The Inland Rail Trail is a proposed 21-mile Class I bikeway through the cities of Oceanside, Vista, San Marcos, and Escondido, as well as a portion of the unincorporated County of San Diego. The Inland Rail Trail is an important element of the San Diego Regional Bike Plan and is considered a priority project. Completion of the Inland Rail Trail and other similar Class I bikeways will help create an interconnected regional bike network. A Class I bikeway is a bike path that is physically separate from motor vehicle traffic.
In 2009, the eastern most portion of the bikeway was constructed in the cities of Escondido and San Marcos; that 7-mile portion of the Inland Rail Trail begins at the Escondido SPRINTER Rail Station and ends at the intersection of West Mission Road and North Pacific Street in San Marcos.
The current project, the San Marcos to Vista segment of the Inland Rail Trail, is a 7-mile Class I bikeway through San Marcos, Vista, and the County of San Diego (view schedule). This segment begins at the intersection of West Mission Road and North Pacific Street in San Marcos and ends at the intersection of North Melrose Drive and West Bobier Drive in Oceanside. View project area and typical cross section.
The San Marcos to Vista segment of the Inland Rail Trail is generally located in the North County Transit District (NCTD) right-of-way and, when completed, will provide access to five SPRINTER stations.
The western most portion of the Inland Rail Trail, which will extend the bikeway from the intersection of North Melrose Drive and West Bobier Drive to Wisconsin Avenue in Oceanside, will be part of a future project.
More information is available on the Inland Rail Trail fact sheet in English and en Español.
Current Activities
Construction work on Phase 2 of the San Marcos to Vista segment of the Inland Rail Trail will take place mostly within the NCTD right-of-way between the City of San Marcos and City of Oceanside boundaries. Most work will occur Monday through Friday, holidays excluded, between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. Crews will operate heavy machinery and trucks, as needed, to construct the new bikeway. Landscaping, lighting, and retaining walls will be installed throughout the bikeway, as well as a new fence along the NCTD tracks. Phase 2 is anticipated to be completed in late 2018.
