San Elijo Lagoon Double Track

SANDAG worked in collaboration with NCTD, Caltrans, and the FTA to design and construct the San Elijo Lagoon Double Track Project, a rail improvement project that extends between the cities of Encinitas and Solana Beach. The project is fully funded for construction.

The project has two main elements. It added 1.5 miles of second main track from Cardiff-by-the-Sea to the southern border of the San Elijo Lagoon, and replaced the more than 80-year-old wooden trestle San Elijo Lagoon rail bridge with a modern, double-track, concrete bridge.

The new double track creates more than four miles of continuous double track on the LOSSAN coastal rail corridor, eliminating the need for meeting or passing trains to take turns using the single track.

Other improvements included:

• Added a new pedestrian undercrossing at the south end of the lagoon
• Upgraded signaling and safety at the Chesterfield Drive grade crossing
• Reconfigured a rail switch
• Constructed a low retaining wall north of the lagoon to keep the rail tracks separated from the lagoon inlet, which will be below the height of the railroad

The project is compatible with the extension of the Coastal Rail Trail for bikes and pedestrians in Encinitas. The Coastal Rail Trail is a 44-mile system of planned bike facilities between the cities of Oceanside and San Diego. This bike trail is intended to provide a safe and comfortable bike riding environment that is separated from motor vehicle traffic.

Key Documents