Flooded tracks stop Amtrak service to San Diego and Coaster commuter trains [Updated]

[Updated 9:35 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 23]: A section of rain-damaged train tracks in the San Diego area that halted Amtrak passenger service and the Coaster commuter train Wednesday remained closed Thursday.

The North County Transit District, which maintains the tracks, said on its website that because of soil erosion beneath the mile-long section, officials were suspending the Coaster service, which runs between San Diego and Oceanside, until Monday. In its place, the district is running buses between the two cities; click here for a schedule.

Amtrak passenger service between San Juan Capistrano and San Diego, which shares the same tracks, also remained shut down Thursday. The route of the Pacific Surfliner, which runs from San Luis Obispo via Los Angeles and other cities to San Diego, now ends at San Juan Capistrano. Amtrak wasn’t providing alternate transportation; customers may request a refund of the unused portion of their ticket.]

Flooding from the rain pummeling Southern California on Wednesday forced Amtrak to suspend passenger rail service to San Diego and also halted the Coaster commuter train, which runs between Oceanside and San Diego. Here was the situation as of Wednesday afternoon:

Amtrak officials suspended service on the Pacific Surfliner between San Juan Capistrano in Orange County and San Diego because flood waters had engulfed a stretch of tracks in the San Diego area. The train normally runs between San Diego and San Luis Obispo via Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and other cities.

Amtrak wasn’t providing alternative transportation beyond San Juan Capistrano, said spokesman Marc Magliari. Ticket holders who were expecting to travel Wednesday to San Diego can apply for a refund on the unused portion of their ticket between San Juan Capistrano and San Diego.

Coaster trains were also blocked by the flooding, at the Sorrento Valley stop, forcing the North County Transit District to suspend service on the entire commuter line, the agency’s Alex Wiggins said.

“Right now the tracks are flooded by water, and we have to wait for the water to recede,” he said.

Wiggins said that even after the waters ebb, the tracks will have to be inspected to make sure they are safe. He couldn’t say when the tracks would reopen, but he added that the district was considering a “bus bridge” between Oceanside and San Diego if the tracks remain unavailable.

For updates, check in online at Amtrak’s “Service Alerts and Notices” web page and the transit district’s GoNCTD.com.

Updated Thursday 9:30 a.m. PST: The section of rain-damaged train tracks north of San Diego that halted commuter train and Amtrak passenger service Wednesday remains closed Thursday.

The North County Transit District, which maintains the tracks, says on its website that soil erosion beneath a mile-long section of track has suspended Coaster train service between San Diego and Oceanside until Monday. In its place, the district is running buses between the two cities; click here for a schedule.

Amtrak passenger service between San Juan Capistrano and San Diego, which shares the same tracks, also was forced to close Thursday. The route of the Pacific Surfliner that runs from San Luis Obispo via Los Angeles to San Diego now ends at San Juan Capistrano. Amtrak isn’t providing any alternate transportation service; customers may request a refund of the unused portion of their ticket.