The past months have been trying for many COASTER passengers. December began on a tough note involving schedule delays from radio interference that played havoc with the train’s radio-controlled switch signals.

Signal problems seemed minor compared to the difficulties experienced after a Burlington Northern Santa Fe freight train derailed near the top of Miramar hill in mid-December. The COASTER was forced to stop service between Sorrento Valley and Old Town for two days, followed by weeks of delays due to the long repair process to a track switch and more than 3,500 concrete rail ties. Additionally, repair crews experienced further delays due to inclement weather conditions and very wet ground.

Despite the service disruptions, the COASTER made it a priority to get everyone to their destinations safely. Today, all COASTER trains in the corridor are back to normal operating schedules.

As a way of thanking COASTER passengers for their patience and understanding, NCTD is offering all regular COASTER January monthly pass holders a $25 rebate, youth monthly pass holders a $15 rebate and senior/disabled pass holders a $10 rebate. For more info rmation about the January monthly pass rebate, visit www.gonctd.com.

On February 27, the COASTER looks forward to celebrating its tenth anniversary. Operation began with 700,000 passengers in 1995 and has grown to 1.4 million in the last year, carrying nearly 6,000 daily weekday commuters. There is more cause to celebrate: in January, the NCTD Board of Directors voted to provide late night COASTER service to Petco Park for 2005 Padres games taking place Monday through Friday evenings. For details, visit www.gonctd.com.