No Coaster, Amtrak for 2 weekends this month

All Coaster and Amtrak travel will be suspended two weekends this month for scheduled maintenance and improvements along the 60 miles of railroad tracks in San Diego County.

The first suspension, called an “absolute work window,” is this weekend, Saturday and Sunday, March 11 and 12, and the second is March 25 and 26. On those days, there will be no passenger rail service and no replacement bus service.

North County Transit District schedules the suspensions multiple times every year so railroad employees can complete their work along the tracks safely. Residents along the corridor are warned to be alert for vehicles and equipment along the right-of-way, and operations can be noisy at times.

Rail service between San Diego and Orange counties continues to be affected by a stabilization project under way to stop a slow-moving landslide near San Clemente. All passenger service across the site has been suspended since the work began in October 2022. Amtrak restored weekend-only service in February.

Beach erosion has accelerated in recent years and contributed to the problem. The Orange County Transportation Authority has built a rock revetment and is installing ground anchors to stop the landslide.

The work is expected to be completed and full service restored by the end of March or early April. Inclement weather has extended the stabilization project more than once, and costs have increased to more than $13.7 million.

Amtrak and NCTD’s Coaster trains continue to run on their normal weekday schedules between San Diego and Oceanside, and Amtrak provides a weekday bus connection to take riders between the train stations at Oceanside and Irvine. Orange County Transportation Authority’s Metrolink trains normally go as far south as Oceanside, but have gone no farther than the San Clemente Pier since the stabilization project began.

OCTA officials said last month they intend to look at long-term solutions for the seven miles of track in southern Orange County, including the possibility of rerouting the corridor inland along Interstate 5.