Orange Line (San Diego Trolley)

Orange Line
Orange Line train at Downtown San Diego 5th Avenue Station (March 2008).
Overview
Type	Light rail
System	San Diego Trolley
Status	Currently Running
Locale	San Diego, California
Termini	Santa Fe Depot El Cajon Transit Center
Stations	19[1]
Ridership	10,896,289 (FY 2014)[2]
Website	SDMTS - Trolley Information
Operation
Opening	March 23, 1986 (1986-03-23)[1][3]
Owner	Metropolitan Transit System
Operator(s)	San Diego Trolley, Inc.
Rolling stock	Triple Car Trains (In any of the following configurations) Three Short S70s Three SD-100 Cars One SD-100 Between Two Short S70s * Train configurations may vary based on system volume
Technical
Line length	18.0 mi (29.0 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. 65 mph (105 km/h) Average 55 mph (89 km/h)
Route map Legend and Green Line Santa Fe Depot Green Line America Plaza Civic Center Fifth Avenue City College Park & Market 12th & Imperial Transit Center Green Line and Silver Line Blue Line (Storage and Maintenance Yard) Interstate 5 25th & Commercial 32nd & Commercial State Route 15 Interstate 805 47th Street Euclid Avenue Encanto/62nd Street Massachusetts Avenue Lemon Grove Depot State Route 94 Spring Street La Mesa Boulevard Interstate 8 Green Line Grossmont Transit Center State Route 125 Amaya Drive Interstate 8 El Cajon Transit Center Green Line

Orange Line train at Downtown San Diego America Plaza (January 2008).

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.^[1] It currently operates between Downtown San Diego and El Cajon.^[4][5] 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.^[2]

The line is one of four lines in the Trolley system, the others include the Blue, Green and Silver lines.^[1][3]

At night, the San Diego and Imperial Valley Railroad uses the Orange Line right of way east of the rail yard near the 12th & Imperial Transit Center for its freight service to El Cajon and Santee.^[6]

History

The Orange Line is the second line in the San Diego Trolley system, with service beginning on March 23, 1986 and initially operating between downtown San Diego and Euclid Avenue.^[7][8] The East Line, as it was then called, kept this name after successive extensions to Spring Street on May 12, 1989,^[7] to the El Cajon Transit Center on June 23, 1989,^[7] along the Bayside in downtown San Diego on June 30, 1990,^[8] and finally to Santee Town Center on August 26, 1995.^[7]

The line was renamed the Orange Line in 1997.^[7] Service between Gillespie Field and Santee Town Center was replaced by the Green Line in July 2005 upon that line's introduction.^[7][8]

2012 realignment

During a system redesign on September 2, 2012, the Orange Line's eastern terminus was further shortened to the El Cajon Transit Center, while Orange Line service along the Bayside was eliminated and its western terminus was rerouted to the Santa Fe Depot in downtown San Diego.^[9] Once the Mid-Coast trolley extension to University City is completed,^[10] the Orange Line's western end is likely to be curtailed one additional station, terminating at America Plaza.

Stops along the Orange Line

Orange Line (Santa Fe Depot–Downtown–El Cajon)
Station Name	Connections	Bus	Train	Parking	Info	Notes
Santa Fe Depot	Green Line					Directly adjacent to America Plaza – so is an "indirect" transfer point for Blue and Silver Lines. Transfer point for the Coaster and the Surfliner.
America Plaza	Blue 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	Blue Line  Silver Line					Serves City Hall, Courthouse, and Horton Plaza.
Fifth Avenue	Blue Line  Silver Line					Serves Downtown San Diego.
City College	Blue Line  Silver Line					Serves San Diego City College, San Diego High School.
Park & Market	Blue Line  Silver Line
12th & Imperial Transit Center	Blue Line  Green Line  Silver Line					Serves Petco Park. Universal transfer station for all lines. Terminus for Green and Silver Lines.
25th & Commercial
32nd & Commercial
47th Street
Euclid Avenue
Encanto/62nd Street
Massachusetts Avenue
Lemon Grove Depot
Spring Street
La Mesa Boulevard
Grossmont Transit Center	Green Line
Amaya Drive	Green Line
El Cajon Transit Center	Green Line					Terminus for Orange Line.

Trolley Renewal Project

To accommodate the new Siemens S70 models so that they could be used on the line, Trolley stations needed to undergo renovation, although this was be done over a period of time to prevent the disruption of operation. The New LRVs began operation on the Orange Line in January 2013,^[11] once all remaining Orange Line stations had been upgraded to handle them. Currently no stations on the Orange Line are closed for this renewal project, as all renovation work on the Orange Line was completed in 2013.^[11][12]

Possible Extension to Lindbergh Field

In January 2013, San Diego Mayor Bob Filner and SANDAG conducted talks about a possible trolley extension to the San Diego airport. SANDAG has been conducting feasibility studies on an extension to Lindbergh Field since 2009. There are many different plans and scenarios for such an extension, but one of the possible scenarios is to extend the Orange Line from downtown San Diego up N. Harbor Drive to the passenger terminals on the south side of Lindbergh Field, with possible stops along the way. Currently, there is no projected start or completion date for such a proposed extension of the Orange Line to Lindbergh Field.

References