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Del Mar racetrack may regain rail access
When they say 27 miles from Oceanside to San Diego it is misleading. The distance on the freeway from Downtown to Oceanside is about 38 miles, on the tracks about 40 miles, and to the city limit of San Diego depending on the direction around 18 or so.
Well, that’s one less bottleneck that trains in this country have to deal with. Hopefully, this project will, in the end, result in better revenue performance for these trains.
You are correct. It is forty miles of track, and that’s what should be measured. This platform, which makes good sense, has been the focus of plenty of controversy. Certain anti-rail folks in Del Mar don’t want to see any increased use of the LOSSAN corridor. In fact, they want to see the track removed from the bluff above the beach in their city and taken inland, or underground, or anywhere but there. So, they’d prefer not to see double track or a replaced bridge. I’ll believe this when I can ride to the racetrack and disembark.
In the days before cars lost of race tracks had their own platforms and the railroads woul run race day specials. Nowerdays the best remaining example I can think of is here in Australia, where there is a special branch line to Flemington racetrack in Melbourne. On Melbourne cup day it becomes the busiest line in Melbourne.
I can’t believe this wasn’t done years ago! The Del Mar racetrack and its events draw so many people, which in turn clogs surface streets and the I-5 alike. Trains stopping here would erase vehicle traffic.