The Inland Rail Trail was developed through the coordination of the North County Transit District, the County of San Diego, and the Cities of Escondido, San Marcos, Vista, and Oceanside. It is envisioned as a continuous Class I path connecting the Oceanside Transit Center to the Escondido Transit Center via the SPRINTER corridor with the intent of improving access, mobility, and quality of life for people living in the nearby communities.

The Inland Rail Trail passes through several municipalities and has lacked dedicated funding to complete the full project. Each jurisdiction has worked closely with regional partners to secure funding for individual segments which has allowed the project to advance in phases.

The Oceanside Inland Rail Trail Feasibility Study is a step in the development of the Oceanside Inland Rail Trail. The Feasibility Study developed concepts based on community input, making the project ready to pursue funding for final design and construction phases. The Study was completed in April 2026. Final design and completion of the project is contingent on identification of additional funding sources.

Please review the Preliminary Design Concepts under the “Resources” tab of this website to explore the proposed Inland Rail Trail project.

The Inland Rail Trail will be designed as a community asset, meaning it will be accessible and usable for all users – including both pedestrians and cyclists. Specific designs to separate pedestrians and bicyclists have not been finalized. If separation between pedestrians and cyclists is important to you please fill out the input form here or call the Oceanside Inland Rail Trail at 1 (888) 221-2260.

A separated multi-use path is proposed for the entirety of the OIRT preferred alignment. As shown in the Preliminary Design Concepts, even when the proposed OIRT is adjacent to a roadway, it will be separated from vehicular traffic with elements such as landscape buffers, a raised curb, or vertical barriers.

Many design options were considered west of I-5, but due to limited right-of-way on Oceanside Blvd west of Ditmar St, and steep slopes and limited right-of-way next to the SPRINTER tracks, the proposed IRT provides the best user experience while still providing a constructable community asset.

The City is reviewing active transportation connections throughout the City as part of the Oceanside Active Transportation Plan and Oceanside Safety Action Plan. While the IRT will only connect to active transportation facilities which are adjacent to the proposed IRT alignment, connections to schools, parks, places of employment, and other trails can be provided through the greater active transportation network within Oceanside.

Major road crossings are shown in detail in the Preliminary Design Concepts. Crossing strategies include traffic signals for roadways with heavy traffic, and RRFBs with refuge islands for lower traffic roadways. Each roadway crossing along the proposed OIRT has unique design challenges, but infrastructure improvements at each crossing will allow for a smooth ride throughout the OIRT.

The proposed OIRT alignment was chosen to provide a maximum width throughout as much of the OIRT corridor as possible. By providing a wider cross-section, trail users can have space to navigate different user groups with different preferred travel speeds. Traversable shoulders and relatively flat grades also help user groups mix safely. The physical design components of the IRT are discussed in more detail in Section 5 of the Feasibility Study.