A man believed to be in his 20s or 30s was struck and killed by a northbound Amtrak Surfliner train at the D Street railroad crossing in Encinitas shortly before 5 a.m. on Sunday, September 20, 2026, according to the Encinitas Fire Department. Fire crews responded first to the scene and determined the victim was deceased at the scene. His identity had not been released as of Sunday.
The collision, reported by Fox 5 San Diego, prompted a response from San Diego County Sheriff's deputies and Amtrak personnel, who investigated the circumstances surrounding the crash. Rail service was temporarily shut down near Orpheus Avenue and North Vulcan Avenue while crews worked the scene, though service has since resumed in the area. Authorities have not released additional details about what led to the fatal collision.
The Sheriff's Department has not issued a broader public statement identifying the agency unit involved, according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department.
A Crossing With a Grim Recent History
Sunday's fatality is not the first at this stretch of track. In January 2024, an 18-year-old Encinitas resident was struck and killed by a southbound BNSF Railway freight train at the same intersection of Vulcan Avenue and D Street, according to reporting at the time from the Coast News.
The pattern extends beyond D Street itself. In April 2026, a train fatally struck a pedestrian near Chesterfield Drive in the nearby Cardiff area of Encinitas, an incident Hoodline previously reported caused major Coaster delays and required a Breeze bus bridge between Solana Beach and Encinitas. That crossing sits within a designated quiet zone where train horns are typically restricted.
High Speeds Through a Dense Coastal Corridor
Passenger and freight trains travel through Encinitas along the coastal rail corridor.
The City of Encinitas previously installed pedestrian scramble signals along Highway 101 at D Street and E Street to halt vehicular traffic and give beachbound walkers priority crossing access near the tracks, according to the City of Encinitas.
Federal Grant Targets the Same Intersection
The timing places renewed attention on a $33.6 million federal grant the City of Encinitas secured in August 2026 through the Federal Railroad Administration. The funding is earmarked for grade crossing safety upgrades along six miles of the LOSSAN rail corridor, including new vehicle and pedestrian gates at the D Street crossing, as detailed by the Coast News. The same grant covers safety modifications at E Street and Leucadia Boulevard on tracks owned by the North County Transit District.
The stakes are notable statewide, too. According to 2026 statistics published by Operation Lifesaver, California led the nation in railroad trespassing casualties, and 793 nationwide trespassing fatalities were recorded in 2025, with trespassing along railroad rights-of-way remaining the leading cause of rail-related fatalities across the country.
Authorities have not released further information about what led to the collision.
The D Street crossing sits along the Los Angeles–San Diego–San Luis Obispo corridor.
