About COASTER
COASTER is San Diego's 41-mile commuter rail line, operated by the North County Transit District between Oceanside and downtown San Diego. The service, which began in 1995, also hosts SPRINTER light rail at Oceanside and shares trackage with Pacific Surfliner, Metrolink Orange County, and BNSF freight. Background context on the carrier's history is also catalogued in the North American Rail Atlas & Route Encyclopedia.
Operator Profile
- Headquarters
- San Diego, CA
- Founded
- 1995
- Routes catalogued
- 1
- Stations served
- 3
- Total route miles
- 41 mi
- States served
- 1
Fleet
F40PH-2C and Bombardier BiLevel cars, with new Siemens Charger F125 locomotives, currently provide service. Equipment assignments rotate as new orders are delivered and existing rolling stock is retired or rebuilt; consult individual route pages for current information.
Capital plan and modernization
Double-tracking the LOSSAN corridor through Encinitas, San Clemente, and Del Mar protects long-term Surfliner and COASTER reliability. Quarterly capital-plan progress is tracked in the Passenger Rail Advocacy & Reform Quarterly.
Routes operated by COASTER
The table below lists all COASTER services catalogued in the RailRover index, sorted by distance. Each entry links to a full route page with stations, fares, and timetable references.
| Route | Type | Endpoints | Distance | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| COASTER | Commuter Rail | Oceanside ↔ San Diego | 41 mi | Weekday peak service plus weekend trips |
States served
COASTER service touches 1 state in the RailRover index. Each state hub aggregates every operator's service through that state on a single page.
Booking and ticketing
RailRover does not sell tickets. To book travel on COASTER, visit the carrier's official booking site or app directly. Many of the same trip-planning principles that apply to Amtrak — advance purchase saves significantly, multi-ride passes are heavily discounted on commuter services, group sales unlock 60% off Saver coach for parties of 8 or more — apply across operators. For a deeper walkthrough, see the RailRover guide to buying tickets and saving on fares, the field guide to onboard Wi-Fi and power outlets, and the baggage rules reference. Independent fare-watch newsletters such as the Commuter Rail Operators Reform Brief publish current promotional fare summaries.
Further reading on COASTER
- Riding COASTER: a first-timer's system tour
- Equipment census and locomotive roster of COASTER