May 14, 2024
The Honorable Amit Bose
Administrator
Federal Railroad Administration
1200 New Jersey Ave, SE
Washington, D.C. 20590
RE: Support for NCTD’s Application for Funding from Fiscal Year 2023-2024 Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Program Dear Administrator Bose:
I write to express support for the North County Transit District’s (NCTD) application for funding from the Federal Railroad Administration’s Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Program for the Eastbrook to Shell Double Track Project. This project will improve safety, expand capacity, enhance reliability, and support supply chain resiliency on the nationally significant Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN) Rail Corridor.
NCTD, in partnership with the San Diego Association of Governments, is requesting funding to replace an approximately 100-year-old single track rail bridge over the San Luis Rey River in the City of Oceanside with a concrete double track bridge, maintaining a state of good repair on the LOSSAN Corridor. Replacement of this bridge will improve safety and prevent the risk of a major service disruption in an area where there are no viable rail alternatives, ensuring that passenger and freight rail service to and from San Diego are not jeopardized.
The Eastbrook to Shell Double Track Project will also add 0.6 miles of additional double tracking, eliminating a bottleneck and creating 10.3 miles of continuous double track to enhance reliability and on-time performance for both passenger and freight services. Double tracking expands the capacity of the LOSSAN Corridor, allowing for future frequency increases for Amtrak Pacific Surfliner intercity rail service from San Diego through Los Angeles, Metrolink commuter rail service, and BNSF freight rail. Improved service frequencies will increase ridership, support efficient goods movement, and enhance multimodal connections at the Oceanside Transit Center.
Together, these improvements represent a significant enhancement of rail service on the LOSSAN Corridor, the second busiest intercity rail corridor in the nation. The City of San Marcos highly recommends the Federal Railroad Administration approve NCTD’s funding request for this project. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Rebecca D. Jones
Mayor
2 City Council
[email protected]