NCTD Advances Del Mar Bluffs Repairs; Partial Rail Closure Dec. 14-15

Del Mar, CA – The Project Team, consisting of the North County Transit District (NCTD), the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), consultants HNTB Corporation and Leighton Engineering, and the Mid-Coast Transit Constructors (MCTC), have been working diligently to advance repairs at railroad milepost (MP) 244.25.  Working collaboratively, the Project Team has been able to expedite the January 2020 timeline for repairs to support completion during a partial absolute work window (AWW) on Saturday, December 14 and Sunday, December 15, 2019.  The partial AWW maintains northbound and southbound rail operations from the Solana Beach COASTER Station to Oceanside Transit Center, and provides a bus bridge from Solana Beach COASTER Station to Santa Fe Depot Train Station.  ​

Construction will focus on the impacted Del Mar Bluffs (Bluffs) located at railroad MP 244.25 near 15th Street in the City of Del Mar. Contractors MCTC and DrillTech will implement an engineered solution for the area.  Steel reinforced shotcrete retaining structures will be constructed in between the existing concrete piles equipped with tie-backs that are currently in place.  With depths of 8’-10’ each, these retaining structures will shore and retain the Bluffs material providing the necessary support for the area.
  
Residents and local businesses should expect significant noise in the area from work trucks and heavy construction equipment throughout the weekend.  NCTD apologizes for this impact and will make every reasonable effort to mitigate impacts related to the repair. 

Following is detailed information about the operating plan for the weekend: 

• COASTER: COASTER trains will run regularly scheduled service from Oceanside Transit Center to Solana Beach COASTER station. Passengers will be bussed between the Solana Beach COASTER station and Santa Fe Depot. Northbound COASTER passengers who board the COASTER south of Solana Beach station will be bussed all the way to Oceanside Transit Center.  Passengers between Solana Beach station and Oceanside Transit Center going north will be served by the train per the regular schedule. 
• Amtrak Pacific Surfliner: Service and schedule changes will be in effect for Amtrak.  Please visit PacificSurfliner.com or call 800-872-7245 for more information. 
• Holiday Express: The Holiday Express special event will operate as normal as the planned route does not extend south of Solana Beach COASTER station. 

Regularly scheduled train service will resume on Monday, December 16, 2019 for both COASTER and Amtrak. As a result of the construction, passengers may experience delays of up to 15 minutes on Monday morning. 
​
For trip planning assistance, customers can contact NCTD Customer Service at 760-966-6500, or visit GoNCTD.com. ​