The North County Transit District (NCTD) broke ground on a hydrogen fueling station at its West Bus Division in Oceanside CA. The groundbreaking marks a significant milestone in NCTD’s efforts to transition the BREEZE bus fleet to zero-emission operations.

Once complete, the fueling station will have the capacity to fuel the agency’s hydrogen fuel cell electric buses, which will represent approximately one quarter of NCTD’s fleet in 2025.

NCTD's Charge to Zero Emissions

NCTD plans to transition its entire BREEZE fleet to zero emissions by 2040. They have received funding to purchase both hydrogen fuel cell electric buses and battery-electric buses.

Last year the Federal Transit Administration awarded NCTD funding from the Low or No Emission Vehicle grant program, which also included funding for workforce training and development of an innovative apprenticeship program in collaboration with Palomar College.

“NCTD’s transition to zero-emission BREEZE operations would not be possible without this critical hydrogen fueling infrastructure,” said NCTD CEO Shawn M. Donaghy. “The District’s world-class employees have worked tirelessly to ensure this project is successful and we greatly appreciate the support from Congressman Levin, the Federal Transit Administration, and the California Energy Commission, among others, for this project. This puts us in the driver’s seat to bring hydrogen to our SPRINTER corridor and work toward having a fully functional hydrogen-powered rail system, potentially a first in the United States.”

Funding the Project

The total project cost for the hydrogen fueling station is approximately $8 million. Rep. Mike Levin (CA-49) secured $1.72 million in Community Project Funding in the Fiscal Year 2022 federal appropriations bill for the project. 

This award was matched with a $6 million grant from the California Energy Commission.

Construction of the fueling station is expected to be complete by summer 2025.

Following its completion NCTD will deploy the hydrogen buses on its BREEZE bus routes that originate out of the West Division facility, primarily serving the cities of Oceanside, Vista, Carlsbad, Encinitas, Solana Beach, and Del Mar, as well as the Camp Pendleton and Fallbrook communities.