Sorrento Valley Coaster Station

A train stop under the ⁸⁰⁵⁄₅ overpasses traversing along the Penasquitos Creek.
There isn’t much to say here other than I wouldn’t want to be stuck here late at night. If you’re waiting here, there’s a really cool little coffee shop right across the street (Zumbar Coffee and Tea).
— Food mall across the street, but reviews aren’t that great. Save your appetite for your final destination.

Not super easy to access as a cyclist. Must commute via the freeways or small side streets to access this platform (which mind you is really all that it is). There is no attendant or employees to assist with questions. There are some stores near the platform for food and such. Otherwise, just a stop. Wish it was more user friendly for new riders and commuters!

I have used this station for traveling to Los Angeles and it wasn’t back. A lot less crowded than Santa Fe Depot and Old town. It served my travel needs sufficiently.

Just a train platform. No attendant. Machine gives change in $ 1 coins (annoying). The tracks are not labeled Northbound/​Southbound.
You have one job train platform, to help people get on the right train, and you fail miserably. Everyone at the platform the morning I went was just as confused as I was…
As far as I can tell, southbound is the track along the street, northbound the track along the river. Let’s hope or I will end up not where I wanted to be!

This is strictly for AmTrak. I haven’t used the coaster here. I’m just happy they started having this as an Amtrak station as it is a lot closer to my house than any of the other Amtrak stations. However, there are only limited times for the Amtrak (usu three times a day).
There’s parking but it’s a bit of a walk to the actual Amtrak/​Coaster station. I’m not sure if overnight parking is allowed but I have seen cars parked there late at night. Although it looks pretty secluded, it does get pretty busy at times, particularly during rush hour so make sure you’re getting on the right train! It does get a little creepy at night but they do light the station pretty well and I feel like a good number of people use this station (especially during school season when students are traveling). Because it’s pretty secluded, there’s plenty of waiting area to drop or pick people up.

I’ve noticed a creepy man wearing only socks, a tiny hooded sweater and a clown mask around here at nights:(he freaked me out so I threw a rock at him and called him a creepy assed wonky eyed josh… stay away from this station unless you like creepy half naked men wearing clown masks:(

I took a Pacific Surfliner to LA here this morning and this station confused me. There’s no signage showing which side of the station is north/​south bound. What I did was watching one train passing and asked other passengers to make sure. But what if I didn’t come early enough to see the previous train?
So I remembered like this: the side near the street is southbound; the side farther away from the street is northbound.

This is a coaster station!!! Coasters run from Oceanside to San Diego, and it’s $ 5 each way. The parking for this station is a bit difficult during weekdays (although I heard they are expanding the parking lot and should be ready by late October 2014). There is no staff here to help you, so you kind of figure things out yourself. Do give yourself enough time to get there (find parking and buy tickets) as the only ticket vending machine is not very close to the parking lot. People also get confused quite often as which platform is south bound and which is for north bound train. So the platform closer to the street is for southbound trains and the way away is for north bound trains. This station is convenient for me because some amtrak trains will actually make a very brief stop here (check coaster schedule for the participating amtrak trains). So I guess I can’t really complain.

No amenities or indoor waiting area so in the recent blazing sun of SD, it’s not a pleasure to prep for a train trip here. If it rains (oh please rain SD!) it won’t be fun either. Note also that there is no actual ticket office year, but a simple kiosk. Mostly a Coaster Station, but Amtrak makes a few stops here as well.
It is however conveniently located next to a couple of cute coffee shops on the West side of the street. You can grab a snack or use the WiFi there and wit indoors till your train gets close-​much more pleasant than hanging around the tracks.
It is clean, no trash was floating around and smells 100% better than the Old Town Station.

Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner stops here as well as of 2014. Love parking here and taking Amtrak up to Irvine and Anaheim for meetings. I recently took Amtrak from this station up to the Anaheim station to watch an Angels game.

The Coaster is HORRIBLE! They’re service is horrible, staff is horrible and there is NO signage informing you where to go to get on your train!
The schedule changes due to late trains and there is no way of knowing when your train is coming because there is no signage — no scroling signs, no info signs, nothing.
I almost missed my train because I was on the wrong side of the track. Apparently the day I was riding, the trains were running brittish style.
Oh and the schedule online is VERY confusing. Be sure to read all the fine print on the schedule or you could find yourself stuck at the end of the night.
Apparently the timeschedule in blue is Amtrack yet it doesnt say that and at certain times or on certain days Amtrack wont stop at your station and might not even let you board with a coaster pass.
I tried riding the coaster one time, the view was amazing along the coast but the experience was horrible. I got stranded and when I was asking for my money back the employee was very rude.
I ended up having to get a $ 40 cab ride.
THE COASTER SUCKS
San Diego public transportation pretty much sucks. You need a car here.

Unstaffed, outdoors only, difficult to figure out where to pull in to do a drop off/​pick-​up since all the entrances to the parking area that I could see said «do not enter». Kind of in an isolated spot– take care not to get off here unless you know where you’re headed next and how.

I had jury duty this week, and as I was not in the mood to take the bus downtown, I opted to take the Coaster up to the Santa Fe Depot (and waive my mileage reimbursement in favor of daily Coaster passes once I was selected).
This is a no frills outdoor station — there’s no reason to linger here once you get off your train (although there is a mini mall with a Mexican joint, a coffee shop, and a liquor store across the tracks). Plus, parking here is VERY limited… I was lucky enough to get a space near the end of the lot, even though it was a bit of a walk to the station.
Enjoy your ride!

Plain Jane and nothing wrong with that, there is no frills, it is outdoors only. The one soda machine they had was out of soda. It is located in an industrial area so I wouldn’t want to board the Amtrak after dark here. They have benches (covered) and my purpose was to catch the Amtrak back to Union Station and that’s what I did.
SIDE NOTE. There are NO employees on hand so do your homework so you know when your train is coming and which platform you should be standing on.
All Aboard…

The station is unstaffed and has no indoor waiting area. Consequently, it can get very cold in the mornings and night times.
The trains are fine with great seating, decent bathrooms, and few delays.

It’s a Coaster station, so there is not really much to write about. Concrete benches and a few shade provisions, however the shade is not over the benches so you can’t truly relax. So, you can either take a load off and endure the sun on a bench or stand like a sucker in the shade all diurnalbipedicallylike. Why oh why is this place not zoned for complete comfort?
Convenience wise, there is a coffee shop and liquor store to the west which is great if you want a drink for the train. Remember, alcohol is allowed on the Coaster. Also, there is a Mexican food joint if you have the time.
To the east is a lumber yard. Thought I would add that. Termites gotta commute too…

Quick place to catch the coaster downdown or up to oceanside. Easy parking but limited.

Although this is one of the busier Coaster stops, there is a coffee shop and mini mart nearby if you need something to eat or drink. Trains sometimes leave a few minutes ahead of their posted times, so don’t be late.
I do agree with the other reviewer that noise from Miramar can be annoying.

Never ridden the coaster from the El Cajon commute up into Sorrento Valley. I figure $ 75 for a monthly pass isn’t worth taking the Trolley then traveling via coaster and have to walk to my office. I’d rather drive on my own time and pay the same for the gas (not considering vehicle insurance, payment) every month.
It’s difficult enough to plug your left ear when you’re on the phone when a helicopter or jet fly overhead, no thanks to MCAS Miramar… but to experience hearing the loud horns of the trains passing by several times a day? SHUT IT !!!

Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner trains bypass this station.
Sorrento Valley is home to a large industrial office park district near the junction of the 5 and 805 freeways.
This has a San Diego address, although it seems like the kind of land use expected from a north county suburb.
There are several bus connections at this station, designed to be a very short ride away from the station. Plus, the buses are timed with trains. The problem is they run during rush hours only.
Connections: Metropolitan Transit System lines 89 and 971 – 978.