Transportation authority's extended blueprint embraces the construction of a train station at Camp Pendleton military base
San Diego County's only railroad link with Los Angeles and the rest of the United States runs through the coastal route, but as of mid-2025, there is no clear indication that a proposed new train station directly on Camp Pendleton is included in the county's 2025 regional transport plan.
Current public transit options serving Camp Pendleton South include nearby stops such as Access Rd & Px, with connectivity to existing train services including the Pacific Surfliner, Coaster, and Sprinter lines. However, a dedicated new train station on-site remains unconfirmed for 2025.
Regional transit apps like Moovit list these existing nearby stations but do not show a new station proposal implemented as part of the 2025 plan for Camp Pendleton. No official announcements or transport agency communications as of August 2025 confirm a new train station construction or opening specifically at Camp Pendleton in the 2025 San Diego regional transportation initiatives.
The North County Transit District's (NCTD) board of directors reviewed the proposal for a Camp Pendleton train station as early as 2011, commissioning a planning study and conceptual engineering of a potential rail station on Camp Pendleton near the Stuart Mesa Maintenance Facility. The proposal received conceptual approval from the Pentagon in late 2013, and the district approved spending up to $334,000 on preliminary work to set the project in motion.
If built, the station could serve not only Coaster commuter trains but also Amtrak and Metrolink trains. The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) has proposed extending the Coaster commuter line from downtown San Diego to a platform on Camp Pendleton, which is one of their long-term goals in the draft 2025 regional plan. Base personnel could benefit from Defense Department transportation subsidies for riding the train.
Much of the bus service within Camp Pendleton is provided by the district's Flex on-demand program, with the Breeze bus routes covering several areas of the base. The most likely location for the station is Stuart Mesa, where NCTD has a Coaster maintenance yard.
The railroad has existed on the same route since the 1880s, but the spur line that went through Camp Pendleton was removed after damaging storms in the early 2000s. In the late 1990s, it carried thousands of Vietnam War-era napalm canisters removed from the weapons station.
The extension of the Coaster commuter line from downtown San Diego to Camp Pendleton could significantly improve transportation for base personnel and the surrounding communities. However, as of August 2025, the status remains that the proposed train station on Camp Pendleton remains unconfirmed or not yet realized within the 2025 regional transport plan.
- While the existing railroad connects San Diego County to Los Angeles and the rest of the United States, a proposed new train station directly on Camp Pendleton is not included in the county's 2025 regional transport plan.
- Regional transit apps do not show a new train station proposal as part of the 2025 plan for Camp Pendleton, yet the North County Transit District's (NCTD) proposal for a Camp Pendleton train station, which includes Amtrak and Metrolink trains, was reviewed as early as 2011.
- Although much of the bus service within Camp Pendleton is provided by the district's Flex on-demand program, the extension of the Coaster commuter line from downtown San Diego to a potential new train station on Camp Pendleton could significantly improve transportation for base personnel and the surrounding communities, especially with potential Defense Department transportation subsidies for riding the train.
