Sprinter (stylized as SPRINTER) is a
hybrid rail
Light rail in the United States is a mode of rail-based transport, usually urban in nature. When compared to heavy rail systems like commuter rail or rapid transit (subway), light rail systems are typically designed to carry fewer passengers and ...
(light rail with some features similar to commuter rail) line operating in the
North County
North County is a region in the northern area of San Diego County, California. It is the second-most populous region in the county (after San Diego), with an estimated population of 869,322. North County is well known for its affluence, especial ...
area of San Diego County between the cities of
Escondido and
Oceanside, California
Oceanside is a city on the South Coast (California), South Coast of California, located in San Diego County, California, San Diego County. The city had a population of 167,086 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. The city is a popular ...
, United States. The service uses the
Escondido Branch of the
San Diego Northern Railroad. Station platforms were constructed for the line's fifteen stations
serving the cities of Oceanside,
Vista
Vista usually refers to a distant view.
Vista may also refer to:
Software
*Windows Vista, the line of Microsoft Windows client operating systems released in 2006 and 2007
* VistA, (Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture) ...
,
San Marcos
San Marcos is the Spanish name of Saint Mark. It may also refer to:
Towns and cities Argentina
* San Marcos, Salta
Colombia
* San Marcos, Antioquia
* San Marcos, Sucre
Costa Rica
* San Marcos, Costa Rica (aka San Marcos de Tarrazú)
...
, and Escondido. The line provides service to
California State University, San Marcos
California State University San Marcos (CSUSM or Cal State San Marcos) is a public university in San Marcos, California. It was founded in 1989 as the 21st campus in the 23-campus California State University (CSU) system.
CSUSM offers 43 bache ...
and
Palomar College
Palomar College is a public community college in San Diego County, California. The main campus is in San Marcos and three centers and four education sites are located elsewhere throughout north San Diego County. The largest of these by student ...
. Sprinter service operates every 30 minutes and is targeted towards students and commuters.
The Sprinter is operated by the
North County Transit District
The North County Transit District (typically abbreviated as 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 Die ...
, the area's public transit agency. The agency also operates the
Coaster commuter rail line and the BREEZE Bus routes. At
Oceanside Transit Center
Oceanside Transit Center 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 Lu ...
, the Sprinter connects to three
commuter rail
Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Generally commuter rail systems are con ...
lines (the
Coaster
Coaster (stylized as 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 commuter rail line features eight s ...
, the
Metrolink Orange County Line
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 passenger ...
, and the Metrolink
Inland Empire–Orange County Line
The Inland Empire–Orange County (IEOC) Line is a commuter rail line run by Metrolink in Southern California. It runs from San Bernardino through Orange County to Oceanside in northern San Diego County. It is the only Metrolink line not to se ...
), as well as to
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
's ''
Pacific Surfliner
The ''Pacific Surfliner'' is a passenger train service serving the communities on the coast of Southern California between San Diego and San Luis Obispo.
The service carried 2,924,117 passengers during fiscal year 2016, a 3.4% increase from F ...
'' regional rail line.
A 2007 study by the
San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) predicted that the Sprinter would reduce road trips by 5,000 a day (a round trip by car would be two road trips). It also predicted over 11,000 riders (trips) per day by the end of the first year. Ridership numbers did climb after opening, reaching just under 8,000 people per day as of March 2008. In , the line had a ridership of , or about per weekday as of .
History
The Sprinter is the first
passenger train
A passenger train is a train used to transport people along a railroad line. These trains may consist of unpowered passenger railroad cars (also known as coaches or carriages) hauled by one or more locomotives, or may be self-propelled; self pr ...
service along the
Escondido Branch since the
Santa Fe Railroad
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The railroad was chartered in February 1859 to serve the cities of Atchison and Topeka, Kansas, and ...
discontinued passenger service in 1946. Originally built in 1888, the entire line had to be rebuilt to accommodate more traffic and be elevated because the line runs along a river.
The funding for Sprinter originated with the ''TransNet'' Tax (Proposition C) measure passed by San Diego County voters in 1987 to relieve traffic congestion. A third of the tax was dedicated to mass transit. The $477 million project also was funded through a $152 million Full Funding Grant Agreement from the Federal Transit Administration.
NCTD purchased the line in 1992 from the
Santa Fe Railroad
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The railroad was chartered in February 1859 to serve the cities of Atchison and Topeka, Kansas, and ...
. Construction started on the line in 2005
and was scheduled for completion in December 2007. The Sprinter was previewed on December 28, 2007, with full revenue service scheduled to begin on January 13, 2008. Opening was delayed due to safety and other concerns,
and began on March 9, 2008.
Sprinter was the least expensive rail project per mile of 10 rail projects built or planned in California in 2005.
American Public Works Association
The American Public Works Association (APWA) is a nonprofit, professional association of public works agencies, private companies, and individuals dedicated to promoting professional excellence and public awareness through education, advocacy and ...
(APWA) awarded Sprinter the Transportation Project of the Year for projects valued over $75 million.
Service
The Sprinter runs every 30 minutes in both directions seven days a week, from approximately 4 am to 9 pm.
Trains run later on Friday and Saturday evenings, to approximately 10:30pm (westbound to Oceanside), and to approximately 11:30pm (eastbound to Escondido).
Saturday/Sunday/Holiday trains operate every 30 minutes between 10 am and 6 pm and hourly before 10 am and after 6 pm.
Stations
![Sprinter at Oceanside](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/10/Sprinter_at_Oceanside.jpg)
The Sprinter serves a total of 15 stations,
including the two termini at Oceanside and Escondido. Three of these stations are transit centers – the two termini,
Oceanside Transit Center
Oceanside Transit Center 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 Lu ...
and
Escondido Transit Center
Escondido Transit Center is a bus and train station located in Downtown Escondido, California. It serves as the current eastern terminus of the North County Transit District's SPRINTER light rail line and the northern terminus of the BREEZE Rap ...
, along with the
Vista Transit Center station.
Fares
A one-way trip on the Sprinter costs $2.50 per rider, $1.25 for Senior (60+)/Disabled/Medicare riders (children under 5 years old ride for free; up to 3).
In addition, riders can buy passes (e.g. Regional 24-Hour Pass, Regional 30-Day Pass) which allow for unlimited travel not only on the Sprinter, but on other NCTD and MTS systems, such as the San Diego Trolley, and Breeze and MTS buses, for the duration of that pass. Rides on those systems, plus the Coaster commuter rail, and express buses, require a "RegionPlus" pass.
Pronto fare system
The Sprinter, along with all other
NCTD
The North County Transit District (typically abbreviated as 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 Dieg ...
and
MTS services, utilizes the
Pronto contactless fare system introduced in September 2021; succeededing the
first-generation Compass Card system." The Pronto fare system allows for a tap-on, tap-off approach, so riders on the Sprinter tap-on when entering the station platform (using one of the station's validators), and tap-off when arriving at the destination stop, in order to deduct the correct fare. Physical Pronto cards can be purchased at vending machines at NCTD stations or at customer service centers; electronic versions can be purchased through the website or through the mobile applications.
Ridership
While pre-opening studies of the Sprinter line projected an average weekday ridership of 11,000, average weekday ridership in 2012 was 7,800,
70% of the original projected daily ridership. For 2012, this corresponded to 2.4 million annual ridership. However, the average weekday ridership for the Sprinter in the first quarter of 2013 was 8,500 according to the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Transit Ridership Report for Q1 2013,
which is 77% of the original projected daily ridership for the system.
Rolling stock
![Sprinter maintenance shop](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/Sprinter_maintenance_shop.jpg)
Sprinter service is operated with
Desiro-class
diesel multiple unit
A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple-unit train powered by on-board diesel engines. A DMU requires no separate locomotive, as the engines are incorporated into one or more of the carriages. Diesel-powered single-unit railcars are also ...
s (DMU) manufactured by
Siemens
Siemens AG ( ) is a German multinational conglomerate corporation and the largest industrial manufacturing company in Europe headquartered in Munich with branch offices abroad.
The principal divisions of the corporation are ''Industry'', '' ...
in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
and widely used by main-line regional railways. Twelve married pairs of
Siemens VT642 Desiro DMUs were delivered to the
Escondido Transit Center
Escondido Transit Center is a bus and train station located in Downtown Escondido, California. It serves as the current eastern terminus of the North County Transit District's SPRINTER light rail line and the northern terminus of the BREEZE Rap ...
in August 2006. The vehicles were in acceptance testing in California during the early part of 2007. The passenger trains are not
FRA
A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders founded in the twelfth or thirteenth century; the term distinguishes the mendicants' itinerant apostolic character, exercised broadly under the jurisdiction of a superior general, from the ol ...
-compliant for operation in association with freight trains; therefore freight operations on the route are not permitted during passenger operations. For this reason some publications, including the
American Public Transportation Association
The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) is a nonprofit group of approximately 1,500 public and private sector member organizations that promotes and advocates for the interests of the public transportation industry in the United S ...
, refer to this line as
light rail but it does not conform with the usual understanding of that term.
Future service plans
Being a relatively new transit service, future development plans for the Sprinter are currently focused on increasing the frequency of the service to 20 minutes per train departure, from the Sprinter's current 30-minute schedule.
An increased schedule will require more double-tracking of the Sprinter rail line
as currently only 9.6 miles (44%) of the Sprinter's rail line is double-tracked.
The preferred alternative project for more double-tracking on the rail line involves increased double-tracking around Crouch St. station through College Blvd. station, and around Palomar College station through Nordahl Rd. station.
It is projected that this project will require six years to reach completion.
Additionally, NCTD would like to implement Sprinter Express train service that would stop at only the five stations (Oceanside Transit Center, El Camino Real, Vista Transit Center, San Marcos Civic Center, and Escondido Transit Center) with the greatest ridership along the route.
The Express service would use freight track east of San Marcos Civic Center station to bypass a station and an eastern portion of the regular route in order to further reduce travel times between termini.
Longer-term, SANDAG's 2050 Regional Transportation Plan projects one extension of the Sprinter by 2050.
The extension would be from the Sprinter's current eastern terminus at the
Escondido Transit Center
Escondido Transit Center is a bus and train station located in Downtown Escondido, California. It serves as the current eastern terminus of the North County Transit District's SPRINTER light rail line and the northern terminus of the BREEZE Rap ...
, south (presumably along S Centre City Parkway) to the
Escondido Westfield Mall/Del Lago Transit Center.
No other extensions of the Sprinter (e.g. to
San Diego Zoo Safari Park
The San Diego Zoo Safari Park, originally named the San Diego Wild Animal Park until 2010, is an 1,800 acre (730 ha) zoo in the San Pasqual Valley area of San Diego, California, near Escondido. It is one of the largest tourist attractions in S ...
, or to
McClellan–Palomar Airport
McClellan–Palomar Airport (Palomar Airport) is a public airport three miles (5 km) southeast of Carlsbad in San Diego County, California. It is owned by the County of San Diego. The airport is used for both general aviation and commercia ...
) are included in the plan.
Criticism
The Sprinter has encountered some dissatisfaction in northern San Diego County. For example, business owners in
Oceanside have attributed flooding in November 2007 and January 2008 to the Sprinter, since its construction raised railroad beds and narrowed creeks. Some have also criticized the limited schedule. In response to the limited schedule, NCTD expanded Friday and Saturday Night service in 2011, the last trips leaving out of Escondido (Westbound) at 10:33pm and out of Oceanside (Eastbound) at 11:33pm.
Incidents
Accidents
On March 11, 2008, just two days after the first passengers were carried, a westbound Sprinter train struck a man who was lying on the tracks under a
State Route 78 bridge in San Marcos. It was not immediately clear if the man was aware of the approach of the train. However, the man, who was covered by a sleeping bag at the time he was struck, spoke of suicide while in the emergency room.
On March 23, 2012, a man was struck by a westbound Sprinter train at the West Mission Road and North Pacific Street crossing. The victim's death was ruled a suicide by the San Diego County medical examiner's office. The operator of the train applied the brakes and sounded the horn, but was unable to avoid the collision. The victim died at the scene.
Service suspension (2013)
On February 28, 2013, the
California Public Utilities Commission
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC or PUC) is a regulatory agency that regulates privately owned public utilities in the state of California, including electric power, telecommunications, natural gas and water companies. In addition ...
conducted an inspection of the Sprinter vehicles. During that inspection, the CPUC discovered accelerated patterns of wear on the central axle brakes of all 12 vehicles. As a result, on March 8, 2013, NCTD suspended service on the entire line. NCTD established bus replacement service for the duration of the Sprinter service interruption which lasted 70 days. The Sprinter resumed regular service on May 18, 2013, with the last day of the supplemental express bus service on May 24.
See also
*
Transportation in San Diego County
The following is a list of transportation options in San Diego County, California.
Rail services
Local
San Diego Trolley
The San Diego Trolley is a light rail that serves the metropolitan area including central San Diego, East County, Sou ...
**
Coaster (commuter rail)
Coaster (stylized as 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 commuter rail line features eight ...
**
San Diego Trolley
The San Diego Trolley is a light rail system operating in the metropolitan area of San Diego. It is known colloquially as "The Trolley". The Trolley's operator, San Diego Trolley, Inc. (SDTI), is a subsidiary of the San Diego Metropolitan Tra ...
References
External links
*
{{USLightRail
North County Transit District
Passenger rail transportation in California
Public transportation in San Diego County, California
Light rail in California
California railroads
Escondido, California
Railway services introduced in 2008
2008 establishments in California