NCTD outlines fleet replacement, double-tracking and funding concerns to Carlsbad subcommittee

Tyler Mosher, government affairs officer for the North County Transit District, told the Carlsbad legislative subcommittee on July 6 that NCTD’s top near-term priorities include replacing the Sprinter fleet, improving the Sprinter operations facility and platforms to accommodate new vehicles, and advancing corridor work such as signal upgrades and a 0.6-mile double-track project including an aging-bridge replacement north of Oceanside.

"These vehicles are old — they're approaching the end of their useful life," Mosher said, adding that the agency adopted its FY2027 budget on June 18 allocating about $180 million for operations and just under $50 million for capital projects. He cited FY2025 ridership of roughly 8.4 million boardings, a 10% increase year over year.

Mosher described several safety and capacity projects the agency is pursuing: platform modifications for new cars, replacement of railroad signals, expansion of double track to reduce delays, and eventual deployment of positive train control on corridors that lack it. He emphasized the need for projects to have local and stakeholder support and to be shovel-ready for discretionary grant applications: "We want to make sure that any project that we're moving forward with in a given year is ready to move forward — all the permits and environmental work is done."

The presentation included a federal policy update: Mosher said NCTD is monitoring surface transportation reauthorization proposals in Congress and is advocating for greater operating assistance and for advanced appropriations that guarantee funding. He flagged the Build America 250 Act as containing useful reforms but with substantially lower funding than the prior IIJA package: "The Build America 250 Act allocates about $580 billion over five years, compared with $1.2 trillion in IIJA," Mosher said, noting that passenger-rail programs would see cuts under some proposals.

Councilmembers pressed Mosher on several local concerns. Councilmember Burkholder asked about the Carlsbad trenching project and whether it is a priority for NCTD; Mosher said the project has been worked on for years and "just because something's not in our discretionary grant strategy does not mean that it is not being worked on." On station cleanliness and graffiti at the village train stop, Burkholder said the problem burdens the city and asked Mosher to relay concerns; Mosher agreed to raise those issues with NCTD leadership.

On double tracking through South Carlsbad and the Ponto area, Mosher said the work is a long-term goal in partnership with SANDAG and reiterated the need for public and city input on project decisions. On fares, he said NCTD has discussed phased fare increases regionally with SANDAG and San Diego MTS and that any final decision would follow public outreach.

The subcommittee received the presentation with appreciation and no formal action was taken. The exchange highlighted Carlsbad officials’ interest in ensuring local priorities — trenching, cleanliness and double-tracking timelines — are reflected in NCTD planning and grant-seeking.