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The San Diego Trolley system as of September 2022

The San Diego Trolley is the light rail system that serves the metropolitan area of San Diego. The operator of the Trolley, San Diego Trolley, Inc. (SDTI), [1] is a subsidiary of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS). The San Diego Trolley opened for service on July 26, 1981, [1] Today operates three main lines named the Blue, Green, and Orange lines, as well as a supplementary heritage streetcar downtown circulator known as the Silver Line that operates mid-days on Tuesdays & Thursdays, and on weekends and holidays. [1]

History

The current operating company of the San Diego Trolley system, San Diego Trolley Incorporated (SDTI), was not founded until 1980 [2] when the Metropolitan Transit Development Board (now operating as San Diego's MTS) began to plan a light-rail service along the Main Line of the former San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway (SD&AE Railway), which the MTDB purchased from the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1979. [2] The Trolley began operations on July 19, 1981, with revenue service beginning on July 26, 1981. [2] Trains at that time operated on a single line between Centre City or Downtown San Diego and San Ysidro, with stops in some San Diego neighborhoods, and in the cities of National City and Chula Vista.

In March 1986, SDTI opened an extension east from Centre City San Diego to Euclid Avenue, along the La Mesa Branch of the former SD&AE Railway – this new second line of the Trolley was then called the East Line, while the original line opened in 1981 became the South Line. [2] Service was extended along the East Line to Spring Street on May 12, 1989 [2] serving Lemon Grove, and then to La Mesa and El Cajon on June 23, 1989. [2] Service between El Cajon and Santee, which is not along the old SD&AE right-of-way, began on August 26, 1995. [2]

The "Bayside" extension of the Trolley in San Diego, which operates near the waterfront, opened on June 30, 1990. [3] The first phase of the extension to Old Town, from C Street to Little Italy in Downtown San Diego, opened on July 2, 1992. [3] The second phase of the Old Town extension, running from Little Italy to Old Town, opened on June 16, 1996. [3]

The "Mission Valley West" SDTI extension, which opened a new Trolley route between Old Town and Mission San Diego (which included the Qualcomm Stadium stop) commenced service on November 23, 1997, [3] just before San Diego's hosting of Super Bowl XXXII in early 1998. It was at this time that the former South and East Trolley Lines were renamed the Blue Line and Orange Line, respectively. [2] [3] The "Mission Valley East" extension between Mission San Diego and La Mesa opened for service on July 10, 2005, coinciding with the inauguration of the Green Line. [3]

Stations along the Blue and Orange lines were renovated during 2010–15 as part of the Trolley Renewal Project. [4] [5] [6] [7]

Current system

Routemap of San Diego Trolley, reflecting the Blue Line extension to University Towne Center (UTC).
The routes are arranged approximately geographically true; the Blue Line runs from the upper left corner (La Jolla) to the lower right corner (San Ysidro): the Orange Line runs from the left middle (downtown San Diego) to the upper right (El Cajon), and the Green Line also runs from the left middle (downtown San Diego) to the upper right (Santee), taking a route that lies largely along Mission Valley / Interstate 8.

The San Diego Trolley system has 62 operational stations serving its four Trolley lines. [8] [9]

Fourteen of the Trolley system's stations operate as transfer stations, which allow passengers to transfer between lines. There is one universal transfer point (i.e. allowing for transfers among all four lines) in the system in downtown San Diego: the 12th & Imperial Transit Center station. The adjacent Santa Fe Depot/ America Plaza/ Courthouse stations, which are within walking distance of each other, also allow for transfer among the four lines. Six Trolley stations are end-of-line stations. Of the 63 stations, 37 of them are within the city limits of San Diego, serving various neighborhoods in San Diego; the other 16 stations are located in surrounding communities, such as El Cajon and National City.

Most stations in the San Diego Trolley system are 'at-grade' stations. There are ten aerial stations in the system and a single underground station ( the SDSU Transit Center station).

About half of San Diego Trolley stations offer free park and ride lots. [10] Most Trolley stations offer connections to MTS bus lines.

Renamed stations

In 1986, the station on C Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, originally named Gaslamp North or Centre City station, was renamed Fifth Avenue station and has been known as such ever since.

The Qualcomm Stadium stop was simply renamed "Stadium" after Qualcomm's naming rights to the stadium expired in June 2017. This location is now the site of SDSU's Snapdragon Stadium, and the future location of SDSU's West Campus.

In 2023, Alvarado Station was renamed from "Alvarado Medical Center" to "Alvarado" [11] this was due to the adjacent hospital being sold by Prime Healthcare to UC San Diego Health. With the transfer of ownership, Alvarado Medical Center was renamed UC San Diego Health East Campus Medical Center, leading to the station being renamed. [12]

Closed station

The San Diego Square station, opened in 1981 on C Street between Seventh & Eighth Avenues downtown, was closed on March 23, 1986, due to low ridership, its close proximity to the (then renamed, see above) Fifth Avenue station, and the desire to eliminate a station in order to accommodate the soon-to-open infill station at E Street (which opened in October 1986) without adding to travel times along the line.

Remnants of this old station still remain on C Street between Seventh & Eighth Avenues.

Lines

As of 2021, trolley service operates on three main lines offering daily service: the Blue, Green, and Orange Lines, and travels through the 62 stations and 65 total miles of mostly double-track rail. [8] A fourth line, the heritage streetcar Silver Line, operates more limited weekday and weekend service, in a clockwise 'circle-loop' around downtown San Diego only. [13]

Line Opened [1] Length [1] Number of
stations [1] 		Termini Operation
  Blue Line 1981 26.3 mi (42.3 km) [1] [14] 32 University Towne Center
America Plaza
San Ysidro Transit Center 		Daily
  Green Line 2005 23.6 mi (38.0 km) 27 12th & Imperial Transit Center
Santee Town Center 		Daily
  Orange Line 1986 18.0 mi (29.0 km) 19 Courthouse
Arnele Avenue 		Daily
  Silver Line 2011 2.7 mi (4.3 km) 9 12th & Imperial Transit Center Mid-day Friday, Saturday, and Sunday

Stations

The following table lists all stations currently served by the San Diego Trolley.

Station [9] Image Line(s) Location Comments
8th Street The platforms at 8th Street station, 2019   Blue Line National City
12th & Imperial† A view of 12th & Imperial Transit Center, 2016   Blue Line
  Green Line
  Orange Line
  Silver Line 		San Diego,
East Village 		Universal transfer station for all lines:
transfer for Blue, Green, Orange, and Silver lines.
Serves Petco Park.
Terminus for Green and Silver lines.
24th Street The platforms at 24th Street station, 2016   Blue Line National City
25th & Commercial The outbound track at 25th & Commercial station   Orange Line San Diego,
Grant Hill
32nd & Commercial 32nd & Commercial station, 2008   Orange Line San Diego,
Stockton
47th Street The platform at 47th Street station   Orange Line San Diego,
Chollas View
70th Street The platform at 70th Street station   Green Line La Mesa
Alvarado The platforms at Alvarado Medical Center station   Green Line San Diego,
College Area 		Serves the UC San Diego Health East Campus Medical Center
Amaya Drive A view of Amaya Drive station   Green Line
  Orange Line 		La Mesa Transfer station for Green and Orange lines.
America Plaza† America Plaza station at night, 2019   Blue Line
  Silver Line 		San Diego,
Downtown Core 		Transfer station for Blue and Silver lines.
Directly adjacent to Santa Fe Depot (i.e. short walking distance) – so is also an "indirect" transfer point for the Green Line.
This was an infill station – added upon competition of the One America Plaza building in 1991.
Terminus for some Blue Line trains.
Arnele Avenue†   Green Line
  Orange Line 		El Cajon Serves Westfield Parkway.
Terminus for Orange Line.
Balboa Avenue The platforms at Balboa Avenue station   Blue Line Clairemont, San Diego
Barrio Logan Barrio Logan station with part of the San Diego–Coronado Bridge in the background, 2018   Blue Line San Diego,
Logan Heights 		Serves Chicano Park.
Bayfront/E Street The platforms at Bayfront/E Street station   Blue Line Chula Vista This was an infill station (it was added 5 years after the line's opening) – the first infill station on the current Blue Line.
Beyer Boulevard A trolley at Beyer Boulevard station   Blue Line San Diego,
San Ysidro
City College City College station, 2019   Blue Line
  Orange Line
  Silver Line 		San Diego,
East Village 		Serves San Diego City College, San Diego High School.
Civic Center A trolley at Civic Center station   Blue Line
  Orange Line
  Silver Line 		San Diego,
Downtown Core 		Serves City Hall, Courthouse, and Horton Plaza.
Clairemont Drive The platforms at Clairemont Drive station in August 2021 about three months before its official opening   Blue Line San Diego, Clairemont Serves Mission Bay.
Convention Center The platforms at Convention Center station, 2011   Green Line
  Silver Line 		San Diego,
Marina 		Serves Convention Center.
County Center/Little Italy A trolley at County Center/Little Italy station   Green Line
  Blue Line 		San Diego,
Middletown 		Serves San Diego County Administration Center.
Courthouse†   Orange Line San Diego,
Downtown Core 		Serves the San Diego County Courthouse complex.
Terminus for Orange Line.
El Cajon A view of El Cajon station, 2017   Green Line
  Orange Line 		El Cajon
Encanto/62nd Street The platform at Encanto/62nd Street station, 2008   Orange Line San Diego,
Encanto
Euclid Avenue The platforms at Euclid Avenue station   Orange Line San Diego,
Emerald Hills
Executive Drive The platforms at Executive Drive station   Blue Line University City, San Diego
Fashion Valley The platforms at Fashion Valley station, 2019   Green Line San Diego,
Mission Valley 		Serves Fashion Valley Mall.
Fenton Parkway The platforms at Fenton Parkway station   Green Line San Diego,
Mission Valley 		This was an infill station (it was added almost 3 years after the line's opening) – the only infill station on the current Green Line.
Fifth Avenue A trolley at Fifth Avenue station   Blue Line
  Orange Line
  Silver Line 		San Diego,
Downtown Core 		Serves Downtown San Diego.
Gaslamp Quarter A view of Gaslamp Quarter station from the San Diego Convention Center side of the freight track   Green Line
  Silver Line 		San Diego,
Gaslamp Quarter 		Serves Gaslamp Quarter; also Convention Center & Petco Park.
Gillespie Field The platforms at Gillespie Field station   Green Line El Cajon Serves Gillespie Field (airport).
Grantville An eastbound trolley at Grantville station   Green Line San Diego,
Grantville
Grossmont The platforms at Grossmont Transit Center   Green Line
  Orange Line 		La Mesa Serves Grossmont Center.
H Street H Street station, 2019   Blue Line Chula Vista
Harborside The platforms at Harborside station, 2019   Blue Line San Diego,
Logan Heights
Hazard Center The platforms at Hazard Center station, 2019   Green Line San Diego,
Mission Valley 		Serves the Hazard Center Shopping Center.
Iris Avenue The platforms at Iris Avenue station, 2019   Blue Line San Diego,
Otay Mesa West
La Mesa Boulevard   Orange Line La Mesa
Lemon Grove Depot The station building at Lemon Grove Depot in 2008, before the 2012 renovations   Orange Line Lemon Grove
Massachusetts Avenue   Orange Line Lemon Grove
Middletown The platforms at Middletown station, 2019   Green Line
  Blue Line 		San Diego,
Mission Hills
Mission San Diego The platforms at Mission San Diego station, 2019   Green Line San Diego,
Mission Valley 		Serves Mission San Diego de Alcalá.
Mission Valley Center The platforms at Mission Valley Center station, 2019   Green Line San Diego,
Mission Valley 		Serves Westfield Mission Valley.
Morena/Linda Vista The platforms at Morena/Linda Vista station, 2019   Green Line San Diego,
Morena 		Serves University of San Diego.
Nobel Drive The platforms at Nobel Drive station   Blue Line La Jolla Village, San Diego Serves La Jolla Village Square and The Shops at La Jolla.
Old Town A trolley approaching Old Town Transit Center   Green Line
  Blue Line 		San Diego,
Old Town 		Serves Old Town Historic Park.
Pacific Fleet The platforms at Pacific Fleet station, 2019   Blue Line San Diego,
Logan Heights 		Serves Naval Base San Diego.
Palm Avenue The platforms at Palm Avenue station, 2019   Blue Line San Diego,
Palm City
Palomar Street Palomar Street station before renovations in 2010   Blue Line Chula Vista
Park & Market Park & Market station, 2019   Blue Line
  Orange Line
  Silver Line 		San Diego,
East Village
Rio Vista The platforms at Rio Vista station   Green Line San Diego,
Mission Valley
San Diego State University Transit Center The platforms at San Diego State University Transit Center   Green Line San Diego,
College Area 		Serves San Diego State University.
Only underground station in the San Diego Trolley system.
San Ysidro† A trolley at San Ysidro Transit Center   Blue Line San Diego,
San Ysidro 		Serves U.S.-Mexico International Border.
Terminus for Blue Line.
This was the original terminus for the original Trolley line.
Santa Fe Depot A trolley at Santa Fe Depot   Green Line
  Blue Line 		San Diego,
East Village 		Directly adjacent to America Plaza (i.e. short walking distance) – so is also an "indirect" transfer point for Blue and Silver lines.
This was the original terminus for the original Trolley line.
Santee Town Center† A trolley at Santee Town Center station   Green Line Santee Terminus for Green Line.
Seaport Village The platforms at Seaport Village station in April 2010 when it was served by the Orange Line   Green Line
  Silver Line 		San Diego,
Marina 		Serves Seaport Village.
Spring Street The platforms at Spring Street station in 2008, before renovations   Orange Line La Mesa
Stadium The platforms at Stadium station, 2019   Green Line San Diego,
Mission Valley 		Serves Snapdragon Stadium.
Tecolote Road The platforms at Tecolote Road station   Blue Line San Diego, Morena Serves SeaWorld.
UC San Diego Central Campus The entrance to UC San Diego Central Campus station   Blue Line La Jolla Serves University of California, San Diego.
UC San Diego Health La Jolla The platforms at UC San Diego Health La Jolla station   Blue Line La Jolla Serves Jacobs Medical Center and Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla.
University Towne Center† The entrance to UTC station   Blue Line University City, San Diego Serves Westfield UTC and Costa Verde Shopping Center.
Terminus for Blue Line.
VA Medical Center The platforms at VA Medical Center station   Blue Line La Jolla Serves VA Medical Center (VAMC) of San Diego.
Washington Street A trolley at Washington Street station   Green Line
  Blue Line 		San Diego,
Mission Hills

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "San Diego Trolley, Inc" (PDF). San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. February 2013. Retrieved November 29, 2021 – via http://www.sdmts.com/about-mts. {{ cite web}}: External link in |via= ( help)
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "History [see: Timeline]". San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. 2015. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Ristine, Jeff (July 23, 2006). "After 25 years, the trolley keeps on moving". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved June 14, 2009.
  4. ^ Robert J. Hawkins (September 22, 2010). "Construction Begins To Upgrade SD Trolley - $620M Project To Include New Track, Stations Along Blue, Orange Lines". KGTV ABC10 San Diego. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
  5. ^ "Several Blue Line trolley stops to close this weekend". The San Diego Union Tribune. October 27, 2010. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
  6. ^ Carolina Worrell (December 7, 2015). "Red and robust". Railway Age. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
  7. ^ "Trolley Renewal". San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. 2015. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
  8. ^ a b "Anout MTS". 2021. Retrieved November 29, 2021. Light rail service is operated by SDTI on four lines (the UC San Diego Blue, Orange, Green and Silver Lines) with a total of 62 stations and 65 miles of rail.
  9. ^ a b For station info, see also: "Trolley - Map and Station Lists". San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS). 2015. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  10. ^ "Transit Station Parking". San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS). Retrieved April 6, 2021.
  11. ^ "Trolley | San Diego Metropolitan Transit System". www.sdmts.com. May 22, 2015. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
  12. ^ "UC San Diego Health Completes Acquisition of Alvarado Hospital Medical Center". UC San Diego Health. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
  13. ^ "Vintage Trolley". San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. 2015. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
  14. ^ "Mid-Coast Corridor Transit Project" (PDF). San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG). April 2015. Retrieved November 29, 2021 – via U.S. Department of Transportation.
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