SAN DIEGO — With Hurricane Hilary fast approaching, transit agencies in San Diego County are preparing for significant impacts to their services.
While officials are urging residents to shelter-in-place unless absolutely necessary, here are changes to public transportation services coming on Sunday for those that might need to use them.
North County Transit District
NCTD plans to operate reduced services on all modes due to Hurricane Hilary Sunday, including the COASTER and SPRINTER trains. Estimated departures for the agency’s limited service schedule can be found below:
- COASTER Trains
- Throughout the day, NCTD says the COASTER will be running four round trips between Oceanside and Santa Fe Depot.
- Southbound departures from Oceanside:
- 8:16 a.m.
- 11:16 a.m.
- 2:16 p.m.
- 5:16 p.m.
- Northbound departures from Santa Fe Depot:
- 9:40 a.m.
- 12:40 p.m.
- 3:40 p.m.
- 7:20 p.m.
- Southbound departures from Oceanside:
- Throughout the day, NCTD says the COASTER will be running four round trips between Oceanside and Santa Fe Depot.
- SPRINTER Trains
- On Sunday, the SPRINTER schedule will be limited to hourly service instead of departures every 30 minutes. Trips departing from 4:33 a.m. to 5:33 a.m. will be canceled entirely.
- The first trips in between Oceanside Transit Center and Escondido Transit Center will depart at 6:33 a.m. Trains after then will depart from the centers on the hour at :33 past.
- BREEZE Buses
- NCTD Breeze bus routes will be following these schedule reductions on Sunday:
- 302, 303, 305, 350, 351, 352 and 356 will be operating on an hourly schedule.
- 353 and 354 will operate every two hours.
- 309, 332, 334 and 355/357 will not be changed.
- 101, 306, 308, 315/325 and 388 will be canceled, as well as the FLEX routes 392 and 395.
- NCTD Breeze bus routes will be following these schedule reductions on Sunday:
Passengers on the COASTER and SPRINTER train service will also be able to ride any Amtrak Pacific Surfliner train throughout Sunday, NCTD said.
According to NCTD officials, additional reductions or cancellations of service might occur depending on conditions. Real-time bus and train information can be found on NCTD’S website.
Amtrak Surfliner
In anticipation of issues that could arise amid the onset of Hurricane Hilary, Amtrak has canceled the following trains as a precautionary measure:
- Trains 562, 573, 580, 591
- Train 794 between Los Angeles and San Diego
- Train 761 between San Diego and Los Angeles
COASTER and Metrolink passengers are also allowed to ride any Pacific Surfliner train on Sunday, according to Amtrak.
For the latest updates on service adjustments, passengers are encouraged to check Amtrak’s travel advisory webpage.
Metropolitan Transit Service
As of Friday, MTS said they plan to operate normal bus and Trolley service when the storm hits on Sunday. However, detours and schedule adjustments could be made depending on necessity based on conditions.
MTS riders are encouraged to check the agency’s Alerts & Detours website page for the latest information about disruptions to service.
“MTS wants all riders to be safe, take extra time, and only travel if necessary,” the agency said in a statement.
