Great idea, not such great execution. Good - reliable and generally on time, and at a reasonable price (if you factor in the hassle and price of parking downtown). Bad - cars could be cleaner. So could the windows. This would be a world-class scenic commute if you weren't looking out through grimy glass. Ugly - Ridiculous schedule for a major metro commute. With an average of 90 minutes between trains, you need to be either on a very flexible schedule, or have lots of spare time to kill. And God help you if a meeting goes a few minutes long. It can ruin your evening. Station Parking facilities could also be better. And not having a rail link to the airport is downright inexcusable. read more

Overall, a good way to get to Oceanside from SD. But how about fixing those ticket machines at Old Town station? I attempted to buy a ticket from two different machines trying 3 cards. Couldn't read them. Missed my train. Advice to others, buy your ticket with cash or on your computer to print out. They have a phone app but it stopped allowing ticket purchases at the end of last year. Looks like they're working on a new app for spring. It's a novel concept, but here it goes: You can't ride the train if you can't buy a ticket. And you can't buy a ticket if the machine can't take payment. (Get the sarcasm? Good.) I'll make sure to have cash next time. Hopefully the machine will take the bills. Ha! Good to know we're still years away from a cashless society. read more

Printed and website schedule times are confusing and wrong. On Sunday, it said they only have 7 trains running. But that's not correct, they have more trains not listed. Pissed me off as when I thought the next train wouldn't be for 3 hours, so I took the 101 bus to Oceanside. It was messed up that about 30 minutes into the ride, and about the half way point, I see a north bound train. WTF. Get your schedules straight people. read more

I don't always use public transportation, but when I do, I prefer The Coaster. On time, clean, inexpensive, lots of parking, and other not-review-worthy stuff make it great! read more

Commuting on the Coaster since conception it has improved tremendously over the years. As compared to The Bay Area transit in San Francisco, their rail down the peninsula rated better on time, station location and ease of ticketing. Here are the specifics: 5 - comfort though it's showing it's age 1 - wifi, I turn off my wifi because I have better response time on my data service 2 - PA system too loud and the conductors are a bit too corny, be succinct and stop the lecturing 3 - thank you for onboard bathrooms. Reasonably maintained for a public restroom 3 - ticketing convenient but it would be preferable that platform machines have more reliability especially at the beginning of the month. Also put the swiping machine at Santa Fe at the middle platform too 4 - good schedule for the commuter 1 - no alcohol policy. read more

Pros: Best way to beat traffic from hell between Oceanside to Sorrento Valley if you have to commute to to Old Town or Down Town everyday. Monthly pass is best way to go, which you can also use for all Trolly and local Bus rides. That's useful if you also need a bus ride to the Airport. Always on time with lots of scheduled stops throughout the day. The conductor at the 5:27 is a funny guy who adds commentary to his stop announcements. The other conductors are more monotone robots. Cons: The seats sucks. Most of the cushions are worn, soiled, and hard to sit on. Leg room a bit cramped especially during rush hours. And there's no power outlets for laptops. Occasionally, you get the loud cell phone users and folks talking to each other about their personal lives. Which could be amusing or annoying depending on the subject. Just be prepared with a book, computer, or head phones and music to zone out those distractions. read more

The credit card machine does not work. The asshole on the train didn't believe me. Tried both machines. It's a $300 ticket. read more

NCTD Coaster Train - Ticketing this poor kid for the same problem. No cash. - Public Transportation Near Me - Oceanside, California

Now with added service on 3 Amtrak trains a day each way, the coaster is even better. See my tip on the new service.

Ahhhhh....I heart trains and the Coaster is no exception. Need to get North to South San Diego? Take the Coaster. It seriously beats the traffic on 5 and the aggravation and stress. For some change you can get to your destination on time, relaxed and refreshed! read more

The thing runs on time all the time. There's really not much more to say other than the carriages are always clean and I can get in a good nap. If you can, try to get military discounting or some other discounts. It will save you a few bucks... that of which can go towards a McDonald's $1 double cheeseburger. read more

Sure, it's clean and makes some convenient stops (for me at least), but the times are terrible. Depending on your direction, the Coaster stops at 7am, 8am, and then 10am. Those are some pretty inconvenient times for morning commutes. The afternoon is better with close to hourly departures. The wifi on board is also really spotty. Might as well bring a book. read more

I bought online two tickets for thanksgiving week. I went in an Amtrak train as I use to and they didn't accept my tickets. They changed their policie on the same Monday saying they won't accept coaster tickets on Amtrak trains for the holiday week. Of course I didn't see it and they aren't willing to refund my money. Next time please write these things more days in advance and put it in several places in a visible way on your website so all we know the changes. The costumer service in coaster is really bad. read more

Great service to have as a commute option, workers are great especially Maria. they have recently removed a car making for cramped conditions and working on the train and even finding a seat difficult. More frequent times would be an improvement, but I assume they are working on that with all the new double track being installed. read more

Another Coaster delay it's routine for this commuter train to be late they have no incentive to meet their posted schedule because they don't care, the Coaster is not maintained properly and is dirty as well. Need new management empty this swamp. read more

The coaster train to and from Oceanside to San Diego was the hottest train. There was no ventilation and when asked why it was hot, the conductor said they had no control over the AC. There wasn't even any circulation of air whatsoever! One passenger mentioned that it's been that way for weeks. read more

Had a very bad experience on July 3. We bought tix for 11:18a train to San Diego. Due to construction the train departed from platform 3 not the normal platform 1. There were no notices on the tix vending machine nor on the platform. We missed the train along with about a dozen others. This was brought to the attention of the customer service personnel who were very callous about the situation. The mgr. blew off 1 customer saying he was busy with someone else. The service was non existent. Pathetic! read more

If the coaster ran later from downtown back up north, this would be a five star review. The coaster (or participating amtrak trains) run southbound all the way until midnight. Northbound, only until 9pm. I haven't yet figured out the logic or reasoning for this. The coaster has made my commute much nicer, EXCEPT half of my shifts are at night. Also, wouldn't they have people who are going out downtown and need a ride back up, way more often than the other way around? I love the train itself, clean, spacious, nice staff, nice restrooms...i just wish they would work out a later schedule. Come on, NCTD, make it happen, get those people on board. read more

Holy Moly-The Coaster to the Del Mar Opening was so much fun. The train was packed..hats everywhere. It was great people watching too. It was an easy ride approx 30 mins from Oceanside to Solana Beach. 8 bucks round trip and no hassles with parking Del Mar Racetrack provided shuttles to and from the train. Not sure if they do that everyday. You want to inquire. read more

Loved this train ride! I live in Hemet and we didn't feel like driving all the way to SD (especially with gas prices right now..eeek!). So we decided to take the Coaster train to Old Town from Oceanside. We parked in the parking structure which was free and got our tickets at the kiosks. They do tend to leave 3 minutes early so get there 15 minutes before departure. Sat at the top and it was such a scenic ride! We got there in about an hour too and it cost $11 dollars round trip per person. Plenty of seats on Saturday around 11am. Once we got to the other stations along the way it filled up pretty quick. No complaints and will be doing it again for sure. Next time, for a Padres game. :) read more

Stops running at 7 on Friday?!? That's just lame. Yet, the Sprinter runs until midnight...why would you not rather go downtown?

The Coaster is fun fun fun!!! Alcohol is allowed so you can start the party on the run. Only con is there is not enough trips in the day.

Be prepared to pay twice as much... Train may be on the wrong track and there isn't a quick way to cross over. We had our elderly dad with us who has copd. My husband bought an extra set of tickets to ride in the southbound train, which arrived on the opposite track. Before we could cross over to the other track, the train left. There wasn't any announcement letting us know. The nctd hasn't anyone directing the tourist nor will they refund. If we would have missed the second train which was almost 40 minutes late and on the incorrect track, we would have had to wait more than 3 hours...Otherwise it was an experience to remember... The attendant just signed off on our second set of tickets. So we'll be using them for a second trip. read more

The Coaster Runs between Oceanside with stops all along the coast until you reach your final destination at the Santa Fe Station in downtown San Diego. I love this ride, the train is clean and you can't beat the views of the coast. I guess my favorite part of this ride is being able to see all the little kids excitement and delight of looking our their windows and seeing the surfers in the waves as they pass by. This is an excellent family outing to plan together your kids will never forget it! read more

Good for commuting from North County to downtown, but bad if you want to stay downtown for happy hour. Last train leaves downtown around 7. That's just stupid. They should offer at least two more northbound trips on Fridays. One around 10pm for those of us who want to enjoy a late dinner and the other around 2:30am for the last callers. read more

Disappointed.... 25 mins late to the Padres game and train sluggishly chugs ahead at a snails pace... waste of time.

Extremely useful for traveling between Oceanside and San Diego. Quiet, convenient, and comfortable.

Wish SD Coaster went to airport. Take a bunch of traffic off the highways and help clean the SD air which is getting polluted and unhealthy to breathe. read more

I used to ride the Coaster train. Not anymore!!!! The train is gonna fall into the ocean at Del Mar. Please read the news about it slowly deteriorating under neath the train tracks. read more

Is it really necessary at 10:30 at night to lay on the horn constantly through town I know they have to hit the horn at certain times but it seems they lay on it excessively read more

Horribly inconvenient weekend schedule fir anyone wanting to travel up from San Diego and back in the same day. Travels slower than the San Diego Trolley or Amtrak. read more

The lack of coordination between rail lines makes using Metrolink Trains to Oceanside from Orange County to switch to the Coaster to continue south a risky proposition. Tonight many people failed to catch the Coaster because they simply couldn't walk/run fast enough to make it. read more

Best way to commute in SD without a doubt. All employees are very helpful and surprisingly friendly (especially if you're a regular from what I've witnessed). Regular security walk throughs provide an enhanced sense of security and safety. Also I calculated that if you commute for an an hour+ to and from work, you get an extra MONTH added to your year of productive time that you would otherwise spend focused on driving! Chew on that. read more

I really wish that the Coaster was real mass transit. Price = A, $11 round trip from San Diego to E. Oceanside is cheaper than I can drive it. Even cheaper with a monthly pass. Availability = B, the earliest train into Oceanside arrives at 7:28. They expect that everyone is going South. Speed = F, it takes over twice as long to get from Old Town to Rancho Del Oro by Coaster/Sprinter than it does to drive not including getting to the station early or walking the last leg. Taking the Coaster would add at least an hour each way. I don't want to spend two more hours a day commuting. Frequency = F, between 3:00 and 7:00 there are only 3 trains heading South. One gap is an 1 hour and 40 minutes, another 1 hour and 22 minutes. That might be okay for a weekend getaway, but not for commuters. Now they are adding more stations, which will only slow the trains down even more. I've lived in cities with real mass transit and wish we had that here so I could be one less person on the freeway. I'm just not willing to spend an extra two hours a day commuting and will be driving again tomorrow. read more

Don't get me wrong. I love the coaster. Beautiful views, clean seats, and good people are on board on a consistent basis. The problem is, it's run by morons. Apparently, the only way to tell if your train will not be showing up at a given date/time is to check on the North County Transit District's ("NCTD") website and click on "alerts." Then you have to sit through a tiny scrolling message at the top of the screen until you find an applicable alert- or not. Even then, the alerts are confusing. For example, one recent (if not current) alert says Amtrak 509 will cover for "coaster" patrons going north and making "all scheduled stops." Which coaster will not be in service you ask? No idea. You figure it out. But is the Amtrak at least going to keep the coaster schedule? Hell no. Amtrak is on Amtrak time. Check with them. Yeah, but at least it's making all scheduled coaster stops, right? Absolutely not. In fact, it makes NO STOPS between Solana Beach and Oceanside, the very last coaster stop. Worst yet, there's no attempt whatsoever to tell passengers any of this. And guess what? If you happen to get STRANDED TWO DAYS IN A ROW because of this debacle, THERE IS NO CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPARTMENT TO CALL! That's right, if you want an explanation, too bad. You're lucky just to have the privilege of taking the train, which costs the exact same as gas anyway. Let me assure you of one thing NCTD, if this crap happened anywhere else (especially NYC) but tepid San Diego, there would be RIOTS! ps: I hope you all get fired and replaced by migrant workers. At least then there will be a language barrier to blame. read more

I love that there's a lot of parking here and for the most part very easy to access. The only thing that confuses me is I'm not always sure what side of the tracks I'm supposed to be on & have missed a train due to this which as a result wasted our $24 for 2 tickets because we ended up having to drive or miss our engagement! read more

I've been riding the coaster for years with and without my bicycle. Today I'm disgusted with them. I don't like to give a bad review, but, it's appropriate right now. Trains we're delayed due to police activity, however, communication was terrible about the next train. Twitter is where most information is provided. I received no reply to my query and am truly disappointed. read more

Really wanted to take to coaster on a Saturday to del mar fair. Their schedule sucks there are definitely not enough times offered to many gaps between especially on Saturday. Now we have to drive. I'm sure more people would use coaster if ran every hour on weekends. Boo transit system read more

Although the price has gone up, and I think is too expensive for public transportation, I love the Coaster. It makes going to the games fun and easy. You are allowed to drink on the Coaster on the way down, BUT NOT BACK UP after the game. My friend and I got kicked off at Sorrento Valley one night after a baseball game because we were finishing up our beer. Two girls getting kicked off at Sorrento Valley with no lights, taxi, other people, or idea of where to go=BAD IDEA. If i were to rate the Coaster based on this alone, they would get a negative -1000 stars. But i blame the lame security instead. I do wish the Coaster ran a few hours later each night. I mean, SD wants people to expand their use of public transportation, but they make everything so expensive and inconvenient. Why pay $11 to go on the Coaster when i can drive down there for a few dollars. Doesn't make much sense to me. But besides alllllll that...I am a fan of the Coaster. It is a beautiful ride and always clean and comfortable. read more

5 April 2019, Once again Coaster breaks down, dumps it passengers and tells you to wait for the next train. If you can avoid this train system I would do it at all cost. If I could give them no stars I would! read more

The Coaster runs on time, doesn't charge much, is pretty clean, and has decent bathrooms. It's also nice and warm in the winter time. For all of that, it's a pretty decent commuter rail. The main pitfall is that the trains don't run very frequently and there aren't many stops. read more