Green Line (San Diego Trolley)

San Diego Trolley, Inc.

Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Public transportation
Area served	San Diego, La Mesa, El Cajon
Products	Light rail transit services (Green Line)
Parent	San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS)

Green Line

The Green Line is a light rail route within the San Diego Trolley network, managed by San Diego Trolley, Inc., a subsidiary of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS). This line connects downtown San Diego, Mission Valley, as well as the municipalities of La Mesa and El Cajon. Among the three principal lines in the system, the Green Line holds the second-highest ridership, serving 13.7 million passengers in fiscal year 2014.

As one of the five trolley routes—the others being the Blue, Orange, Copper, and the weekend-only heritage Silver—the Green Line is integral to regional transit integration.

History

Initiated on July 10, 2005, the Green Line was the third addition to the San Diego Trolley system. Its launch coincided with the inauguration of the 5.9-mile Mission Valley East extension. The line mainly operates along this new extension and a portion previously covered by the Blue Line between Old Town and Mission San Diego, running through Mission Valley and following the San Diego River corridor.

Following the implementation of the Trolley Renewal Project, a system-wide restructuring effective September 2, 2012, extended service westward from Old Town through downtown along the Bayside route, terminating at the Bayside Platform of 12th & Imperial Transit Center. This redesign introduced two universal transfer hubs for all three primary lines: 12th & Imperial Transit Center and Santa Fe Depot Transit Center, significantly improving network connectivity.

In May 2024, MTS unveiled plans for the East County Connector—later designated as the Copper Line—to replace segments of Green and Orange line service between El Cajon Transit Center and Santee. This adjustment was made to alleviate delays caused by a single-track bottleneck near the eastern end of the line. Consequently, on September 29, 2024, services on both Green and Orange Lines were truncated to El Cajon Transit Center as Copper Line operations commenced.

A distinctive feature of the Green Line is its SDSU Transit Center, which stands as the sole underground station within the trolley system.

Naming rights

In October 2017, Sycuan Casino acquired naming rights for the Green Line when MTS began selling naming rights for each trolley route, leading to the branding as Sycuan Green Line. This sponsorship arrangement has since ended. Nonetheless, paid station naming sponsorships persist on the Green Line; for example, what was formerly Alvarado Medical Center station is now titled UC San Diego Health East station.

Stations

Station	Location	Connections
	East Village, San Diego	Template:MTS icon Template:MTS icon Template:MTS icon Template:Bus icon MTS: Template:SDMTS route, Template:SDMTS route, Template:SDMTS route, Template:SDMTS route Template:Rint Greyhound Lines Template:Parking symbol Park and ride: 1,020 spaces, paid
	Gaslamp Quarter, San Diego	Template:MTS icon
	Marina, San Diego	Template:MTS icon
		Template:MTS icon
	Core, San Diego	Template:MTS icon Template:MTS icon Template:Rint Pacific Surfliner Template:Rint Coaster Template:Bus icon MTS: Template:SDMTS route, Template:SDMTS route, Template:SDMTS route, Template:SDMTS route, Template:SDMTS route, Template:SDMTS route, Template:SDMTS route, Template:SDMTS route
	Little Italy, San Diego	Template:MTS icon
	Middletown, San Diego	Template:MTS icon Shuttle to San Diego International Airport terminal (via bus)