Escondido, CA
Stop on the proposed 17,000-mile maglev network. Next stop: Carlsbad, CA (15.5 mi).
About Escondido
Escondido is a city in San Diego County, California, United States. Located in the North County region, it was incorporated in 1888, and is one of the oldest cities in San Diego County. It has a population of 151,038 as of the 2020 census.
Source: Wikipedia summary (full article). Population and facts as published there.
Cost breakdown (proposal-scale estimates — see math)
| Item | Basis | Estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Terminal construction | Large-city terminal (range $2–4B) | $3B |
| Land acquisition | Regional factor 1.5× on $200M base | $300M |
| Track: Escondido → Carlsbad | 15.5 mi × $500M/mi | $7.8B |
| Annual operations (share) | Staffing, power, maintenance | $60M/yr |
| Stop total (excl. annual ops) | $11.1B |
Best terminal location (proposed)
the Escondido Transit Center district. The transit center downtown is the North County hub for the SPRINTER rail line, COASTER connections and BREEZE buses. Escondido's downtown sits at the junction of the 15 and 78 corridors, the natural collection point for inland North County. Land along the SPRINTER corridor gives a workable guideway approach.
Before / after
Aerial mock-up (illustrative, not an engineering rendering). Left: the proposed site today. Right: with the maglev terminal.
- San Marcos — Cal State San Marcos and the SPRINTER corridor give it a dense student and commuter base.
- Vista — North County city on the SPRINTER line between the two.
- The Palomar Airport Road corridor (Carlsbad) — job-rich business parks on the approach to Carlsbad.