Oceanside Transit Center

The Oceanside Transit Center, usually referred to as simply Oceanside, is a major railway interchange in Oceanside, California, serving both intercity and suburban/commuter services. The station is used by Amtrak on the route of its Pacific Surfliner service between San Diego and San Luis Obispo. It is also a terminus for two different regional transit operators - Metrolink, the commuter rail operator for the Los Angeles area, has two of its services, the Metrolink Orange County Line and Inland Empire-Orange County Line, that terminate at Oceanside, while the North County Transit District, the operator for most of the public transport in North San Diego County, has its COASTER and SPRINTER services also terminating at Oceanside.[2] Oceanside Transit Center is also served by Greyhound Lines, numerous BREEZE buses, and is also the terminal for RTA's Bus Route 202 to Temecula and Murrieta. COASTER and Metrolink trains going out of service will head to Stuart Mesa but due to the small facility, some Metrolinks set will either be kept at the nearby Fallbrook Yard or stored on an empty track south of the station.

Oceanside Transit Center Oceanside, CA
Oceanside Transit Center looking south from Platform 1 in August 2019.
Location	235 South Tremont Street Oceanside, California
Coordinates	33°11′31″N 117°22′46″W
Owned by	North County Transit District
Line(s)	Surf Line Escondido Subdivision
Platforms	3 side platforms (Surf Line) 1 island platform (Escondido Subdivision)
Tracks	3 (Surf Line) 2 (Escondido Subdivision)
Connections	NCTD: 101, 302, 303, 313, 318, 392, 395 RTA: 202 Greyhound Lines
Construction
Parking	Yes
Bicycle facilities	Yes
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Station code	OSD
Fare zone	1 (COASTER)
History
Opened	1886
Rebuilt	1946 1984
Passengers
2018	432,838[1]  9.82% (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station San Clemente Pier (limited service) toward San Luis Obispo Pacific Surfliner Solana Beach toward San Diego Preceding station Metrolink Following station San Clemente toward San Bernardino–Downtown Inland Empire–Orange County Line Terminus San Clemente Pier (Weekend-Only Stop) toward San Bernardino–Downtown San Clemente toward Los Angeles Union Station Orange County Line San Clemente Pier (Weekend-Only Stop) toward Los Angeles Union Station Preceding station North County Transit District Following station Terminus COASTER Carlsbad Village towards San Diego SPRINTER Coast Highway towards Escondido Transit Center
Former services Preceding station Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Following station Las Flores toward Los Angeles Surf Line Carlsbad toward San Diego Terminus Oceanside – Fallbrook Ysidora toward Fallbrook Escondido Branch Vista toward Escondido
Location

Of the 73 California stations served by Amtrak, Oceanside was the fifteenth-busiest in FY2010, boarding or detraining an average of approximately 800 passengers daily.[3]

History

Oceanside Transit Center was built in 1984, and serves as a replacement for a 1946-built Santa Fe Depot, which was torn down in 1988. The former station was itself a replacement for an 1886-built Santa Fe Depot.[4]

Platforms and tracks

1[5]	■ Inland Empire–Orange County Line	Southbound arrivals only, no departures northbound
	■ Orange County Line	Southbound arrivals only, no departures northbound
	■ Pacific Surfliner	toward San Luis Obispo (San Clemente Pier or San Juan Capistrano)
	■ Pacific Surfliner	toward San Diego Union Station (Solana Beach)
2	■ Inland Empire–Orange County Line	toward San Bernardino–Downtown (San Clemente Pier or San Clemente)
	■ Orange County Line	toward L.A. Union Station (San Clemente Pier or San Clemente)
	■ Pacific Surfliner	toward San Luis Obispo (San Clemente Pier or San Juan Capistrano)
	■ Pacific Surfliner	toward San Diego Union Station (Solana Beach)
3	■ COASTER	toward San Diego-Union Station (Carlsbad Village)
Sprinter island platform	■ Sprinter	toward Escondido Transit Center (Coast Highway)
	■ Sprinter	toward Escondido Transit Center (Coast Highway)

Expansion

To enhance the regional transit service, this station had major expansion including building a third track and platform in the middle of the existing tracks, extending all platforms, and adding a passenger walkway. Construction on the project began in 2016,[6] the third platform opened in May 2017,[7][8] and Platform 1 reopened November 20.[9]

References

1. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, FY2018, State of California" (PDF). Amtrak. June 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
2. "Train Web: Oceanside".
3. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, FY2010, State of California" (PDF). Amtrak. November 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 24, 2011. Retrieved 2011-01-06.
4. Surviving Santa Fe Depots: Some Recent Losses
5. "Oceanside Schedule and Platform Assignments" (PDF). North County Transit District. October 14, 2019. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
6. "Oceanside Transit Center Platform Improvement Project". SANDAG. Retrieved 2017-09-02.
7. "New Platform to Open and Station Construction Begins Tuesday, May 30 at Oceanside Transit Center". SANDAG. May 2017. Retrieved 2017-05-31.
8. "Third railroad track completed in Oceanside". The San Diego Union-Tribune. 2017-06-09. Archived from the original on 2017-07-08. Retrieved 2017-09-02.
9. "Platform 1 to Reopen Monday, November 20 as Station Construction Wraps Up". SANDAG. November 2017. Retrieved 2017-11-22.

External links

Media related to Oceanside Transit Center at Wikimedia Commons

• Oceanside, CA – Amtrak
• Oceanside at the Metrolink website
• COASTER Stations
• SPRINTER Stations
• Oceanside Amtrak Station (USA RailGuide -- TrainWeb)
• Oceanside (OSD)--Great American Stations (Amtrak)
• Oceanside Bus Station (Greyhound)