Amtrak will be hooking up additional cars to its popular “racetrack trains” that run between Los Angeles and San Diego with a key stop at the Solana Beach station just north of Del Mar when racing is off and running this Thursday (July 16).

The trains, which offer a scenic ride along the coast between Southern California’s two major cities, are popular with racetrackers who like to avoid the freeway traffic and the need to pay parking fees. Del Mar’s fleet of English double-decker busses meet all trains at Solana Beach, those both inbound and outgoing.

Amtrak plans on adding as many as four extra cars to some trains, including an extra Business Class car and an additional Cross Country Café car, as well as either one or two coach cars. The Business Class cars feature exclusive seating areas, while the Cross Country Café cars will serve as a second café car with booth seating and all the food and drink amenities that riders have come to expect.

The additional cars can provide as many as 270 additional seats for racing fans headed to or from the shore oval.

Opening Day, Train 768 originating out of Los Angeles at 9:35 a.m. arrives at Solana Beach at 12:01 p.m. Heading northbound, Train 591 leaves Solana Beach at 7:22 p.m. and arrives in Los Angeles at 9:35 p.m. On Fridays (when first post is 4 p.m.), Train 774 arrives at Solana Beach at 3:15 p.m. and there is a 9:27 p.m. Train 595 that lands in Los Angeles at 11:50 p.m. On weekends, there are trains that arrive in Solana Beach at 12:42 p.m. and leave at 6:45 p.m. On all days except Fridays, Del Mar has a first post of 2 p.m.

A full listing of trains and schedules, as well as prices, can be seen at Amtrak.com

Among the stops the trains make along the way are Fullerton, Anaheim, Santa Ana, Irvine, San Juan Capistrano, San Clemente and Oceanside.

Del Mar’s 40-day season is conducted on a mostly Wednesday through Sunday format. The final day of the session is Monday, September 7, which is Labor Day.