Downtown’s getting a new COASTER platform, and it’s set to take riders straight from Oceanside to the San Diego Convention Center, with a quick walk to Petco Park. No more transfer shuffle at Santa Fe Depot. Planners expect the Harbor Drive stop, slated between First and Fifth avenues, to enter service in 2027.
Where The Platform Will Sit
The North County Transit District states that the platform will run parallel to Harbor Drive, from First to Fifth avenues, directly across from the convention center and steps from the Gaslamp Quarter and Petco Park. According to the project page, plans call for an 850-foot platform to handle eight COASTER cars, along with track reconfiguration, a new siding, upgraded signals and dispatch, and safety improvements for pedestrians and bicyclists. Find the technical rundown at NCTD.
Timeline And Construction Impacts
Local reporting indicates that crews will undertake notable work along Harbor Drive, including removing a grassy strip and relocating trees, with major construction potentially starting in spring 2026 and lasting approximately 18 months. That would set up a 2027 opening, though various agency materials have described timing a bit differently. Those construction details were reported by CBS8.
Funding And Why It Matters
The downtown platform is part of LOSSAN corridor upgrades funded by a $106 million Trade Corridor Enhancement Program award announced in December 2020. NCTD states that state dollars, combined with a partnership with BNSF, fully cover the design and construction of the platform, as well as related signal and freight capacity work. The grant package was detailed by NCTD.
What Riders Will Notice
Once open, riders from Oceanside can hop a COASTER and step off much closer to convention center shows, Padres games, and Gaslamp nightlife, no trolley or rideshare handoff required. Scott Shroyer, NCTD’s director of engineering, told CBS8 the project will improve service and could enable roughly one additional COASTER train per hour to ease peak crowds.
Construction Effects Downtown
The San Diego Convention Center lists the NCTD downtown platform among nearby construction efforts and notes work will run along Harbor Drive between First and Fifth avenues, so expect activity on this waterfront corridor. That notice sits alongside other harbor and access projects aimed at improving multimodal circulation during major events and reducing long-term road and trolley congestion.
Officials say more detailed staging, outreach, and traffic plans will follow as construction schedules are finalized. For statewide context on the funding program, see the Trade Corridor Enhancement Program at the California Transportation Commission.
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