Escondido Subdivision
Escondido Sub is a 22-mile rail line running from Oceanside to Escondido in North San Diego County. Today it is mainly used by the Sprinter light-rail service and by late-night local freight trains serving Escondido industries.
The line opened in 1888 as part of the Surf Line, the main rail corridor between San Diego and Los Angeles. It once carried Santa Fe passenger trains until 1946. The North County Transit District bought the line from Santa Fe in 1992 to operate passenger service, which began on December 28, 2007. Before Sprinter service started, the tracks were rebuilt and new stations were added, including an elevated loop to Cal State San Marcos.
Freight service continued on the line under Santa Fe/BNSF until 2008, when Pacific Sun Railroad took over under a contract. That contract ended on October 1, 2020, and for a short time NCTD used Coaster equipment for track work. In 2020 Pacific Sun stopped service, and BNSF resumed freight operations on the Escondido Sub (and on the connecting Surf Line).
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 05:00 (CET).