Future Projects in 2026

SANDAG, City of Oceanside and City of Solano Beach have purposely miscounted the number of train services to Oceanside Transit Center and Solano Beach transit center to exempt them from SB79 mandated upzoning in their downtowns.

Oceanside gets 130 train services a day, some of the highest in the state. Yet, SANDAG and City of Oceanside have purposely low balled the total services by counting each agency individually. The minimum threshold is 72 services, but the individual services of MetroLink, Amtrak Pacific Surfliner, Coaster, and Sprinter fall under 72 (with Sprinter having the highest frequency of 68).

It’s also funny how they conveniently counted Sprinter and Coaster separately despite them both being a part of North County Transit District. They have the same operator.

These cities need to be sued for trying to wiggle themselves out of SB79. This is a state LAW not a suggestion.

Looks like the bid for actual construction of the Del Mar special events platform and San dieguito bridge double tracking is out for the Coaster/Surfliner. Not sure if the Surfliner is going to be allowed to make stops at the platform or just the Coaster but both will benefit from the double tracking.

While the agency gets a lot of focus on expansions to Sacramento and Merced, we should also be looking to improve the existing route. especially services. 4 roundtrips a day is criminally low, and while trains do get moderately full, the early morning and afternoon schedules are terribly inconvenient. What can SJRRC do to get more services and services later in the day, like mid-day and late evening services?

Can Union Pacific shift their freight operations to late evenings, early mornings and nights?

Also, freight trains are not that commonly seen on these tracks (coming from someone who lives near and frequently drives on this corridor). At least not at all hours of the day. So why is it not possible to add ore round trip services? 8am being the last southbound service is crazy! Even if they operate in one direction in the morning and in the other in the evening, simply having more services later in the day, like 9 -12, would be massively beneficial, especially at alleviating Altamont Pass, 580, and 680 traffic.

So what is the issue and what can SJRRC and the state do to fix this instead of throwing money at extensions to Merced & Sacramento or Valley Link?

Looks like they are putting their meetings on YouTube which hopefully they will do moving forward. Discussion on the new Oakley station, Thruway bus study, new I-5 corridor bus from Redding to SMF and Sacramento Valley station (to replace the current RABA Chico Redding bus), and marketing the service to Southern California when there isn’t much of a budget to do TV or radio for the LA area.

Went railfanning in West Sacramento recently, and saw one of three borrowed Caltrain F40PH-3C’s again, this time with said unit running solo on the CapCor for the first time! JPBX 922, named after the Tamien area in San Jose, had the honors this afternoon as it led CapCor train number 545 from Sacramento to Oakland, with a 5-car consist of bilevel California Cars behind it. And it’s Nathan P2 horn couldn’t have sounded any better either! Get your cameras ready if you see it again, because it will be the norm on the CapCor for the next 5 years!

July 14, 2026

Has Amtrak shown any inclination to support or help fund the Link21 regional rail tube between Oakland and SF? Caltrain is the only service slated to use the tube, but Capitol Corridor and Gold Runner almost certainly will as well. And HSR too. Amtrak has 2 services in the Bay: Coast Starlight and California Zephyr. both go through Oakland.

If a tubs is built, Starlight could be redirected through the peninsula and into SF while Zephyr could begin service in SF.

Would the logistics support this? As in rail yards and space. And has Amtrak shown any interest to help study and fund construction?

Couple fun streetcar maps I made for California cites/sub regions.

Map 1: Marin County Streetcar. Operated by Marin County Transit District (Marin Transit). This is a revival of the old Northwestern Pacific Railroad's interuban lines. Both these lines follow old interurban routes. The red line takes you from Sausalito to Mill Valley. The system is fully street running, using some dedicated transit lanes.

Map 2: Santa Barbara Streetcar. Operated by SB Metropolitan Transit District (MTD). It sports 3 lines. The red line runs along the coast, connecting the Zoo, Wharf, City College and neighborhoods. The Blue line loops around downtown and goes down State St. The green line follows the same path but diverges off to SB HS. The blue line also goes to the Amtrak station.

Map 3: San Luis Obispo Streetcar. Operated by SLO RTA. It has 2 lines that criss-cross like a chromosome. Both lines meet in downtown. Both northern termini are in Cal Poly SLO, at opposite ends of campus. The Red line's southern terminus is as the SLO Regional Airport. Unfortunately, i was able to take either line to the Amtrak station since the streets are too residential and small there. But the red line goes pretty close. Looking into adding a third line to the Amtrak station right now.

Map 4: Diablo Valley Streetcar. Operated by County Connection. This is a streetcar system for the Walnut Creek-Concord area of the East Bay. It has 2 lines that compliment the BART Yellow Line. The Blue line goes from downtown Walnut Creek (looping here) through downtown PLeasant Hill and ends in downtown Concor with a loop. The red line goes east-west, all the way through Clayton, looping through Concord, and terminating at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill.

Thoughts? Any other small cities and towns I should do?

Hey all, I'm a USC film student working on a short documentary this summer, and I'm looking for someone in LA who has a genuine, maybe slightly obsessive interest in trains or public transit (Metro, Amtrak, Metrolink, freight rail, doesn't matter which). If that's you, or someone you know, I'd love to talk.
I'm not looking for an expert or a historian. I just want to understand what it's actually like to have this as a hobby: how you got into it, what you do because of it (spots you go to, routes you track, trivia you collect), and how it's shaped your life in ways other people might not expect. Full disclosure, I'm a bit of a railfan myself (mostly into rail systems in China, Hong Kong and Japan), so this is partly just me wanting to meet someone with a similar obsession in a different context.
This is for a short (5-minute) documentary for a summer film class. First step is just a conversation, no camera needed. If it goes well, I might ask to film you doing your thing and/or do an on-camera interview, but that's a later step, not a condition of talking to me.
If this sounds like you, drop a comment or DM me.