List of San Diego Trolley stations

A map of the three light rail line San Diego Trolley system. (Note: The fourth line, the heritage streetcar, Silver Line is omitted from this map. There is a Blue Line going from north to south, a Green Line going from east to west near the top, and an Orange Line going from east to west in the middle of the map.
The current San Diego Trolley system map, with three of the four light rail lines (the part-time heritage streetcar Silver Line is omitted). (Note: The Grantville station is missing from this map.) The proposed Mid-Coast extension of the Blue Line is also shown.

The San Diego Trolley is a light rail system operating in the metropolitan area of San Diego. The operator, San Diego Trolley, Inc. (SDTI),[1][2] is a subsidiary of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS). The San Diego Trolley began service on July 26, 1981,[1] and today operates three primary lines named the Blue Line, the Orange Line, and the Green Line, 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[3] when the Metropolitan Transit Development Board (now operating as San Diego's MTS) began planning a light-rail service along the Main Line of the San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway (SD&AE Railway), which had been purchased by the MTDB from Southern Pacific Railroad in 1979.[3] Service began on July 19, 1981, with revenue collection beginning on July 26, 1981.[3] 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 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.[3] Service was extended along the East Line to Spring Street on May 12, 1989[3] serving Lemon Grove, and then to La Mesa and on to El Cajon on June 23, 1989.[3] Service from El Cajon to Santee, which does not operate along the old SD&AE right-of-way, began on August 26, 1995.[3]

The "Bayside" extension of the Trolley in Centre City San Diego opened on June 30, 1990.[4] The first phase of the Old Town extension, from C Street to Little Italy in Centre City San Diego, opened on July 2, 1992.[4] The second phase of that extension, running from Little Italy to Old Town, opened on June 16, 1996.[4]

The "Mission Valley West" SDTI extension from Old Town to Mission San Diego (which included the Qualcomm Stadium stop) commenced service on November 23, 1997,[4] 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.[3][4] The "Mission Valley East" extension from Mission San Diego to La Mesa began operating on July 10, 2005 with the inauguration of the Green Line.[4]

Current system

The San Diego Trolley system currently has 53 stations serving its four Trolley lines.[1][5]

Fourteen of these stations operate as transfer stations, which allow passengers to transfer between lines. There are two "universal" transfer points (i.e. allowing transfers among all four lines): the 12th & Imperial Transit Center station, and the adjacent America Plaza/Santa Fe Depot stations. Six of the Trolley stations are termini—stations at the end of lines. Of the 53 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 8 aerial stations in the system, mostly on the newer Green Line. Currently, there is just one station in the Trolley system that is underground (the SDSU Transit Center station), also on the Green Line.

Renamed station

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

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, to its close proximity to the (then renamed) Fifth Avenue station, and to the desire to eliminate a station in order to accommodate the soon-to-open infill station at Bayfront/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

Trolley service currently operates on three main lines offering daily service: the Blue, Green, and Orange Lines, and travels through the 53 stations and 53.5 total miles of double-track rail.[1][2] A fourth line, the hertitage streetcar Silver Line, operates more limited weekday and weekend service, in a clockwise 'circle-loop' around downtown San Diego only.[6][7]

Line Opening[1] Length[1] Stations[1] Termini Operation
  Blue Line 1981 15.4 mi (24.8 km) 18 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 Santa Fe Depot
El Cajon Transit Center		 Daily
  Silver Line 2011 2.7 mi (4.3 km) 9 12th & Imperial Transit Center Mid-day on Selected Days

Stations

Contents 

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

Table key:

      Transfer station
      Terminus
      Transfer station and terminus
   Indicates station is served by one or more nearby bus lines.
   Indicates station also serves commuter rail, e.g. Coaster and Surfliner, lines.
   Indicates that there is free parking, e.g. Park & Ride, available at the station.
   Indicates that transit information is available at the station.

Station[5] Line(s) Location Date opened[3] Bus Train Parking Info Comments
8th Street

 Blue Line National City July 19, 1981
12th & Imperial Transit Center

 Blue Line
 Green Line
 Orange Line
 Silver Line		 San Diego,
East Village		 July 19, 1981 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

 Blue Line National City July 19, 1981
25th & Commercial

 Orange Line San Diego,
Grant Hill		 March 23, 1986
32nd & Commercial

 Orange Line San Diego,
Stockton		 March 23, 1986
47th Street

 Orange Line San Diego,
Chollas View		 March 23, 1986
70th Street

 Green Line La Mesa July 10, 2005
Alvarado Medical Center  Green Line San Diego,
College Area		 July 10, 2005 Serves the Alvarado Medical Center.
Amaya Drive  Green Line
 Orange Line		 La Mesa June 23, 1989 Transfer station for Green and Orange Lines.
America Plaza  Blue Line
 Orange Line
 Silver Line		 San Diego,
Downtown Core		 November 14, 1991 Transfer station for Blue, Orange, 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 Blue Line.
Arnele Avenue  Green Line El Cajon August 26, 1995 Serves Westfield Parkway.
Barrio Logan  Blue Line San Diego,
Logan Heights		 July 19, 1981 Serves Chicano Park.
Bayfront / E Street  Blue Line Chula Vista October 1986 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  Blue Line San Diego,
San Ysidro		 July 19, 1981
City College  Blue Line
 Orange Line
 Silver Line		 San Diego,
East Village		 July 19, 1981 Serves San Diego City College, San Diego High School.
Transfer station for Blue, Orange, and Silver Lines.
Civic Center  Blue Line
 Orange Line
 Silver Line		 San Diego,
Downtown Core		 July 19, 1981 Serves City Hall, Courthouse, and Horton Plaza.
Transfer station for Blue, Orange, and Silver Lines.
Convention Center  Green Line
 Silver Line		 San Diego,
Marina		 June 30, 1990 Serves Convention Center.
Transfer station for Green and Silver Lines.
County Center / Little Italy  Green Line San Diego,
Middletown		 July 2, 1992 Serves San Diego County Administration Center.
El Cajon Transit Center  Green Line
 Orange Line		 El Cajon June 23, 1989 Transfer station for Green and Orange Lines.
Terminus for Orange Line.
Encanto / 62nd Street  Orange Line San Diego,
Encanto		 May 12, 1989
Euclid Avenue  Orange Line San Diego,
Emerald Hills		 March 23, 1986
Fashion Valley Transit Center  Green Line San Diego,
Mission Valley		 November 23, 1997 Serves Fashion Valley Mall.
Fenton Parkway  Green Line San Diego,
Mission Valley		 September 19, 2000 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  Blue Line
 Orange Line
 Silver Line		 San Diego,
Downtown Core		 July 19, 1981 Serves Downtown San Diego.
Transfer station for Blue, Orange, and Silver Lines.
Gaslamp Quarter  Green Line
 Silver Line		 San Diego,
Gaslamp Quarter		 June 30, 1990 Serves Gaslamp Quarter; also Convention Center & Petco Park.
Transfer station for Green and Silver Lines.
Gillespie Field  Green Line El Cajon August 26, 1995 Serves Gillespie Field (airport).
Grantville  Green Line San Diego,
Grantville		 July 10, 2005
Grossmont Transit Center  Green Line
 Orange Line		 La Mesa June 23, 1989 Transfer station for Green and Orange Lines.
H Street  Blue Line Chula Vista July 19, 1981
Harborside  Blue Line San Diego,
Logan Heights		 July 19, 1981
Hazard Center  Green Line San Diego,
Mission Valley		 November 23, 1997 Serves the Hazard Center Shopping Center.
Iris Avenue  Blue Line San Diego,
Otay Mesa West		 July 19, 1981
La Mesa Boulevard  Orange Line La Mesa June 23, 1989
Lemon Grove Depot  Orange Line Lemon Grove May 12, 1989
Massachusetts Avenue  Orange Line Lemon Grove May 12, 1989
Middletown  Green Line San Diego,
Mission Hills		 June 16, 1996
Mission San Diego  Green Line San Diego,
Mission Valley		 November 23, 1997 Serves Mission San Diego de Alcalá.
Mission Valley Center  Green Line San Diego,
Mission Valley		 November 23, 1997 Serves Westfield Mission Valley.
Morena / Linda Vista  Green Line San Diego,
Morena		 November 23, 1997 Serves University of San Diego.
Old Town Transit Center  Green Line San Diego,
Old Town		 June 16, 1996 Serves Old Town Historic Park.
Transfer point for the Coaster and the Surfliner.
Pacific Fleet  Blue Line San Diego,
Logan Heights		 July 19, 1981 Serves Naval Base San Diego.
Palm Avenue  Blue Line San Diego,
Palm City		 July 19, 1981
Palomar Street  Blue Line Chula Vista July 19, 1981
Park & Market  Blue Line
 Orange Line
 Silver Line		 San Diego,
East Village		 July 19, 1981 Transfer station for Blue, Orange, and Silver Lines.
Qualcomm Stadium  Green Line San Diego,
Mission Valley		 November 23, 1997 Serves Qualcomm Stadium.
Rio Vista  Green Line San Diego,
Mission Valley		 November 23, 1997
San Ysidro Transit Center  Blue Line San Diego,
San Ysidro		 July 19, 1981 Serves U.S.-Mexico International Border.
Terminus for Blue Line.
This was the original terminus for the original Trolley line.
Santa Fe Depot  Green Line
 Orange Line		 San Diego,
East Village		 July 19, 1981 Transfer station for Green and Orange Lines.
Directly adjacent to America Plaza (i.e. short walking distance) – so is also an "indirect" transfer point for Blue and Silver Lines.
Transfer point for the Coaster and the Surfliner.
Terminus for Orange Line.
This was the original terminus for the original Trolley line.
Santee Town Center  Green Line Santee August 26, 1995 Terminus for Green Line.
SDSU Transit Center  Green Line San Diego,
College Area		 July 10, 2005 Serves San Diego State University.
Only underground station in the San Diego Trolley system.
Seaport Village  Green Line
 Silver Line		 San Diego,
Marina		 June 30, 1990 Serves Seaport Village.
Transfer station for Green and Silver Lines.
Spring Street  Orange Line La Mesa May 12, 1989
Washington Street  Green Line San Diego,
Mission Hills		 June 16, 1996

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 "San Diego Trolley, Inc." (PDF). San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (via: http://www.sdmts.com/MTS/About_MTS.asp). February 2013. Retrieved 2014-01-24.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "San Diego Trolley Fact Sheet" (PDF). San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (via: http://www.sdmts.com/Trolley/TrolleyFactSheet.asp). February 2011. Retrieved 2013-06-21.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 "MTS Historical Timeline". San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS). 2013. Retrieved 2013-06-29.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Ristine, Jeff (July 23, 2006). "After 25 years, the trolley keeps on moving". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 2009-06-14.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Trolley Station Information". San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS). 2013. Retrieved 2013-06-30.
  6. ↑ "San Diego MTS Vintage Trolley". San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS). 2013. Retrieved 2013-06-22.
  7. ↑ "San Diego Vintage Trolley". San Diego Vintage Trolley, Inc. 2013. Retrieved 2013-06-22.