The San Diego Trolley is a light rail system operating in San Diego County, California. The trolley's operator, San Diego Trolley, Inc. (reporting mark SDTI), is a subsidiary of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS). The San Diego Trolley opened for service on July 26, 1981. [1] It operates four primary lines (Blue, Green, Orange, and Copper) as well as a supplementary heritage streetcar downtown loop known as the Silver Line that operates on holidays. [1]
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]
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 (SDSU Transit Center).
About half of San Diego Trolley stations offer free park and ride lots. [10] Most Trolley stations offer connections to MTS bus lines.
In June 1990, the station on C Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, originally named Gaslamp station, was renamed Fifth Avenue station following a service expansion of the East Line (now the Orange Line) around the new downtown loop, which included a new Gaslamp Quarter station much closer to Gaslamp Quarter. Both Main & Marshall station was renamed to El Cajon Transit Center and Broadway Lemon Grove station was renamed to Lemon Grove Depot at the same time.
In March 2004, 12th & Market station was renamed Park & Market station following a reconstruction.
In July 2005, with the launch of the Green Line, Weld Boulevard station was renamed Gillespie Field station.
In September 2012, following a system-wide service reconfiguration, Bayfront/E Street station was renamed E Street station.
In June 2017, following Qualcomm’s expiration of naming rights to San Diego Stadium, Qualcomm Stadium station was renamed Stadium station. Following the demolition of San Diego Stadium throughout 2020 and 2021, the location is now the site of San Diego State University’s Snapdragon Stadium and Mission Valley campus.
In October 2017, following the sale of the Green Line’s naming rights to Sycuan Casino, El Cajon Transit Center was for a period of time named El Cajon–Sycuan.
In December 2023, following the adjacent Alvarado Hospital being sold by Prime Healthcare Services to UC San Diego Health and renamed, Alvarado Medical Center station was renamed Alvarado station. [11] [12]
In September 2024, in part due to the signage on Trolleys and signage on the Green Line being updated to reflect the recently opened Copper Line, Alvarado station was renamed again to UC San Diego Health East. [13]
San Diego Square station, opened in July 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, [14] 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. [15] [ better source needed ]
Remnants of this old station still remain on C Street between Seventh & Eighth Avenues. [16]
Columbia Street station, opened in July 1981 on C and Columbia Streets as Santa Fe Depot and renamed in June 1990, was closed in November 1991, with the track in the vicinity being reconfigured. It was replaced by America Plaza station one block to the west.
As of 2021 [update] , 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. [17]
| Line | Opened [1] | Length [1] | Number of stations [1] | Termini | Operation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Blue Line | 1981 | 26.3 mi (42.3 km) [1] [18] | 32 | UTC Transit Center San Ysidro Transit Center | Daily |
 Green Line | 2005 | 19.8 mi (31.9 km) | 24 | 12th & Imperial Transit Center El Cajon Transit Center | Daily |
 Orange Line | 1986 | 17.1 mi (27.5 km) | 18 | Courthouse station El Cajon Transit Center | Daily |
 Silver Line | 2011 | 2.7 mi (4.3 km) | 9 | 12th & Imperial Transit Center | On Select Holidays |
 Copper Line | 2024 | 3.8 mi (6.1 km) | 4 | Santee station El Cajon Transit Center | Daily |
The following table lists all stations currently served by the San Diego Trolley.
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The San Diego Trolley is a light rail system operating in San Diego County, California. The trolley's operator, San Diego Trolley, Inc., is a subsidiary of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS). The trolley operates as a critical component of MTS, with connections to and integrated travel tickets with the local bus systems.
The College Area is a residential community in the Mid-City region of San Diego, California, United States. It is dominated by San Diego State University (SDSU), after which the area is named. Several neighborhoods in the College Area were developed in the 1930s, with others becoming established in the post-war period.
Old Town Transit Center, also known as San Diego–Old Town station, or Old Town San Diego station, is an intermodal transportation station in the Old Town neighborhood of San Diego, California. It is served by Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner, the COASTER commuter rail service, and the San Diego Trolley, as well as numerous San Diego Metropolitan Transit System bus lines.
The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System is a public transit service provider for San Diego County, California. The agency operates a transit system that includes the San Diego MTS bus system, San Diego Trolley, and Rapid. MTS also controls the San Diego and Arizona Eastern (SD&AE) freight railway and regulates taxicabs, jitneys, and other private for-hire passenger transportation services.
UC San Diego Health East station is a station on San Diego Trolley's Green Line in the College Area. The station is located across the street from East Campus Medical Center at UC San Diego Health, and near the intersection of Alvarado Road and Reservoir Drive. The street-level station has side platforms.
El Cajon Transit Center is a San Diego Trolley station served by the Copper, Green and Orange lines in the San Diego suburb of El Cajon, California. The station is a major commuter center for the large suburb and is the convergence of multiple local and regional bus routes operated by the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System and Greyhound Lines.
The Blue Line is a 26.3-mile (42.3 km) light rail line in the San Diego Trolley system, operated by San Diego Trolley, Inc., an operating division of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS). With an end-to-end travel time of one hour and twenty-three minutes, it operates between UTC Transit Center and San Ysidro Transit Center, the latter of which is at the Mexico–United States border directly adjacent to the San Ysidro Port of Entry, facilitating easy connections across the border. The line serves La Jolla, downtown San Diego, National City, Chula Vista, and San Ysidro.
The Orange Line is an 17.1-mile (27.5 km) light rail line in the San Diego Trolley system, operated by San Diego Trolley, Inc. an operating division of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. The route connects downtown San Diego with the cities of Lemon Grove, La Mesa, and El Cajon. The Orange Line has the lowest ridership of the San Diego Trolley's three core lines, transporting 10,896,289 riders during FY 2014 according to the MTS.
The Green Line is a 19.8-mile (31.9 km) light rail line in the San Diego Trolley system, operated by San Diego Trolley, Inc. an operating division of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS). The route serves downtown San Diego, Mission Valley, and the cities of La Mesa and El Cajon. The Green Line has the second highest ridership of the San Diego Trolley's three core lines, transporting 13,673,926 riders during FY 2014 - according to MTS.
Arnele Avenue station is a San Diego Trolley station served by the Copper Line in the San Diego suburb of El Cajon, California. The station serves the surrounding residential community, the Parkway Plaza shopping mall, and other commercial properties in the area. The station also has a small park and ride lot.
Gillespie Field station is a Copper Line station of the San Diego Trolley in the San Diego suburb of Santee, California. It is located across Marshall Avenue from Gillespie Field, a county airport, however there is no public access to the airport and the surrounding area is sparse and largely unwalkable. The station has no bus connections, therefore most passengers who use the station also use the 175 space park and ride lot.
Santee station is a station on the Copper Line of the San Diego Trolley, in the San Diego suburb of Santee, California. The station currently serves as the Copper Line's northern terminus and serves as a major park and ride station. It is located inside a shopping center on the northeast corner of the intersection of Mission Gorge Road and Cuyamaca Street.
America Plaza station is a stop on the Blue and Silver lines of the San Diego Trolley. Located in the downtown Core of San Diego, California, it is directly connected to One America Plaza, the city's tallest building. The station, along with its accompanying 34-story high-rise building, opened on November 14, 1991, replacing Columbia Street station, which was one block to the east. Since it opened along a line segment already in service, America Plaza station is the second infill station in the San Diego Trolley system, following E Street station.
Fifth Avenue station is a station of the Orange Line, Blue Line, and Silver Line on the San Diego Trolley. It is located in the Core district of downtown San Diego, California. The station is located along on C Street, between Sixth Avenue and its namesake Fifth Avenue, surrounded by several office buildings.
12th & Imperial Transit Center is a San Diego Trolley station in downtown San Diego, California. It is located in the East Village neighborhood of the city and serves the high-density residential developments that surround the stop. It is one of two stations from which Petco Park can be reached. The station has historically been used as a major transfer point between the various Trolley lines and is the only station that is directly served by all four Trolley lines.
Palm Avenue station is a station on the Blue Line of the San Diego Trolley located in the Palm City neighborhood of San Diego. The stop serves a variety of purposes, holding the function of commuter center with a park and ride lot and providing access to the nearby commercial and residential areas.
The Silver Line is a 2.7-mile (4.3 km) heritage streetcar line operated by the San Diego Trolley, an operating division of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. It currently operates the "downtown loop"; a circle of tracks around downtown San Diego, and is operated using renovated historic vehicles. The line is one of five lines in the trolley system, sharing tracks of other lines; the other four lines are the Blue, Green, Orange, and Copper lines.
The Special Event Line, also known as the "Red Line" until 2012, is a light rail line operated by the San Diego Trolley, an operating division of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. Two different versions of this line operated, both times only during special events.
Courthouse station is a light rail station in San Diego, California. It is the western terminus of the San Diego Trolley's Orange Line and is located between the Hall of Justice and San Diego Central Courthouse in downtown San Diego, on C Street between State and Union streets. The station opened on April 29, 2018, after nearly a year of construction.
The Copper Line, officially the Copper Line–East County Connector, is a light rail line in the San Diego Trolley system, operated by San Diego Trolley, Inc. an operating division of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS). Located in East County, San Diego, it operates as a shuttle between El Cajon Transit Center and Santee station.
{{cite web}}: External link in |via=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.
San Diego Square Trolley Station was located on C Street between 7th and 8th Avenues. It was named for the publicly funded senior-citizen-only apartment building one block east. The station was closed on March 23, 1986, due to low patronage and in order to accommodate a new station at Chula Vista Bayfront without additional dwell time (Bayfront/E Street Station opened in October 1986). Part of the reason for the low ridership at San Diego Square was its close proximity to the then-Gaslamp Station (now Fifth Avenue Station), located two blocks west on C Street between 5th and 6th Avenues.
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