Oceanside, Calif.-based North County Transit District (NCTD) launched its Sprinter light rail service on March 9, with more than 100 passengers on board the first train of the day. The Sprinter is a new passenger rail system that extends 22 miles. 

A total of 15 stations have been constructed with parking and access to other NCTD public transportation options. The project budget of $484.2 million includes right-of-way acquisition, engineering, design, construction, vehicle purchase and construction of the new 1.7-mile loop, which serves the California State University San Marcos campus.  

The Sprinter's contract operator, Veolia Transportation, counted 12,921 passengers on 37 trains throughout the day. The regular Sunday service calls for hourly trains running in each direction, but NCTD put an additional train into service about halfway through the day due to heavy passenger loads.