Between Oceanside and Escondido, San Diego County’s North County Transit District operates a transit service named "Sprinter," utilizing a fleet of 12 "married pairs" of Siemens VT642 "Desiro" Diesel Multiple-Unit cars (built in 2006) on the 22-mile former Santa Fe 1888-built Escondido Branch, serving 15 stations. These trains, consisting of a pair of DMUs most of the day (cut back to single DMUs in the evenings). Trains depart from each end of the line every half-hour from 4:03 am until 8:33 pm Monday through Thursday, with later trains on Fridays (and Saturdays), with a slightly reduced schedule on weekends and holidays. A westbound "Sprinter" DMU set, led by NCTD 4012, departs the Buena Creek Station as it heads for Oceanside. (Vista, California – April 2, 2021)
