Blue Line (San Diego Trolley)

Blue Line
Blue Line train at Trolley at the US-Mexico Border
Overview
Type	Light rail
System	San Diego Trolley
Status	Currently Running, Undergoing Renovations, No stations closed.
Locale	San Diego, California
Termini	America Plaza San Ysidro Transit Center
Stations	18[1]
Ridership	15,094,878 (FY 2014)[2]
Website	SDMTS - Trolley Information
Operation
Opening	July 19, 1981 (1981-07-19)[3]
Owner	Metropolitan Transit System
Operator(s)	San Diego Trolley, Inc.
Rolling stock	Triple Car U2 or SD-100 Trains * Train configurations may vary based on system volume.
Technical
Line length	15.4 mi (24.8 km)[1]
No. of tracks	2 Tracks
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) (standard gauge)
Electrification	600 V DC Overhead lines
Operating speed	Max. 55 mph (89 km/h) Average 50 mph (80 km/h)
Route map Legend University Towne Center Executive Drive UCSD East Interstate 5 UCSD West VA Medical Center Nobel Drive Interstate 5 Balboa Avenue Clairemont Drive Tecolote Road and Green Line Interstate 8 Old Town Transit Center Interstate 5 Washington Street Middletown County Center/Little Italy Santa Fe Depot Green Line Orange Line America Plaza Civic Center Fifth Avenue City College Park & Market 12th & Imperial Transit Center Green Line and Silver Line Orange Line (Storage and Maintenance Yard) Barrio Logan State Route 75 Harborside 32nd St. to State Route 15 Pacific Fleet 8th Street Interstate 5 24th Street State Route 54 Bayfront/E Street H Street Palomar Street Palm Avenue Iris Avenue State Route 905 Beyer Boulevard Interstate 805 San Ysidro Transit Center

The Blue Line is a 15.4-mile (24.8 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).^[1] It currently operates between Downtown San Diego and San Ysidro on the border with Mexico.^[4] The Blue Line has the highest ridership of the San Diego Trolley's three regular lines, transporting 15,094,878 riders during FY 2014 according to the MTS.^[2]

The line is one of four lines in the Trolley system, the others include the Green, Orange, and Silver lines.^[1][5]

History

The initial line in the San Diego Trolley system, the Blue Line first opened between Centre City San Diego and San Ysidro on July 26, 1981,^[3][6] at a spartan cost of $86 million, using the existing tracks of the San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway. In 1986, the line was named the South Line to differentiate it from the new East Line to Euclid Avenue. On July 2, 1992, the line was extended north from downtown with the opening of the County Center/Little Italy stop.^[6] It was renamed the North-South Line when the Old Town extension opened on June 16, 1996.^[6] The North-South Line was renamed the Blue Line in 1997,^[3] with the opening of the extension to Mission San Diego on November 23, 1997.^[6]

When the Green Line was brought into service in 2005, the Blue Line was cut back to the Old Town Transit Center. At rush hours, however, some Blue Line trains continued onto Qualcomm Stadium; and from Qualcomm Stadium onto San Ysidro. On September 3, 2006, the rush hour service Blue line trains were discontinued entirely, due to duplication of service with Green Line service. All Blue Line trains then terminated at Old Town. Rush hour Blue Line trains operated from San Ysidro to America Plaza with some serving the Bayside.

Blue Line service also experienced some change in the stations served. The San Diego Square station located between 7th and 8th Avenues in Downtown closed in 1986 due to low ridership and its close proximity to Fifth Avenue station. Later that year, the Bayfront/E Street station in Chula Vista opened in October 1986,^[6] about five 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 was an 'infill' station that opened in 2000; however, it is now only served by the Green Line.

2012 realignment

During a system redesign which took effect on September 2, 2012, Blue Line service between America Plaza and Old Town was discontinued, making America Plaza the Blue Line's current northern terminus.^[7] Blue Line trains travel between America Plaza to San Ysidro on a regular 15 minute frequency, with a 7 1/2 minute frequency during weekday rush hours.^[7][8] Blue Line service to Old Town will be reinstated once the Mid-Coast trolley extension to University City is completed.^[9]

Stops along the Blue Line

Blue Line (San Ysidro–Downtown–America Plaza)
Station Name	Connections	Bus	Train	Parking	Info	Notes
America Plaza	Orange Line  Silver Line					Serves One America Plaza. Directly adjacent to Santa Fe Depot – so is 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 Blue Line.
Civic Center	Orange Line  Silver Line					Serves City Hall, Courthouse, and Horton Plaza.
Fifth Avenue	Orange Line  Silver Line					Serves Downtown San Diego.
City College	Orange Line  Silver Line					Serves San Diego City College, San Diego High School.
Park & Market	Orange Line  Silver Line
12th & Imperial Transit Center	Green Line  Orange Line  Silver Line					Serves Petco Park. Universal transfer station for all lines. Terminus for Green and Silver Lines.
Barrio Logan						Serves Chicano Park.
Harborside
Pacific Fleet						Serves Naval Base San Diego.
8th Street
24th Street
Bayfront/E Street						This was an infill station (it was added 5 years after the line's opening) – the first infill station on the Blue Line.
H Street
Palomar Street
Palm Avenue
Iris Avenue
Beyer Boulevard
San Ysidro Transit Center						Serves U.S.-Mexico International Border. Terminus for Blue Line.

Future Service Plans

Trolley Renewal Project

To accommodate the new Siemens S70 models and allow for their use on the line, the current Blue Line stations need to undergo renovation, although this has been done over a period of time to prevent the disruption of operation.^[10] The low-floor Siemens S70 LRVs began operation on the Blue Line on January 27, 2015.^[11] As of February 2015, eight Blue Line stations have been fully renovated and restored to service. Additional details and construction updates can be found at the MTS Trolley Renewal page.^[12] Current construction on the Blue Line for the Trolley Renewal Project includes:

• Palm Avenue and Iris Avenue stations – Stations undergoing construction from September 2014 to Spring 2015 for the Trolley Renewal Project.^[12] These stations will remain open, although during construction riders may be asked to use temporary platforms located just south of the existing station platforms that are undergoing renovation. In addition, parking will be impacted by construction at the Palm Avenue and Iris Avenue stations.

• Beyer Boulevard station – Station undergoing construction from December 2014 to June 2015 for the Trolley Renewal Project.^[12] This station will remain open, although during construction riders may be asked to use a temporary platform near the existing station platform that is undergoing renovation. In addition, parking will be impacted by construction at the Beyer Boulevard station.

• San Ysidro Transit Center station – Station undergoing construction from December 2014 to March 2015 for the Trolley Renewal Project.^[12] This station will remain open, although during construction riders may be asked to use a temporary platform near the existing station platform that is undergoing renovation.

Mid-Coast Trolley extension project

The next major Trolley extension would be to expand the Blue Line north to La Jolla Village, UCSD and Westfield UTC.^[13][14] MTS estimates construction will begin in 2015 and the extension will be completed and ready for service in 2019.^[9] One aim of the extension is to ease parking on the UCSD campus while providing direct trolley access to UTC, a popular shopping mall. The already existing "SuperLoop" BRT Shuttle (Routes 201/202) will provide rapid transit in and around the UTC area from the nearby Trolley stations.^[15]

Future extension alignment & stations

The following table lists the stations associated with the Mid-Coast Trolley extension project, and presumes another Trolley system realignment upon the starting operation of this Blue Line extension.

Station Name	Connections	Bus	Train	Parking	Info	Notes
Westfield UTC (Future Transit Center)						Will serve Westfield UTC and Costa Verde Shopping Center. New terminus for Blue Line.
Executive Drive (Future Station)
UCSD East/Voigt Drive (Future Station)						Will serve University of California, San Diego and Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla.
UCSD West/Pepper Canyon (Future Station)						Will serve University of California, San Diego.
VA Medical Center (Future Station)						Will serve VA Medical Center (VAMC) of San Diego.
Nobel Drive (Future Station)						Will serve La Jolla Village Square and The Shops at La Jolla.
Balboa Avenue (Future Station)
Clairemont Drive (Future Station)						Will serve Mission Bay.
Tecolote Road (Future Station)						Will serve SeaWorld.
Old Town Transit Center	Green Line					Serves Old Town Historic Park. Transfer point for the Coaster and the Surfliner.
Washington Street	Green Line
Middletown	Green Line
County Center/Little Italy	Green Line					Serves San Diego County Administration Center.
Santa Fe Depot	Green Line					Directly adjacent to America Plaza – so is an "indirect" transfer point for Orange and Silver Lines. Transfer point for the Coaster and the Surfliner.
America Plaza	Orange Line  Silver Line					Serves One America Plaza. Directly adjacent to Santa Fe Depot – so is an "indirect" transfer point for the Green Line. New terminus for Orange Line.
Continues on existing route

Gallery

Riders boarding an original Siemens–Duewag U2 Blue Line train at Old Town Transit Center (March 2008)

References