Oceanside Transit Center: San Diego County's Transit Hub

The majority of San Diego's coastline may be developed, but it's fortunate enough to also be hugged by a major rail artery. Multiple trains come and go, with some traversing as far as 300 miles north to California's Central Coast. Not only that, the county's coastal cities and agencies have all agreed to build the Coastal Rail Trail, an ambitious bikeway project. Here's what you can grab from this important transit hub:

Coastal Rail Trail
When finished, the goal of this 44-mile bikeway is to be a robust mix of bike path and protected bikeway between Oceanside and downtown San Diego generally following the rail corridor (there will be some on-street bike lanes and routes throughout). As of spring 2015, It's nearly half way complete in separated segments. Want to take advantage of what's out there now? The GoBikeSD interactive map can deliver you to plenty of places along the coast with existing bicycle infrastructure.

Coaster
As its name suggests, the Coaster spans most of the San Diego County coastline running over 20 trains on weekdays and a modified schedule on the weekends. It takes about one hour to travel the whole thing, so good thing there are plenty of coastal views to take in for most of the ride.

Pacific Surfliner
One of the busiest Amtrak lines in the country, the Surfliner climbs up and down the coast between downtown San Diego and San Luis Obispo, hitting major stations in Anaheim, Los Angeles, and Santa Barbara. While it doesn't stop at every station in San Diego County, it can be used for some local commutes.

Metrolink
Usually associated with the Los Angeles metro region, two of Metrolink's routes dip into San Diego County at Oceanside: the lines from Los Angeles Union Station and the Inland Empire.

Sprinter, Breeze, and more
The Oceanside Transit Center also serves as an important hub for inland commuting. The Sprinter is a light rail travels to Escondido while the Breeze bus service offers numerous routes in the north county region. Additionally, Riverside Transit offers a commuter express options to here.