Solana Beach, CA | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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General information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Other names | Solana Beach Transit Center | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Location | 105 North Cedros Avenue Solana Beach, California United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 32°59′34″N117°16′17″W / 32.9929°N 117.2713°W | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Owned by | North County Transit District | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Line(s) | NCTD San Diego Subdivision [1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Platforms | 2 side platforms | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tracks | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Connections | NCTD BREEZE: 101, 308 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Construction | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Parking | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bicycle facilities | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Accessible | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Other information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Status | Staffed, station building with waiting room | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Station code | Amtrak: SOL | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fare zone | 1 (COASTER) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
History | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Opened | February 6, 1995 (Amtrak) [2] February 27, 1995 (COASTER) [3] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Passengers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
FY 2023 | 89,369 [4] (Amtrak) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Services | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Solana Beach Transit Center is a train station on Amtrak California's Pacific Surfliner passenger train and on North County Transit District's COASTER commuter rail route located in Solana Beach, California. The tracks were lowered to their current position in the late 90s, to alleviate congestion on Lomas Santa Fe Road and Downtown Solana Beach. There are two tracks that carry the Surf Line in a trench through the city of Solana Beach, including the station.
The station was designed by architect Rob Wellington Quigley, and was built in 1994 to replace the aging depot in Del Mar, California two miles south which had been in use since the early 1900s. Funding for the station included $2.8 million from Proposition 116, which was a ballot initiative that designated $1.99 billion for passenger rail projects. [6] An additional $3.3 million used for land acquisition and design was obtained through Transnet, a half-cent county sales tax. [7] Quigley drew inspiration for the design from a group of Quonset huts that used to line North Cedros Avenue in the 1940s. To the basic semi-circular form of the hut, the architect added a tower reminiscent of those found on many train depots dating to the second half of the 19th century. [7]
In the late 1990s, an $18 million project lowered the tracks and station platforms. This allowed for another track and platform and improved safety by eliminating the railroad crossing located south of the station. [7]
In 2014, Solana Beach and the North County Transit District requested proposals to convert the station and some of the adjacent surface parking into offices, a restaurant and an underground parking structure. This could involve the station being repurposed with ticket sales and other train services moved to the train track level. The parking garage could complement the nearby Cedros Design District and adjacent Coast Highway 101. Neither of the two submitted proposals were selected. [8]
Of the 73 California stations served by Amtrak, Solana Beach was the tenth-busiest in FY2010, boarding or detraining an average of approximately 1100 passengers daily. [9] In 2021, Amtrak reports Solana Beach as 14th busiest in California with 94,621 riders in the year. [10]
The former Del Mar station served passengers from the early 1900s until its closure in 1995, and for much of that time was the only passenger stop between Oceanside and San Diego. Solana Beach Transit Center was planned from the beginning not only as a stop for both Amtrak and commuter trains, but also as a major local bus hub. As a result, the future of Del Mar station, just two miles south, fell into doubt as early as 1989. At that time a committee of the San Diego Association Of Governments (SANDAG) voted in favor of its closure, [11] citing the limited availability of parking, the lack of accessibility, and the logistical difficulty accommodating bus and shuttle service. [11] Any one of these problems, by itself, would have been a serious deficiency if Del Mar was to serve both commuters and Amtrak passengers. The Del Mar City Council rejected any significant expansion of the facility, while still hoping to keep it in operation as an Amtrak-only station, but Amtrak rejected this possibility, deciding in favor of Solana Beach instead. Today, the former station and its platform are still kept intact next to the active railroad, and it is often leased out for weddings or other special events. [12]
The Pacific Surfliner is a 350-mile (560 km) passenger train service serving the communities on the coast of Southern California between San Diego and San Luis Obispo.
Coaster is a commuter rail service in the central and northern coastal regions of San Diego County, California, United States, operated by the North County Transit District (NCTD).
The Orange County Line is a commuter rail line run by Metrolink from Los Angeles through Orange County to Oceanside in San Diego County, connecting with the Coaster commuter rail service to San Diego. The Orange County Line carries passengers to the primary Metrolink hub at L.A. Union Station in downtown Los Angeles, as well as to many attractions in Orange County including the Knott's Berry Farm area, Angel Stadium of Anaheim and the Honda Center, the Disneyland Resort, Old Town Orange, Santa Ana Zoo, Mission San Juan Capistrano and many more. In San Diego County, it serves the Oceanside Pier and Camp Pendelton.
The Surf Line is a railroad line that runs from San Diego to Orange County along California's Pacific Coast. It was so named because much of the line is near the Pacific Ocean, within less than 100 feet (30 m) in some places. It is the second busiest passenger rail corridor in the United States after the Northeast Corridor.
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The North County Transit District (NCTD) is the agency responsible for public transportation in Northern San Diego County, California. The agency manages the COASTER commuter rail service between Oceanside and San Diego, the SPRINTER hybrid rail service between Escondido and Oceanside, the BREEZE transit bus service, LIFT paratransit service, and FLEX on-demand and point-deviation service.
Santa Fe Depot is a union station in San Diego, California, built by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway to replace the small Victorian-style structure erected in 1887 for the California Southern Railroad Company. The Spanish Colonial Revival style station is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a San Diego Historic Landmark. Its architecture, particularly the signature twin domes, is often echoed in the design of modern buildings in downtown San Diego.
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Old Town Transit Center, also known as San Diego–Old Town station, or Old Town San Diego station, is an intermodal transportation station located in the Old Town neighborhood of San Diego, California. It is served by Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner, the COASTER commuter rail service, and the San Diego Trolley, as well as numerous San Diego Metropolitan Transit System bus lines.
Encinitas station is a commuter rail station in Encinitas, California that is on the NCTD COASTER commuter rail line. In addition to COASTER, it is also served by three BREEZE bus routes.
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Bakersfield station is an intermodal facility in Bakersfield, California. It is the southern terminus of Amtrak California's San Joaquins route, with Amtrak Thruway buses continuing to Amtrak stations and bus stops throughout Southern California and Nevada. The station opened with a celebration on July 4, 2000. It contains an 8,300-square-foot (770 m2) train station with two platforms and three tracks, as well as a 17-bay bus station.
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Carlsbad Village station is a commuter rail station in Carlsbad, California, that is on the NCTD COASTER commuter rail line. It is one of two COASTER stations in Carlsbad, and is the last station used for northbound COASTER trains before reaching the northern terminus of Oceanside Transit Center.
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Media related to Solana Beach station at Wikimedia Commons