Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Available On Air Stations
Watch Live

Economy

Oceanside Considers Quiet Zones For Hotels Along Train Tracks

The Oceanside SpringHill Suites Marriott sits directly next to the train tracks, October 2014.
Promise Yee
The Oceanside SpringHill Suites Marriott sits directly next to the train tracks, October 2014.

Oceanside Considers Quiet Zones For Hotels Along Train Tracks
Oceanside is considering the cost of creating quiet zones after multiple noise complaints from visitors staying in new hotels along the train tracks.

Oceanside’s beachfront downtown is booming with restaurants, shops and new hotels. There is also the train.

Passenger and freight trains pull into the downtown Oceanside station around the clock. A horn blast usually signals their arrival.

Advertisement
Quiet Zone Staff Report
To view PDF files, download Acrobat Reader.

A new SpringHill Suites hotel sits next to the tracks. The Marriott hotel’s general manager, Kathleen Maola, said train noise does not sit well with some visitors.

“For people who can sleep through anything, they sleep through the train and it really doesn’t bother them. But we also have a lot of light sleepers,” Maola said. “They’re not getting a good night’s sleep. It just puts a damper on their whole vacation experience.”

It’s not only hotel guests who are complaining. Oceanside Mayor Jim Wood said he has heard noise complaints from long-stay vacation renters and residents.

“I truly believe that this is one of our priorities because — besides being a military town — we’re a tourist town,” Wood said. “We get complaints from all the surrounding hotels and some of the vacation rentals complaining about the noise from the trains in the early morning hours. I don’t blame them.”

The city is now conducting a $600,000 study to determine what improvements are needed.

Advertisement

The cost of creating quiet zones could cost up to $8 million.

The city’s timeline for making changes to its five coastal railroad crossings and gaining federal approval for a quiet zone is three years.

The noise problem will likely get worse in the future. San Diego’s regional transportation plan is to increase the number of passenger trains along the coastline to take the pressure off the freeways.

The San Diego Association of Governments will complete double-tracking rail lines from Orange County to San Diego over the next 20 years as part of that plan.

For more information about improvements to the coastal rail corridor known as LOSSAN, for Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo, go to its website.

Corrected: March 28, 2024 at 4:03 AM PDT
Promise Yee is a North County freelance writer. Contact her at promise805@hotmail.com. Twitter: @promisenews. Facebook: promise.yee.1.
The North County Focus newsletter is your bi-weekly guide to all the news coming from North County, plus a handpicked selection of events and trivia tidbits.