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Orange Line (San Diego Trolley)

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Orange Line
Orange Line train at downtown San Diego
5th Avenue Station (March 2008).
Overview
OwnerSan Diego Metropolitan Transit System
LocaleSan Diego, California
Termini
Stations18
WebsiteSDMTS – Trolley
Service
TypeLight rail
SystemSan Diego Trolley
Route number520[a]
Operator(s)San Diego Trolley, Inc.
Rolling stock3-car trains
Daily ridership20,523 (FY 2024)[3]
Ridership6,631,168 (FY 2024)[3]
History
OpenedMarch 23, 1986; 38 years ago (1986-03-23)[4]
Technical
Line length17.1 mi (27.5 km), as of 2013[5]
Number of tracks2 tracks
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
(standard gauge)
ElectrificationOverhead line, 600 V DC
Operating speed55 mph (89 km/h) (max)
Route map
Map Orange Line highlighted in orange
Legend
Blue Line to UTC
 Courthouse
Civic Center
Fifth Avenue
San Diego Square
closed
1986
 City College
San Diego International Airport (via City College station (San Diego))
Park & Market
Green Line
 12th & Imperial
Storage &
Maintenance Yard
Blue Line to San Ysidro
I-5 (1961).svg I-5
 25th & Commercial
32nd & Commercial
California 15.svg SR 15
I-805 (1961).svg I-805
 47th Street
Euclid Avenue
Encanto/62nd Street
Massachusetts Avenue
Lemon Grove Depot
California 94.svg SR 94
 Spring Street
La Mesa Blvd.
I-8 (1961).svg I-8
Green Line
 Grossmont
California 125.svg SR 125
 Amaya Drive
I-8 (1961).svg I-8
 El Cajon
Copper Line to Santee
Multiple
services
Handicapped/disabled access
All stations
are accessible
This diagram:

The Orange Line is an 17.1-mile (27.5 km)[5] 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.[4] The route connects downtown San Diego with the cities of Lemon Grove, La Mesa, and El Cajon.[6][7] The Orange Line has the lowest ridership of the San Diego Trolley's three core lines, transporting 10,896,289 riders during FY 2014 according to the MTS.[8]

It is one of five lines in the trolley system, along with the Blue, Green, Copper and Silver ("heritage weekend" service only) lines.[4]

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.[9]

History

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

The Orange Line is the second line in the San Diego Trolley system. Service began on March 23, 1986, originally as the East Line and initially operated between downtown San Diego and Euclid Avenue.[10][11] The East Line, as it was then called, kept this name after successive extensions to Spring Street on May 12, 1989,[10] to El Cajon Transit Center on June 23, 1989,[10] along the Bayside in downtown San Diego on June 30, 1990,[11] and finally to Santee Town Center on August 26, 1995.[10]

The line was renamed the Orange Line in 1997.[10] Service between Gillespie Field and Santee Town Center was replaced by the Green Line in July 2005 upon that line's introduction.[10][11]

2012 realignment

[edit]

During a system redesign on September 2, 2012, the Orange Line's eastern terminus was further shortened to El Cajon Transit Center, while Orange Line service along the Bayside was eliminated and its western terminus was rerouted to Santa Fe Depot in downtown San Diego.[12]

Trolley Renewal Project

[edit]
Main article: San Diego Trolley – 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 done over a period of time to prevent the disruption of operation. The new S70 models began operation on the Orange Line in January 2013,[13] once all remaining Orange Line stations had been upgraded to handle them, and all renovation work on the Orange Line was completed in 2013.[13]

2017 and 2018 realignment

[edit]

On July 11, 2017, the Orange Line was once again realigned to terminate at America Plaza instead of Santa Fe Depot.[14] MTS says the change should help improve on-time performance of the Orange Line and relieve train congestion at Santa Fe Depot.[15]

In order to alleviate train congestion at America Plaza in preparation for the Blue Line's Mid-Coast Extension to UC San Diego and UTC,[16] MTS constructed a new station, Courthouse, which serves as the new western terminus for the Orange Line.[17][18] Courthouse station is a single platform, single-track station located on C Street between State Street and Union Street. The station, which opened April 29, 2018,[19] serves as a layover point for Orange Line trains three blocks to the east of America Plaza. The line was also re-extended north one station at this time to Arnele Avenue, which serves as a convenient layover for Orange Line trains instead of the busier El Cajon Transit Center one station to the south.

East County Connector Project

[edit]

The northern terminus of the Orange Line would change once more with the completion of the East County Connector project in 2024, finally bringing a proper third track to El Cajon station for Green, Orange and Copper Line trains.

In May 2024, MTS proposed a new Trolley line to take over service from the Green Line between El Cajon and Santee. Known as the East County Connector project (and later the Copper Line), the proposal was prompted by service issues caused by the merge of double track to single track between the final two stations, creating delays for Green Line trolleys waiting for the track to clear and occasional cancellations at eastern stations when trains turn around early to prevent the delays. On September 28, 2024, Copper Line service began, and Orange Line Trolleys were cut back to El Cajon station.[20]

Stations

[edit]
See also: List of San Diego Trolley stations
Station Location Connections
Courthouse Core, San Diego
Civic Center  Blue Line  Silver Line
Fifth Avenue
City College East Village, San Diego
Park & Market
12th & Imperial
25th & Commercial Grant Hill, San Diego Bus transport MTS: 3
32nd & Commercial Stockton, San Diego
47th Street Chollas View, San Diego
  • Bus transport MTS: 955
  • Car parking Park and ride: 129 spaces
Euclid Avenue Emerald Hills, San Diego
Encanto/62nd Street Encanto, San Diego
Massachusetts Avenue Lemon Grove Car parking Park and ride: 241 spaces
Lemon Grove Depot Bus transport MTS: 856, 936
Spring Street La Mesa
  • Bus transport MTS: 851, 855
  • Car parking Park and ride: 324 spaces
La Mesa Blvd. Bus transport MTS: 852
Grossmont
Amaya Drive
El Cajon El Cajon

Future

[edit]

Possible extension to San Diego International Airport

[edit]

In January 2013, San Diego Mayor Bob Filner and SANDAG conducted talks about a possible trolley extension to San Diego International 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.[citation needed]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Internal documents only[1][2]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Appendix P: Travel and Tourism" (PDF). San Diego Association of Governments. Retrieved June 7, 2024. Trolley Route 520 (Orange Line): El Cajon to Downtown
  2. ^ "Appendix A: Transportation Projects, Programs, and Phasing" (PDF). San Diego Association of Governments. p. 119. Retrieved June 7, 2024. LRT 520 Orange Line (El Cajon to Downtown)
  3. ^ a b "Annual Service Performance Report" (PDF). San Diego Metropolitan Transit System . October 9, 2024. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c "San Diego Trolley, Inc" (PDF). San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. February 2013. Retrieved December 11, 2015 – via sdmts.com/about-mts.
  5. ^ a b "San Diego Trolley, Inc. Fact Sheet" (PDF). San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. February 2013. Retrieved July 2, 2021 – via sdmts.com/about-mts.
  6. ^ "SDMTS – Trolley". San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. 2015. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
  7. ^ "San Diego's Green Line Will Finally Arrive Downtown In September". KPBS. April 30, 2012. Retrieved April 17, 2013.
  8. ^ "MTS Announces a Record 95 Million Passengers Rode the Bus and Trolley in FY 2014". San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. August 19, 2014. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  9. ^ "San Diego and Imperial Valley Railroad". Genesee & Wyoming. Retrieved June 21, 2013.
  10. ^ a b c d e f "MTS Historical Timeline". San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. 2013. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  11. ^ a b c Jeff Ristine (July 23, 2006). "After 25 years, the trolley keeps on moving". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved June 14, 2009.
  12. ^ "SDMTS Service Changes, September 2012". San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. September 2, 2012. Archived from the original on April 30, 2015. Retrieved October 22, 2012.
  13. ^ a b "Trolley Renewal Breakthrough: New Low-Floor Trolleys Now Operate on the Orange Line!". San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS). January 9, 2013. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
  14. ^ "June Service Changes". San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  15. ^ "Metropolitan Transit System Facebook Comment". Facebook. June 9, 2017. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  16. ^ "Mid-Coast Corridor Transit Project". San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG). Retrieved April 16, 2013.
  17. ^ Alexander Nguyen (June 30, 2015). "SANDAG, MTS Receives State Grant to Bolster Public Transit". Times of San Diego. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  18. ^ Caroline Howe (March 18, 2016). "San Diego MTS Announces $108 Million in Projects". Times of San Diego. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  19. ^ Kelly Hessedal (April 29, 2018). "New trolley station opens in downtown San Diego". KFMB-TV CBS 8. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  20. ^ Vigil, Jennifer (September 29, 2024). "MTS Copper Line Trolley Service Begins Sunday Between El Cajon, Santee". Times of San Diego. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
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