Coaster (commuter rail)

Coaster
Overview
Service type Commuter rail
Locale San Diego County, California, United States
First service February 27, 1995
Current operator(s) TransitAmerica Services
Former operator(s) Amtrak
Ridership 5,600 (ave. weekday, 2012)[1]
Annual ridership 1.6 million (2012)[1]
Website NCTD Coaster
Route
Start Oceanside
Stops 8[1]
End San Diego
Distance travelled 41 mi (66 km)[1]
Technical
Rolling stock 7 locomotives
28 passenger cars[2]
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Operating speed 90 miles per hour (140 km/h)[3]
Track owner(s) North County Transit District
Route map
Legend
Amtrak, Metrolink
to Los Angeles, San Bernardino
(Maintenance Facility)
Interstate 5
Oceanside(A, M, S)
Sprinter to Escondido
Carlsbad Village
Carlsbad Poinsettia
Encinitas
Solana Beach(A)
Del Mar(station closed, 1994)
Fare zone 1
Fare zone 2
Sorrento Valley
Interstates 5 and 805
Fare zone 2
Fare zone 3
I-805, State Route 52
Green Line to Santee
Interstate 8
Old Town San Diego(A, T)
Interstate 5
Union Station(A, T)
Orange Line to El Cajon
Green Line to Downtown
(Storage Yard)
Connecting Services
 (A) - Amtrak; (M) - Metrolink;
 (S) - Sprinter; (T) - San Diego Trolley

The Coaster (reporting mark SDNX) is a commuter rail service that operates in the central and northern coastal regions of San Diego County, California, United States. The service is operated by TransitAmerica Services on contract with North County Transit District (NCTD). The service has eight stops and operates primarily during weekday peak periods, with additional weekend and holiday service.

History

San Diego Northern Railway (SDNR) purchased the tracks used by Coaster from the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway in 1994. NCTD created the subsidiary San Diego Northern Railway Corporation in 1994[4] and dissolved it in 2002. Revenue Coaster service began February 27, 1995.[4] Funding for right-of-way acquisition and construction costs came from TransNet, a 1987 measure[4] that imposed a 0.5% sales tax on San Diego County residents for transportation projects. NCTD originally contracted Amtrak to provide personnel for Coaster trains. On July 1, 2006, TransitAmerica took over the day-to-day operation of the commuter train, based on a five-year, $45 million contract with SDNR. TransitAmerica is a subsidiary of Missouri-based Herzog Transit Services.

Current service

NCTD owns 62 mi (100 km) of mainline track, including the 41.1 mi (66.1 km) on which the Coaster travels. Traveling the entire Coaster route takes about an hour.[5]

Consumption of alcoholic beverages is no longer allowed on board Coaster trains or NCTD property as of February 1, 2015.[6]

Schedule

More than 20 Coaster trains run on weekdays,[5] with additional service on the weekends.[7]

Station stops

The following are the stations served by the Coaster rail line:[8]

Station Connecting rail services
Zone 1
Oceanside Transit Center Pacific Surfliner
Sprinter
Metrolink (Orange County Line, Inland Empire-Orange County Line)
Carlsbad Village Pacific Surfliner (limited service)
Carlsbad Poinsettia Pacific Surfliner (limited service)
Encinitas Pacific Surfliner (limited service)
Solana Beach Pacific Surfliner
Zone 2
Sorrento Valley Pacific Surfliner (limited service)
Zone 3
Old Town San Diego Pacific Surfliner (limited service)
San Diego Trolley (Green Line)
Santa Fe Depot
(Downtown San Diego) 		Pacific Surfliner
San Diego Trolley (Green Line, Orange Line, Blue Line)

Connecting rail and bus transit services

Coaster route map (with other commuter lines included). This does not show routes of the San Diego Trolley.

The Coaster connects fully with Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner at Oceanside, Solana Beach, and Santa Fe Depot in San Diego, with more limited connection service available at the Old Town Transit Center; Pacific Surfliner service at Carlsbad Village, Carlsbad Poinsettia, Encinitas, and Sorrento Valley is co-offered Coaster service on 6 of the 22 weekday Surfliner trains.[9]

The Coaster also connects with the Metrolink rail system at Oceanside, providing connecting service to Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. It connects to the San Diego Trolley (Green Line) and MTS buses at the Old Town Transit Center; it also connects to the San Diego Trolley (all lines) and MTS buses in the vicinity of the Santa Fe Depot in downtown San Diego – including to the MTS Route 992 bus which offers direct service to Lindbergh Field from Downtown San Diego. Finally, the Coaster connects with BREEZE buses at all North San Diego County station stops (i.e. in Zone 1).

Fares & Ticketing

The cost of Coaster tickets is based upon the number of zones traveled (see map). Fare collection is based on a proof-of-payment system: tickets must be purchased before boarding and are checked by roving fare inspectors. Monthly passes are available. All tickets and passes include transfer agreements with NCTD BREEZE buses and monthly passes include transfer with the Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) buses and Trolleys. On January 20, 2011, the NCTD implemented a fare reduction – the fare reduction led to increased ridership on the Coaster and so was made a permanent fare reduction in September 2011. As of January 2012, regular one-way fares are as follows:[10]

With proof of eligibility, senior citizens (ages 60 and over), people with disabilities, and Medicare cardholders receive a 50% discount on the above fares.

Riding the Coaster without a valid ticket may result in a penalty fare of up to $250. Riders cannot purchase tickets on board the train.

Compass cards

Main article: Compass Card

In September 2008, SANDAG introduced a new contactless "Compass Card", made possible by Cubic Transportation Systems, Inc. The "Compass Card" allows passengers from MTS and NCTD to store regional transit passes and cash value on a rewritable RFID card. Customers can purchase passes and add cash value on the Internet or at any ticket vending machine. Prior to boarding a train, customers tap their Compass Cards on the ticket validator located on the train platform. The LED display on the validator then lights up with lights resembling that of a stoplight, and the LCD display shows text regarding the passenger's fare account.

Ridership

The Coaster carried about 514,450 passengers during its first year of operation,[11] and ridership rose steadily in the years that followed. In 2012, Coaster ridership was approximately 1.6 million people, with an average number of 5,600 weekday boardings.[1]

Approximately 40% of weekday commuters detrain at Sorrento Valley.

Rolling stock

Builder Type Purchased Numbers
Morrison-Knudsen F40PHM-2C 1994 2101–2105
EMD F59PHI 2001 3001–3002
Bombardier BiLevel Coach 1994 2201–2208
1997 2401–2406
2003 2501–2504
BiLevel Cab Car 1994 2301–2308
2003 2309–2310

Yards

NCTD maintains two rail storage yards for the Coaster. The main storage yard, located north of Oceanside at Stuart Mesa on Camp Pendleton, is just north of the Oceanside station stop. This is where cars are stored for the night and trains are serviced. A small yard beside the San Diego Trolleys' yard at 12th and Imperial in Centre City San Diego is used to store train-sets during the midday and for weekday train staging.

Future prospects

The Coaster remains stable for the foreseeable future. San Diego County voters extended the TransNet sales tax through 2038, which includes funding for rail track upgrades. For example, projects to double-track a greater portion of the NCTD-owned mainline are currently underway, and more are planned.[12][13] There are also plans to extend Coaster service to Camp Pendleton and the Convention Center,[4][14] as well as interest in building a new 'special events' platform at Del Mar to seasonally serve the racetrack and fairgrounds.[12][15]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "COASTER Fact Sheet" (PDF). North County Transit District. January 2013. Retrieved 2013-09-08.
  2. ↑ "COASTER Fact Sheet" (PDF). North County Transit District. January 2015. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
  3. ↑ "Rail Safety Tips". North County Transit District. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "NCTD: Past, Present and Future" (PDF). North County Transit District. January 2013. Retrieved 2013-09-08.
  5. 1 2 "COASTER - NCTD". North County Transit District. 2013. Retrieved 2013-09-08.
  6. ↑ Tatro, Samantha; Herrera, Vanessa (December 18, 2014). "North County Transit Bans Alcohol Aboard Trains". KNSD. Retrieved 2015-03-10.
  7. ↑ "COASTER Schedule Effective April 1 - October 7, 2013" (PDF). North County Transit District. 2013. Retrieved 2013-09-08.
  8. ↑ "COASTER Stations". North County Transit District. 2013. Retrieved 2013-09-08.
  9. ↑ "Six Trains Added to COASTER Schedule". North County Transit District. September 17, 2013. Retrieved 2013-12-21.
  10. ↑ "Coaster Fares and Passes". North County Transit District. 2013. Retrieved 2013-09-08.
  11. ↑ "Coaster 15th Anniversary Quick Facts" (PDF). North County Transit District. 2010. Retrieved 2013-12-07.
  12. 1 2 "LOSSAN Rail Line - LOSSAN Rail Corridor Improvements". Keep San Diego Moving (TransNet). Retrieved 2013-08-10.
  13. ↑ Prey, Bill; Rekola, Brett (June 2011). Capacity Expansions of LOSSAN Corridor in San Diego (PDF). APTA Rail Conference. San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) & North County Transit District. Retrieved 2013-11-08.
  14. ↑ "Marines, NCTD eye Camp Pendleton Coaster stop". The San Diego Union-Tribune. November 11, 2011. Retrieved 2011-11-15.
  15. ↑ St John, Alison (March 14, 2008). "SANDAG Board to Explore Viability of Del Mar Track Train Station". KPBS. Retrieved 2013-11-08.

External links

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