Coaster to Test Late-Night Trains During SD County Fair

The Coaster will be running special night trains during the San Diego County Fair, testing the demand for late service on the route that links Encinitas with Oceanside to the north and downtown San Diego to the south.

The new daily trains will depart the Encinitas station southbound at 10:47 p.m. and northbound at 12:26 a.m. from June 8 through July 6. Encinitas residents returning home from a night out in downtown San Diego can board the northbound train at Santa Fe Depot at 11:45 p.m. A separate train that runs during Padres home games leaves Santa Fe Depot 50 minutes after the end of the game.

“Our regular users frequently request late-night service so they can go down to the Gaslamp or other events along the coast,” said Deborah Castillo, a spokeswoman for the North County Transit District.

Officials will be monitoring ridership levels to determine if more night trains will be added to the schedule.

“This is a pilot, and if it does well then we will look at how to keep it, expand it or bring it back for next summer,” Castillo said.

The Coaster’s timetable is attached to this article in the PDF section.