Green Line (VTA)
| Company type | Light rail line |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Founded | December 11, 1987 |
| Headquarters | Santa Clara , United States |
Area served | Santa Clara County, California |
| Products | Light rail transit service |
| Website | www |
The Green Line forms a part of the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority's light rail network, operating within Santa Clara County, California. It serves 26 stops across the cities of Santa Clara, San Jose, and Campbell, extending from Old Ironsides to Winchester. This route links several major commercial and transit centers such as Levi's Stadium, San Jose International Airport (accessible via bus), Downtown San Jose, San Jose State University, SAP Center, Diridon station, and Downtown Campbell. On weekdays, the line operates for up to 20 hours daily, with trains arriving every 15 minutes during rush hours. Weekend service runs at 20-minute intervals, while after 8 pm, trains come every 30 minutes.
Route description
Starting at the southern end in Winchester station located in Campbell, the Green Line moves northeast toward downtown San Jose following the path of the Union Pacific Permanente branch. It then heads north to serve San Jose Diridon station before passing through a short tunnel to reach San Fernando station. After navigating several curves, it merges with the Blue Line at the Convention Center station. Together, these lines run along 1st Street through Downtown and North San Jose until the Green Line splits off at Tasman station to join the westbound Orange Line. Continuing westward, it passes by Levi's Stadium and the forthcoming Related Santa Clara development before concluding its journey at Old Ironsides station in Santa Clara. The entire trip typically lasts about one hour.
Owl service
Between February 2000 and April 14, 2003, VTA offered a 24-hour "owl service" with light rail trains running every 70 minutes between Mountain View and Baypointe. During this period, VTA was unique among U.S. light rail systems for providing continuous overnight operations. However, this night service was discontinued in 2003 due to increasing financial losses.
Construction history
The Mountain View–Winchester corridor is composed of three development phases: the original Guadalupe line, followed by the Tasman West extension, and later the Vasona extension.
Guadalupe line
The portion stretching from Woz Way in Downtown San Jose to Old Ironsides station belongs to the Guadalupe line, which was Santa Clara County’s inaugural light rail corridor. This segment commenced revenue operations on December 11, 1987, initially connecting Old Ironsides with Civic Center station. The addition of Champion station occurred subsequently as part of the Tasman West extension.
Service expanded southward from Civic Center in stages:
- Extension from Downtown mall to Convention Center station opened on July 17, 1988.
- Connection between Convention Center and Tamien stations began August 17, 1990.
- Service from Tamien to Santa Teresa stations started April 25, 1991.
Tasman West extension
The Tasman West project comprised several key developments:
- The introduction of Champion station as an infill stop, which began operations on March 24, 1997.
- A 7.6-mile track expansion adding 12 new stations stretching from Old Ironsides to Downtown Mountain View station, inaugurated on December 17, 1999.
- The launch of Baypointe station near the intersection of 1st and Tasman on December 17, 1999; this station was later removed from this line’s service after a reconfiguration in August 2005.
- Upon completing Tasman West and before the commencement of the Tasman East/Capitol and Vasona extensions, VTA divided its light rail into two routes: Baypointe–Downtown Mountain View and Baypointe–Santa Teresa, with transfers initially at Baypointe and subsequently moved to Tasman station.
The funding for Tasman West originated from the 1996 Measure B sales tax initiative.
Vasona extension
The Mountain View–Winchester segment encompasses the entire 5.3-mile Vasona extension, running from San Fernando station to the southern terminus at Winchester station. This extension began revenue service on October 1, 2005, after a two-month delay caused by a disagreement with the Federal Railroad Administration concerning waiver conditions. The adjacent Union Pacific branch line remains operational for tri-weekly freight deliveries servicing the Permanente Quarry cement facility and a lumber yard in Campbell. A waiver was approved mandating that light rail vehicles must sound horns at crossings until "Quiet Zone" safety enhancements are implemented; freight trains are still required to use their horns. Funding for this extension also came from the 1996 Measure B sales tax.
Light Rail Efficiency Project
In 2014, VTA constructed a storage track and crossover between Old Ironsides and Reamwood stations to accommodate events at Levi's Stadium and future integration with the Silicon Valley BART extension. To enhance service frequency and dependability, a second track was built between Whisman and Downtown Mountain View from mid-2014 through late 2015. As part of these improvements, Evelyn Station was permanently closed in March 2015.
2019 reconfiguration
Following the launch of the Silicon Valley BART extension reaching Berryessa/North San Jose, Line 902 was divided into two distinct lines: the Green Line operating between Old Ironsides and Winchester, and the Orange Line running from Mountain View to Alum Rock. By early 2019, station signage transitioned from terminus icons to color-coded lines to better represent this updated route structure.
Station stops
| Station | Transfer options |
|---|---|
| Old Ironsides |
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| Great America |
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| Lick Mill |
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| Champion |
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| Tasman |
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| River Oaks |
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| Orchard |
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| Bonaventura | |
| Component | |
| Karina | |
| Metro/Airport |
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| Gish | |
| Civic Center |
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Station amenities
Multiple stops along this route offer park-and-ride facilities () as well as bicycle stations (), such as:
- Lick Mill (located at Great America Station: )
- River Oaks — which also serves as the location for VTA headquarters
- San Fernando
- San Jose Diridon
- Bascom
- Winchester