Significant rail track replacement in North County and rail realignment in San Diego for Mid-Coast Trolley construction
Oceanside CA—A scheduled closure of the region’s coastal rail line will be in effect this weekend to allow SANDAG crews to complete significant construction, install new track, and build a temporary rail alignment to accommodate construction of the Mid-Coast Trolley extension.
The rail closure affects four railroads 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.
SANDAG is double-tracking much of the rail corridor to improve capacity for all four operators and to prepare for installing the separate set of tracks for the Mid-Coast Trolley extending from the Old Town Transit Center to University City.
Called an absolute work window (AWW), the closure will begin early Saturday morning, temporarily suspending all COASTER and Amtrak Pacific Surfliner services for crews to meet significant construction milestones and work unimpeded while all rail services are halted.
The closure will take effect Saturday morning, April 21 just after midnight, and continue through early morning on Monday, April 23. Regular passenger rail service is scheduled to resume in time for the morning commute on Monday. Riders are encouraged to allow for more travel time, as trains could be delayed in arriving at their final destination. Work schedules are subject to change.
In Cardiff-by-the-Sea, construction crews will continue to install new track and begin removing the temporary work platform near the San Elijo Lagoon rail bridge.
The $72.8 million project will add 1.5 miles of new double track from Cardiff-by-the-Sea to the southern border of the San Elijo Lagoon. It will also replace the wooden trestle bridge over the San Elijo Lagoon with a modern concrete bridge, construct a new pedestrian undercrossing at the south end of the lagoon, and improve the rail signal and grade crossing at Chesterfield Drive.
The San Elijo Lagoon Double Track Project is expected to be complete in 2019. View project map.
In San Diego, crews working on the Elvira to Morena Double Track project will construct retaining walls, prepare subgrade, build access roads, and demolish and install new track, including a temporary rail alignment to bypass the Mid-Coast Trolley construction area, within the railroad right-of-way along Santa Fe Street.
Crews will also perform utility work within the railroad right-of-way and at Littlefield Street.
This project is being constructed concurrently with the Mid-Coast Trolley extension. The 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 between Control Point (CP) Tecolote and CP Cumbres.
The project is estimated to cost $192 million and is expected to be complete in 2020. 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.
About SANDAG
The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) is the San Diego region’s primary public planning, transportation, and research agency, providing the public forum for regional policy decisions about growth, transportation planning and construction, environmental management, housing, open space, energy, public safety, and binational topics. SANDAG is governed by a Board of Directors composed of mayors, council members, and supervisors from each of the region’s 18 cities and the county government.
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