San Diego Metropolitan Transit System | |
---|---|
Overview | |
Locale | Southern San Diego County, California |
Transit type | Buses, Bus rapid transit, Light rail, Paratransit |
Number of lines | 4 light rail lines [1] 95 bus routes [1] |
Number of stations | 62 light rail stations [1] |
Daily ridership | 252,700 (weekdays, Q4 2023) [2] |
Annual ridership | 71,784,900 (2023) [3] |
Chief executive | Sharon Cooney [4] |
Headquarters | James R. Mills Building 1255 Imperial Avenue San Diego, CA |
Website | sdmts.com |
Operation | |
Operator(s) | San Diego Trolley, Inc. San Diego Transit Corp. Transdev |
The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (SDMTS or often simply MTS) is a public transit service provider for central, southern, northeast, and southeast San Diego County, California, as well as for the city of San Diego. The agency directly operates a large transit system that includes the MTS Bus, San Diego Trolley light rail, and Rapid bus rapid transit services. The 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.
MTS is one of the oldest transit systems in Southern California, with predecessors dating back as early as the 1880s. The current agency started operations in 1976 as the San Diego Metropolitan Transit Development Board (MTDB) and changed to its current name in 2005.
The MTS works closely with the North County Transit District (NCTD), which operates public transit services in Northern San Diego County, and the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), which plans, develops, and constructs transit projects for both the MTS and NCTD.
In 2023, the system had a ridership of 71,784,900, or about 252,700 per weekday as of the fourth quarter of 2023.
San Diego's public transportation traces its roots back to the San Diego Street Car Company, which opened a single line on July 3, 1886, with cars drawn by two mules or horses. The system would eventually expand to five lines across Downtown San Diego. [5] At the same time as the first horse-drawn line was being inaugurated, there were already plans to start up an electric streetcar service in San Diego, with at least some service starting in November 1887. [5]
The San Diego Electric Railway (SDERy), the direct predecessor of today's MTS, was founded in 1891 by John D. Spreckels (who would later go on to build the San Diego and Arizona Railway). The SDERy would greatly expand electric streetcar service by purchasing several existing transit companies and converted them to electric operation.
In 1910, Spreckels was able to force a ballot initiative that amended his charter with the City of San Diego to give him more than 25 years on his leases to operate streetcar service. Passage of the initiative allowed the SDERy to secure loans that led to service expansion. [5]
The electric streetcar system took a big hit during the "Great Flood" of 1916 that washed out several lines. Rebuilding was a challenge as World War I increased the cost of railway construction materials by 50 to 150 percent. Simultaneously, private automobiles became more common, with many owners picking up work as jitney drivers who would cruise the streetcar routes and pick up fares. [5]
The first motor bus hit the San Diego area streets in 1922, operating between National City and Chula Vista. Over the next two decades, the rail lines would gradually be replaced by motor buses, and on April 24, 1949, the last rail service was discontinued, making San Diego the first major city in California to convert to an all-bus system. [5]
In 1948, the Spreckels family sold the San Diego Electric Railway Company to Jesse L. Haugh, who renamed it the San Diego Transit System and invested in updating and improving the system. Despite the improvements, ridership drops. Facing a financial crisis, the city of San Diego took control of the system in 1967, renaming it the San Diego Transit Corporation, which is to be operated as a non-profit. In 1970, to boost struggling ridership, fares that ranged from 35¢ to $1.15 were lowered to a flat 25¢ fare. By the end of the decade, annual ridership would improve from 18 million to 35 million.
The Comprehensive Planning Organization (now known as SANDAG), an intergovernmental agency of 13 cities and San Diego County, was established in 1966. The group began planning a mass transit system for the area, studying technologies, alignments, and costs, but the plans went nowhere due to disagreements between stakeholders.
In 1975, California established the San Diego Metropolitan Transit Development Board (MTDB) with a clear mission: plan, construct and operate a mass transit system. The agency formally started operations on January 1, 1976. The MTDB also struggled to resolve stakeholders' disagreements over the same issues of technologies, alignments and costs.
On September 10, 1976, nature intervened, setting off a chain of events that would help decide the first mass transit line.
Hurricane Kathleen destroyed major sections of track and bridges on the San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway's Desert Line east of San Diego. The Southern Pacific, which had previously purchased the line from the Spreckels family and renamed it the San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway (SD&AE), wanted to abandon the railway, a request that was denied by the Interstate Commerce Commission in 1978. [6] The MTDB stepped in and offered to buy the SD&AE for $18.1 million if the Southern Pacific fully repaired the line. The deal closed on August 20, 1979.
The purchase gave MTDB two sections of right-of-way that could be used for mass transit: the SD&AE Main Line from Downtown San Diego to the San Ysidro Port of Entry and the SD&AE La Mesa Branch from Downtown San Diego to El Cajon. The MTDB decided to build a relatively low cost light rail system over the tracks, a new idea for the United States, but one that was well established in Germany.
The MTDB also continued to operate the freight operations of the SD&AE. The board reached a deal with the San Diego and Imperial Valley Railroad to continue to move railcars from the end of the Santa Fe Railway in Downtown San Diego to either industrial customers in the San Diego area or to the Mexico–United States border in San Ysidro.
In August 1980, the MTDB established San Diego Trolley, Inc. to operate and maintain the new light rail system. On July 26, 1981, electric trains began operating the South Line (today's Blue Line) between Downtown San Diego and San Ysidro.
In 1985, the city of San Diego transferred control of the San Diego Transit Corporation to the MTDB. The MTDB also coordinated transit services operated by San Diego County and other local agencies. Starting in 1986, all of these services begin operating under a single brand, the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS).
The San Diego Trolley added a second line on March 23, 1986 by redeveloping the La Mesa Branch of the SD&AE into the East Line (today's Orange Line). [5] [7] This line was extended to El Cajon by June 23, 1989. [5] Service was expanded beyond the old SD&AE right-of-way when the line was extended further, going north, to Santee on August 26, 1995. [5] [7]
The East Line's Bayside extension to the Convention Center and Gaslamp Quarter opened on June 30, 1990. [8] Later in the decade, the South Line was extended to the north, reaching Little Italy on July 2, 1992, [8] Old Town on June 16, 1996, [7] [8] and Mission San Diego on November 23, 1997. At that the same time, the South Line and East Line of the system were renamed the Blue Line and the Orange Line, respectively. [5] [7] [8]
One of the system's most ambitious expansions opened on July 10, 2005. The Mission Valley East extension built the only underground station in the system at San Diego State University and inaugurated the third route in the San Diego Trolley system, the Green Line, going from the Blue Line at Old Town east through Mission Valley, San Diego State University, and merging with the Orange Line in La Mesa (and proceeding to El Cajon and Santee). [8]
On January 1, 2003, the state consolidated the planning, development, and construction functions of the MTDB and the North San Diego County Transit Development Board into the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) to create a consolidated regional transportation planning and development agency. [9]
With the San Diego Metropolitan Transit Development Board no longer in charge of developing future transit projects, the MTDB changed its name to the Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) in 2005.
In 2007, MTS completed a "Comprehensive Operational Analysis" that redesigned the area's bus network for the first time in 23 years. National City was reluctant to implement the findings of the analysis and instead opts to transfer control of its National City Transit system into MTS.
The major overhaul of the San Diego Trolley called the "Trolley Renewal Project" began in 2010. Over the next five years, all Trolley stations were renovated, making them capable of handling low-floor light rail vehicles that eliminate the stairs into the trains and allow faster boarding for people using wheelchairs. The renovations allow the Green Line to be extended to Downtown in 2012. Low-floor vehicles start operating on the Orange Line in 2013 and on the Blue Line in 2015.
In 2011, MTS opened the Silver Line, which operates renovated PCC streetcars around Downtown San Diego in partnership with the San Diego historic streetcar society.
SDMTS introduced its network of bus rapid transit routes in June 2014. [10] [11] The lines operate on exclusive roadways, dedicated lanes, high-occupancy vehicle lanes, and in mixed-traffic with other vehicles.
In 2016, the San Diego Trolley began construction of the Mid-Coast Corridor Transit Project. It is an 11-mile (18 km) extension of the Blue Line from the Old Town Transit Center north to La Jolla Village, University of California, San Diego, and University City. [12] [13] Ridership is projected at 34,700 trips in 2030. [14] The extension was completed and opened for service on November 21, 2021, [15] [16] costing $2.1 billion. [14] [17]
The MTS Rail Operations division oversees the San Diego Trolley (colloquially known as "The Trolley") a system of light rail routes: the Blue Line, the Green Line, the Orange Line, and the Silver Line, which operates using heritage streetcars on select days. The system is operated by San Diego Trolley, Inc. (SDTI), a subsidiary of the MTS. The Trolley began service on July 26, 1981, [18] making it the oldest of the second-generation light rail systems in the United States. The entire Trolley network is 53.5 miles (86.1 km) with 53 stations. In 2019, the Trolley had the 5th highest ridership of light rail systems in the United States, with 38,047,300 annual rides, an average of 117,700 rides per weekday. [19]
The MTS Bus Operations division oversees 85 "MTS Bus" fixed-route services, nine "Rapid" bus rapid transit routes, and the "MTS Access" paratransit service. Routes are operated by private contractors and by the San Diego Transit Corporation (SDTC), a subsidiary of the MTS. The SDTC operates 27 routes based out of Downtown San Diego (Imperial Avenue Division) and Kearny Mesa (Kearny Mesa Division), Transdev operates 73 routes based out of Chula Vista (South Bay Division), El Cajon (East County Division), [21] and operates the "MTS Access" paratransit service that are operated with mini-buses based out of Kearny Mesa (Copley Park Division). [22] All buses and division facilities, even those used by contractors, are owned by the MTS.
Urban bus routes link the densely populated neighborhoods and adjacent cities together with direct and frequent bus services. These services constitute the bulk of fixed-route bus services operated in terms of vehicle requirements and patronage. Typically, headways are 12–15 minutes between scheduled bus arrival/departure times during commute periods and during midday times on the busiest lines. Generally, no worse than 30-minute headways occur during non-commute periods or 60-minute headways weekends. Local routes generally have stops placed every block or every other block. Limited-stop lines have stops placed every approximately quarter to half-mile.
Four express fixed-route bus lines (Routes 20, 60, 110, and 950) are operated along major roadways and highways and link intermediate distant suburban areas to the San Diego urban area. Two of the six express lines (Routes 60 and 110) only operate during the morning and evening weekday commute periods.
Rural transit services (Routes 888, 891, 892 and 894) link the sparsely populated central and eastern portions of San Diego County to the San Diego Trolley and other fixed-route transit services at the El Cajon Transit Center. These lines offer much less frequent service – Route 888 only operates on Mondays and Fridays, Route 891 on Fridays, and Route 892 on Thursdays. Only Route 894 operates Mondays through Fridays.
Rapid is a network of ten bus rapid transit (BRT) routes in the San Diego area. The lines operate on exclusive roadways, dedicated lanes, high-occupancy vehicle lanes, and in mixed-traffic with other vehicles.
Paratransit services, operated under the name "MTS Access," provide point-to-point service upon request to passengers registered with MTS as being qualified for assistance under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Service is available throughout the MTS service area, and connections to a similar NCTD service are also available. Vehicles are typically mini-buses equipped with wheelchair lifts and tie-downs.
The San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway (SD&AE) is a subsidiary of the MTS that manages and leases railroad tracks for freight service. The San Diego and Imperial Valley Railroad has exclusive trackage rights move railcars from the end of the BNSF Railway in Downtown San Diego to either industrial customers in the San Diego area or to the Mexico–United States border in San Ysidro over the SD&AE Main Line and La Mesa Branch. The Baja California Railroad holds the right to operate over the SD&AE Desert Line in the Imperial Valley.
The For-Hire Vehicle Administration division licenses and regulates taxicabs, jitneys, non-emergency patient transport services, and other private for-hire passenger transportation services provided by contract in the cities of San Diego, El Cajon, Imperial Beach, La Mesa, Lemon Grove, Poway and Santee. [1]
MTS is a California public agency established and governed by the Mills-Deddeh Transit Development Act. [25] [26] The board of directors has 15 members, who are elected officials representing the cities and unincorporated within MTS's service area. These include the mayors of the cities of San Diego and Chula Vista, one member of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, three members the San Diego City Council, and one member each from the city councils of the cities of Chula Vista, Coronado, El Cajon, Imperial Beach, La Mesa, Lemon Grove, National City, Poway, Santee. The board members elect one of their own as their chairperson. [1] [25] [26]
The San Diego Trolley is a light rail system operating in the metropolitan area of San Diego. 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 the MTS, with connections to and integrated travel tickets with the local bus systems.
The San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway Company is a short-line American railroad founded in 1906 as the San Diego and Arizona Railway (SD&A) by sugar magnate, developer, and entrepreneur John D. Spreckels. Dubbed "The Impossible Railroad" by many engineers of its day due to the immense logistical challenges involved, the line was established in part to provide San Diego with a direct rail link to the east by connecting with the Southern Pacific Railroad lines in El Centro, California.
The San Diego Electric Railway (SDERy) was a mass transit system in Southern California, United States, using 600 volt DC streetcars and buses.
The San Diego and Imperial Valley Railroad (SD&IV) is a class III railroad operating freight rail service in the San Diego area, providing service to customers in the region and moving railcars between the end of the BNSF Railway in Downtown San Diego and the Mexico–United States border in San Ysidro. The railroad has exclusive trackage rights to operate over tracks of the San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway, a subsidiary of the Metropolitan Transit System, the regional public transit service provider. Tracks are shared with the San Diego Trolley, another subsidiary of the Metropolitan Transit System, and freight trains are only operated at night when passenger service is not in operation. The San Diego & Imperial Valley Railroad was established in October 1984 and is owned and operated by Genesee & Wyoming, a holding company that operates more than 100 shortline railroads like the SD&IV.
The North County Transit District is the agency responsible for public transportation in Northern San Diego County, California. The agency manages the COASTER commuter rail service between Oceanside and San Diego, the SPRINTER hybrid rail service between Escondido and Oceanside, the BREEZE transit bus service, LIFT paratransit service, and FLEX on-demand and point-deviation service.
The following is a list of transportation options in San Diego County, California.
Old Town Transit Center, also known as San Diego–Old Town station, Old Town San Diego station, or UC San Diego Health South station, is an intermodal transportation station located 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.
El Cajon Transit Center is a San Diego Trolley station served by the Orange and the Green 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 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 the UTC Transit Center and the San Ysidro Transit Center, the latter of which is at the border with Mexico 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 18.0-mile (29.0 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 regular lines, transporting 10,896,289 riders during FY 2014 according to the MTS.
The Green Line is a 23.6-mile (38.0 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, El Cajon, and Santee. The Green Line has the second highest ridership of the San Diego Trolley's three regular lines, transporting 13,673,926 riders during FY 2014 according to the MTS.
H Street station is a station on the Blue Line of the San Diego Trolley located in the city of Chula Vista, California. The stop serves both as a commuter center with a park and ride lot and as an access point to the nearby dense retail and large residential areas. It also provides access to nearby Southwestern Community College by way of the 709 bus.
Palomar Street station is a station on the Blue Line of the San Diego Trolley located in the city of Chula Vista, California. 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, industrial, and residential areas, as well as Southwestern Community College.
Iris Avenue station is a station on the Blue Line of the San Diego Trolley in the Otay Mesa West neighborhood of San Diego. The stop serves a variety of purposes, holding the function of commuter center with a park and ride lot and to provide access to the nearby commercial and residential areas.
The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) operates 97 bus routes in the city of San Diego and the rest of the southern half of San Diego County, California, as of April 2020.
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 four lines in the Trolley system, sharing tracks of the other lines; the other three lines are the Blue, Orange, and Green lines.
Rapid is the brand name given to the bus rapid transit system in San Diego County, California. The system serves nearly half the county, operating mainly on the HOV lanes on Interstates 15 and 805, with most of the stops also served by other routes. In addition, there are stations, dubbed as CenterLine in the medians of Interstate 15, Park Boulevard in San Diego and on East Palomar Street in Chula Vista, that are designed in a similar manner to the light rail stations. The system operates with a dedicated fleet, although buses from the Mainline fleet are regularly substituted. The system is administered, built and managed by San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) and is operated as part of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS).
The Purple Line is a commuter rail line proposed by the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) as part of the San Diego Trolley system. It would run from San Ysidro Transit Center at the United States–Mexico border to Kearny Mesa with a possible extension to Carmel Valley. Most of it would run along a similar route to I-805. The Purple Line could include up to 12 stations, a new maintenance facility, and a storage yard. Projected ridership on the Purple Line was previously expected to be over 40,000 daily trips when previously studied as a light rail line with a peak hour frequency of 7–10 minutes. With its mode being changed to higher-speed and higher-capacity commuter rail, a new study will eventually be conducted to determine how many more daily trips will be generated. The line is proposed to be opened in 2035 if funding is available at a proposed total project cost of $15.56B.
The James R. Mills Building is a 120-foot (37 m) mid-rise governmental office tower in San Diego, California, United States. The building is alternatively known as the MTS Tower, as it is the headquarters of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS). The building also houses various County of San Diego offices. The building was completed in 1989 and is located directly above 12th & Imperial Transit Center, a major transfer point in the San Diego Trolley system, with trains passing through the base of the building.
Under this agreement, Transdev will operate 52 of 95 bus route services from MTS bus divisions in Chula Vista and El Cajon, using MTS buses and MTS branding.
First Transit is MTS' contracted service provider for Paratransit and a limited number of fixed-route services using mini-buses.