Blue Line (San Diego Trolley)

The Blue Line is a light rail line operated by the San Diego Trolley, an operating division of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. It currently operates between San Ysidro and Old Town in San Diego.^[1]

The line is one of three primary and five overall lines in the trolley system, the others include the regular service Orange and Green lines and supplementary Silver and Special Event lines.

History

The initial line in the San Diego Trolley system, the Blue Line first opened between Centre City San Diego and San Ysidro in 1981, at a spartan cost of $86 million. In 1986, the line was named the South Line to differentiate it from the new East Line to Euclid Avenue. It was renamed the North-South Line when the Old Town extension opened in 1996. The North-South Line was renamed the Blue Line in 1997, with the opening of the extension to Mission San Diego.

With the introduction of the Green Line on July 10, 2005, most Blue Line service between Old Town and Qualcomm stadium was discontinued, save for a few select rush hour trains. On September 3, 2006, the Qualcomm service Blue line trains were discontinued entirely, due to duplication of service with Green Line service. All Blue Line trains then terminated at the Old Town Transit Center.

Blue Line service also experienced some change in the stations served. The Bayfront/E Street station in Chula Vista opened in 1985, about four years after service already operated along the tracks served. At the same time, the Centre City station on C Street, between Sixth Avenue and Fifth Avenue, was renamed the Fifth Avenue Station. The Fenton Parkway stop opened in 2000; however, it is now only served by the Green Line.

Stops along the Blue Line

Because of the sharing of the track with freight traffic, stations along the southern end are sparsely furnished and do not feature raised concrete platforms, as do those in the rest of the system.

Future Service Plans

Trolley Renewal Project

To accommodate the new Siemens S70 models to be usable on the line, the current stations will need to undergo renovation, although this will be done over a period of time to prevent the disruption of operation.^[2] The New LRVs are scheduled to begin operation on the Blue Line in 2013. Currently no stations on the Blue Line are closed for these renovations.^[3]

Mid-Coast Trolley Expansion

The next major Trolley extension would be to expand the Blue Line north to UCSD and University Towne Centre (UTC).^[4] MTS estimates the extension will be completed and ready for service in 2015.^[5][6] One aim of the extension is to ease parking on campus while providing direct light rail access to UTC, a popular shopping mall. The already existing "SuperLoop" BRT Shuttle will provide Rapid transit in and around the UTC area.^[7][8]

Future Extension Alignment

Photo Gallery

References

• Mid Coast Trolley Extension Map