This looks like a big deal for Amtrak, an $8.5 million project of which the California Division of Rail will pay half. Put in the proper perspective, it is probably about a half day in Iraq.
This is important for commuters and Amtrak’s San Diego service.
North County Times has a complete report.
Vernae Graham, a spokeswoman for Amtrak, said that her company generally does not build track anywhere in the United States. But she said that the additional track, taken together with other improvements planned for the Los Angeles to San Diego rail corridor, should help Amtrak improve its on-time performance, which currently stands at 81 percent.
“When the project is finished, we will be able to run a lot more smoothly through that area,” Graham said.Oceanside, and specifically the Oceanside Transit Center on South Cleveland Street, has become a hub of rail traffic. Oceanside is one of only three —- Solana Beach and San Diego are the other two —- Amtrak stops in San Diego County. The station also handles Coaster commuter train traffic and the station is the southern terminus of the Metrolink commuter system that runs north through Orange and Riverside counties.
When the Sprinter light-rail operation begins operations in December, it will also have its westernmost stop at the transit center. However, the Sprinter has its own set of tracks, so it does not compete for space with coastal trains.
Fernandes said the rail handles 44 Coaster and Amtrak trains per day on weekdays plus multiple Metrolink trains and about three much longer freight trains daily.
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