The Orange Line is an 18.0-mile (29.0 km)[3] 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.[2] The route connects Downtown San Diego with the cities of Lemon Grove, La Mesa, 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.[6]
| Orange Line | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.svg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Orange Line train at Downtown San Diego 5th Avenue Station (March 2008). | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Overview | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Owner | Metropolitan Transit System | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Locale | San Diego, California | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Termini | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stations | 19 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | SDMTS - Trolley | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Service | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type | Light rail | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| System | San Diego Trolley | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operator(s) | San Diego Trolley, Inc. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rolling stock | 3-car trains (typically, one SD100 between two streetcar-length S70US) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Daily ridership | 19,128 (FY 2023)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ridership | 6,251,754 (FY 2023)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| History | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | March 23, 1986[2] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Technical | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Line length | 18.0 mi (29.0 km), as of 2013[3] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number of tracks | 2 tracks | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) (standard gauge) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Electrification | Overhead line, 600 V DC | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operating speed | 55 mph (89 km/h) (max) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
It is one of four lines in the Trolley system, the others include the Blue, Green and Silver lines.[2]
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.[7]
History edit
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.[8][9] The East Line, as it was then called, kept this name after successive extensions to Spring Street on May 12, 1989,[8] to the El Cajon Transit Center on June 23, 1989,[8] along the Bayside in downtown San Diego on June 30, 1990,[9] and finally to Santee Town Center on August 26, 1995.[8]
The line was renamed the Orange Line in 1997.[8] Service between Gillespie Field and Santee Town Center was replaced by the Green Line in July 2005 upon that line's introduction.[8][9]
2012 realignment edit
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.[10]
Trolley Renewal Project edit
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,[11] once all remaining Orange Line stations had been upgraded to handle them, and all renovation work on the Orange Line was completed in 2013.[11]
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.[12] MTS says the change should help improve on-time performance of the Orange Line and relieve train congestion at Santa Fe Depot.[13]
In order to alleviate train congestion at America Plaza in preparation for the Mid-Coast trolley extension to University City,[14] MTS constructed a new station, Courthouse, which serves as the new western terminus for the Orange Line.[15][16] Courthouse station is a single platform station located on C street between State and Union. The station opened April 29, 2018.[17] The line was also re-extended north one station at this time to service Arnele Avenue.
Stations edit
| Station | Location | Connections |
|---|---|---|
| Courthouse | Core, San Diego | |
| Civic Center |  Blue Line  Silver Line
| |
| Fifth Avenue | Blue Line Silver Line Metropolitan Transit System: 3, 120 | |
| City College | East Village, San Diego | Blue Line Silver Line Metropolitan Transit System: 2, 5, 7, 12, 20, 110, Rapid 215, Rapid 225, Rapid 235, Rapid Express 280, Rapid Express 290,  992
|
| Park & Market | Blue Line Silver Line Metropolitan Transit System: 3, 5, 12 | |
| 12th & Imperial | Blue Line  Green Line Silver LineMetropolitan Transit System: 4, 12, 901, 929 Greyhound Lines | |
| 25th & Commercial | Grant Hill, San Diego | Metropolitan Transit System: 3 |
| 32nd & Commercial | Stockton, San Diego | |
47th Street 
|
Chollas View, San Diego | Metropolitan Transit System: 955 |
| Euclid Avenue
|
Emerald Hills, San Diego | Metropolitan Transit System: 3, 4, 5, 13, 60, 916, 917, 955 |
| Encanto/62nd Street
|
Encanto, San Diego | Metropolitan Transit System: 4, 916, 917, 961 |
| Massachusetts Avenue
|
Lemon Grove | |
| Lemon Grove Depot
|
Metropolitan Transit System: 856, 936 | |
| Spring Street
|
La Mesa | Metropolitan Transit System: 851, 855 |
| La Mesa Boulevard | Metropolitan Transit System: 852 | |
| Grossmont
|
Green Line Metropolitan Transit System: 852, 854 | |
| Amaya Drive
|
Green Line
| |
| El Cajon
|
El Cajon | Green Line Metropolitan Transit System: 115, 815, 816, 833, 848, 864, 872, 874, 875, 888, 891, 892, 894 Greyhound Lines Sycaun Casino Shuttle |
| Arnele Avenue
|
Green Line Metropolitan Transit System: 115 |
Future 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]
References edit
- ^ a b "Annual Service Performance Report" (PDF). San Diego Metropolitan Transit System . November 2, 2023. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
- ^ a b c "San Diego Trolley, Inc" (PDF). San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. February 2013. Retrieved December 11, 2015 – via sdmts.com/about-mts.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "SDMTS - Trolley". San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. 2015. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
- ^ "San Diego's Green Line Will Finally Arrive Downtown In September". KPBS. April 30, 2012. Retrieved April 17, 2013.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "San Diego and Imperial Valley Railroad". Genesee & Wyoming. Retrieved June 21, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f "MTS Historical Timeline". San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. 2013. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "June Service Changes". San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
- ^ "Metropolitan Transit System Facebook Comment". Facebook. June 9, 2017. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
- ^ "Mid-Coast Corridor Transit Project". San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG). Retrieved April 16, 2013.
- ^ Alexander Nguyen (June 30, 2015). "SANDAG, MTS Receives State Grant to Bolster Public Transit". Times of San Diego. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
- ^ Caroline Howe (March 18, 2016). "San Diego MTS Announces $108 Million in Projects". Times of San Diego. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
- ^ Kelly Hessedal (April 29, 2018). "New trolley station opens in downtown San Diego". KFMB-TV CBS 8. Retrieved April 30, 2018.