San Diego Coaster

Inside the San Dieg Coaster Train

Riding the Coaster is a very pleasant experience. Before you board the Coaster, you’ll need to purchase your ticket. There are a few different ways to purchase your tickets.

You can purchase individual fares at the automated vending machines at each station as well as at NCTD’s customer service stations. If you have a Compass Card, which is the fare card for all transit agencies throughout San Diego, you can pay using any stored value you have. Keep in mind that the fare for the Coaster is more expensive than the fare for the Trolley or buses.

You can also purchase passes using the Compass Cloud app, which is available for Apple and Android devices. This is an easy and sustainable way to purchase passes on your mobile device. With the Compass Cloud app, you can purchase passes in advance and activate them when you ride the Coaster.

You won’t need to go through a fare gate to get on the Coaster, but you will need to tap your pass on the fare box to validate. You should always have your pass with you when you board the train. Conductors may come through and check your fare, and if you don’t have a validated pass with you, you could be subject to fines.

Before getting on the train, be sure to check the signs on the platform to make sure you are going in the right direction. There are signs on all platforms to indicate whether you are going north or south, as well as when the next train is coming.

Once you board the Coaster train, you can choose any seat. The seats are very comfortable and the atmosphere is very safe. The trains have two stories, so you can choose to sit upstairs for a better view of the beautiful San Diego scenery.

While riding the train, listen closely to see when your stop is coming. You may want to start standing up and making your way downstairs a few minutes before your stop to ensure that you don’t miss it. Since these trains are larger, it can take more time to exit.

Since Coaster trains do not run at all hours, you’ll need to check the schedule before riding.

Coaster trains start running at approximately 5 AM and run until approximately 7 PM. During morning rush hour, trains come approximately every 30 minutes. However, they come less often during the middle of the day or on holidays.

Check The Holiday Schedule

If you are traveling during special holidays and events, the Coaster and its connections may not be available to ride. On Christmas Day, New Years Eve, Thanksgiving Day, Labor Day and Memorial Day the Coaster, Breeze and Sprinter reduce the number of rounds they do and operate for limited hours.

If you need Coaster service later in the evening or in the middle of the day when Coaster isn’t running, you can take the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner as an alternative, which runs on the same tracks. If you have a Coaster Regional Day pass or a Coaster Monthly Pass, you can use these fares on Amtrak, otherwise you will need to buy a one-way fare directly through Amtrak. Keep in mind that the Pacific Surfliner does not stop at all Coaster stations.

The Coaster doesn’t typically get very crowded, so you’ll almost always be able to find a comfortable seat. The best time to ride the Coaster is in the morning on weekdays, when trains run the most often.

In most cases, it takes about an hour to get from Oceanside to Downtown San Diego on the Coaster, or vice versa. Be sure to plan accordingly when scheduling your day out in San Diego.

Coaster Train from the Santa Fe Train Station

The Coaster is a very affordable way to travel from the North County Coastal area to Downtown San Diego and vice versa. The Coaster has a sliding fee scale that charges you based on the number of ‘zones’ you go through on your trip. Downtown and Old Town San Diego are zone 1, Sorrento Valley is zone 2, and Solana Beach, Encinitas, Carlsbad, and Oceanside are zone 3.

A one-way fare for a one-zone trip is $5 for adults and $2.50 for youth, disabled, and senior travelers. Two zones cost $5.75 and $2.75, while three zones cost $6.50 and $3.25.

If you’re going to be using the Coaster multiple times in 24 hours, you may want to consider purchasing a Coaster regional day pass, which costs $15 for adults and $7.50 for youth, senior, and disabled riders. This will cover rides in all zones for the full day.

Coaster also offers monthly passes for those who are going to be in town for longer periods of time. Monthly passes are priced using the zone structure. Adults will pay $140 for one zone, $161 for two zones, and $182 for three zones. Youth, senior, and disabled riders will pay $58 for all monthly passes.

As always, prices are subject to change so make sure to check directly with the Coaster before your arrival for any updates to pricing.

You can purchase one-way tickets all the way through monthly passes directly at the North County Transit District website.

Parking at Coaster Stations

There is parking available at all Coaster stations. Parking is free at all stations except Santa Fe Depot in Downtown San Diego, where you’ll need to pay for metered parking.

All stations except for downtown and Old Town also allow two-week parking.

Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

For those with a Tesla or other electric cars, the Oceanside transit center has electric vehicle charging stations for your convenience. As electric cars become more popular charging stations are popping up quickly.

Biking to the Coaster

Most Coaster stations have a place where you can park your bike, whether that’s in a secure bike locker or on a bike rack. You can also take your bike on the Coaster - make sure to place it in the designated bike areas.