San Diego's coastal commuter train services are on a temporary hiatus this weekend, with COASTER and Amtrak suspending operations between Oceanside Transit Center and Santa Fe Depot from Saturday, March 2, to Sunday, March 3. North County Transit District (NCTD) officials cited routine maintenance and infrastructure improvements as the cause for the disruption, according to information provided on NCTD's service alert.

This service suspension is expected to affect numerous daily commuters, with NCTD advising passengers to seek alternative transportation and explicitly noting there will be no replacement bus service linking COASTER station stops, leaving travelers to turn to BREEZE bus Route 101 or MTS connections to bridge the gap; freight trains, however, will continue to run overnight, according to a report by FOX 5/KUSI.

The weekend work, described as crucial for the enhancement of California's rail infrastructure by the NCTD, promises to deliver smoother and more reliable services once completed. Coastal rail passengers can anticipate the resumption of regular schedules starting Monday, March 4, as per NCTD's announcement.

NCTD stresses the importance of safety during this period, reminding the public that even with the absence of passenger trains, tracks will remain hotbeds of industrial activity with freight trains operating throughout the suspension, they issued a cautionary reminder in their alert that "tracks are for trains," underlining the continued presence of heavy rail traffic despite the passenger service standstill. Regular updates and further information regarding rail service alerts can be found on the NCTD website.