendleton. This is where the main maintenance facility is located.
Coaster engineers and conductors are Amtrak employees. Amtrak has a contract to provide personnel to operate the trains.
History
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway origionally owned the route now used by the Coaster. The Santa Fe Railway used to run a commuter service on the line with stops in the communities along the route including Carlsbad, Encinitas and Oceanside. This service was discontinued in the 1960s.
In the early 1990s, the North County Transit District along with the San Diego MTA wanted to duplicate the success of the Metrolink in San Diego. The agencies incorporated the San Diego Northern Railway (with NCTD having a majority ownership) in 1994. The right of way was purchased and stations were built at that time. The San Diego Northern purchased five MK F40PH-2C locomotives along with several Bombardier Bi-level coaches. This equipment was the same as what Metrolink was using. SDNR also had an EMD switcher locomotive whose current disposition is unknown. The San Diego Northern began running its Coast Express Rail (Coaster) trains in 1995. Later, two EMD F59PHI locomotives were added as well as additional trainsets.
Future
The future of the Coaster seems stable. San Diego County voters renewed the TransNet tax in November 2004 which included some funds for track upgrades. An additional station is planned for the University City area. The local politicians are more interested in light rail. The Trolley has expanded its Mission Valley line and the Sprinter DMU line from Oceanside to Escondido is planned to go online in 2007. The current Coaster service is not expected to change significantly for the forseeable future.
Station stops
(as of April 2005)
- Zone 1
- Oceanside - Connection to Amtrak and Metrolink
- Carlsbad Village
- Zone 2
- Carlsbad Poinsettia
- Encinitas
- Solana Beach - Connection to Amtrak
- Zone 3
- Zone 4
- Old Town San Diego - Connection to the Trolley Blue Line
- Downtown San Diego - Connection to Amtrak, the Trolley Blue Line and a bus service to Lindbergh Field
Ticketing
Ticketing of the Coaster is based upon the number of zones traveled (see above). Tickets must be purchased and validated before boarding, and will be checked at some point during travel (usually between the Solana Beach and Sorrento Valley stations.) Discounts are available for 10-ride tickets and monthly passes. Seniors, youth and the disabled discounts are available for roughly half price (varies depending on the ticket). One-way fares are as follows (as of 2005):
- Within one zone: $3.75
- Between two zones: $4.25
- Between three zones: $4.75
- Between four zones: $5.25
Tickets are rarely checked during rush hour travel. However, penalties for riding the Coaster without a ticket include a $250.00 fine. Riders cannot purchase tickets onboard the train.
Rolling stock
- F40PH-2C Separate HEP; Manufactured by Boise (later MPI); Purchased in 1994
- EMD F59PHI Manufactured by GM EMD; Purchased after the F40PH-2Cs.
- Bombardier Bi-level coaches [1]; both coach and cab-car configurations.
Connecting rail and bus transit services
The Coaster connects to Amtrak at Oceanside, Solana Beach, and San Diego. It also connects with Metrolink at Oceanside. The Coaster connects to The Trolley at Old Town and downtown San Diego. Coaster monthly pass holders may ride Amtrak trains for free within the service area of the Coaster.
Riders can use Coaster Connection shuttles at Sorrento Valley to businesses at Torrey Pines, University City and Sorrento Valley. The VA hospital runs shuttles between its facility in La Jolla and the train station. UCSD runs a shuttle between the campus and the station. Also, several businesses run their own shuttles.
Downtown, commuters can ride the Trolley for free with a validated Coaster ticket. They may also ride The Flyer airport shuttle or regular MTS buses to their destination.
The NCTD runs buses along their route that connects to the stations in the northern part of the county.
Security
Most of the stations have transit security personnel stationed there during operating hours. The transit security personnel occasionally ride the trains as well. The San Diego County Sheriff's Department operates a railroad law enforcement unit [2] that patrols the right-of-way and responds to law enforcement needs on the San Diego Northern Railway.