Updated:  05.14.26

PROJECT STATUS

The City’s Leucadia At-Grade Rail Crossings project continues to move forward through its development process.  And RailPros, Inc. continues to be the City’s main partner for developing this project.  A key update is that on February 5, 2026, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved the project’s two at-grade pedestrian-rail crossings, one at Phoebe St and the other at Grandview St.  The City will now take the project beyond its 35% design.  RailPros has provided a proposal to complete the design, which will be taken to City Council for approval.  The additional budget needed to complete the design has been requested during the annual budget process that’s taking place in Spring 2026

In addition, the City applied for an FRA grant on February 4, 2026, to fund three of its railroad projects, including its Leucadia At-Grade Pedestrian Rail Crossing project.  The other two projects were the City’s Quiet Zone and the Verdi Avenue Pedestrian Crossing, which is fully designed and permitted.  A decision is expected later this year.

Upcoming Neighborhood Meeting:
A CPP Neighborhood Meeting for the Leucadia At-Grade Rail Crossings Project has been scheduled for Tuesday, May 26, 026 at 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. at the Encinitas Community & Senior Center, Banquet Hall.     Public Notice     Presentation PPT     Comment Feedback Form 

ABOUT THE PROJECT 

The North County Transit District (NCTD) subdivision of the Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN/NCTD) Rail Corridor crosses the City of Encinitas communities of Leucadia, Old Encinitas, and Cardiff-by-the-Sea.  The railroad track impedes easy travel between dense residential developments, schools, and the rest of the City east of the rail corridor; and the businesses, residences and beaches west of the rail corridor.  Not too long ago there were only seven legal vehicle or pedestrian crossings of the rail corridor.  Since there is a high volume of pedestrian and cyclist activity on both sides of the railroad track, the City has been looking for ways to increase the number of legal crossings.  Over time the City has been successful at adding pedestrian crossings north and south of Encinitas Blvd and has approved plans to add another pedestrian crossing north of Chesterfield Dr, at Verdi Ave, once construction funding becomes available.  However, this still left the community of Leucadia with no legal pedestrian crossings between Leucadia Blvd and La Costa Ave, a distance of 1.3 miles.  So, the Leucadia At-Grade Rail Crossings was envisioned to solve this shortfall.

The rail crossing locations in the Leucadia At-Grade Rail Crossings project of Phoebe St and Grandview St. were selected based on community input gathered through the City’s Cross Connect study.  Their locations will also tie in with the pathways and pedestrian crossings along the Leucadia Streetscape North Coast Highway 101 improvements.  And their location will cut the 1.3 mile distance between Leucadia Blvd and La Costa Ave into thirds.  This project will require coordination with NCTD and BNSF Railway as well as approval from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC).

Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) regulations require that locomotive horns be sounded in advance of all public at-grade highway-rail crossings.  Since this project will create two new at-grade pedestrian-rail crossings in Leucadia, which also fall under this regulation, each of the project’s rail crossing will include equipment to prevent the routine sounding of locomotive horns.  This equipment is known as wayside horns.  Wayside horns are train-activated stationary acoustic devices directed at the highway or pedestrian traffic.  They are a one for one substitution for train horns.  They require approval from the FRA and the CPUC to implement.