List of San Diego Trolley stations

San Diego Trolley, Inc.
Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Public transportation
Founded	1980
Founder	Metropolitan Transit Development Board (now MTS)
Headquarters	San Diego, United States
Area served	San Diego County, California
Parent	San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS)

The San Diego Trolley is a light rail network operating within San Diego County, California. Managed by San Diego Trolley, Inc. (SDTI), a subsidiary entity of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS), the service commenced on July 26, 1981. The network consists of four principal routes (Blue, Orange, Green, and Copper) along with a heritage streetcar loop downtown known as the Silver Line, which runs during holiday periods.

History

San Diego Trolley Incorporated (SDTI) was founded in 1980 when the Metropolitan Transit Development Board—now operating as MTS—initiated plans for light rail transit along the Main Line corridor of the former San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway (SD&AE Railway), which had been purchased from Southern Pacific Railroad in 1979. Initial operations began on July 19, 1981, with revenue service starting July 26, featuring a single route connecting downtown San Diego to San Ysidro, including stops in National City and Chula Vista.

In March 1986, service was extended eastward from downtown to Euclid Avenue utilizing the La Mesa Branch of the SD&AE Railway, establishing a second route named the East Line; concurrently, the original route was designated as the South Line. The East Line underwent further expansion to Spring Street in May 1989, adding service through Lemon Grove, followed by extensions to La Mesa and El Cajon by June 1989. The segment from El Cajon to Santee opened in August 1995, extending beyond the original railway’s right-of-way.

The "Bayside" extension adjacent to San Diego’s waterfront launched on June 30, 1990. The Old Town extension was completed in two stages: from C Street to Little Italy in July 1992 and from Little Italy to Old Town in June 1996.

The "Mission Valley West" extension debuted on November 23, 1997, linking Old Town with Mission San Diego and including Qualcomm Stadium station—timed strategically before Super Bowl XXXII. At this point, the South and East Lines were renamed as the Blue and Orange Lines respectively. The "Mission Valley East" extension connecting Mission San Diego to La Mesa opened on July 10, 2005, coinciding with the inauguration of the Green Line.

Between 2010 and 2015, stations along both Blue and Orange lines were upgraded under the $620 million Trolley Renewal Project aimed at improving infrastructure and service standards.

Current system

The San Diego Trolley network currently encompasses 62 stations across four routes spanning approximately 65 miles of track. Fourteen stations function as transfer points between lines, with a central transfer hub located at the 12th & Imperial Transit Center in downtown San Diego. Additional nearby stations—including Santa Fe Depot, America Plaza, and Courthouse—also support transfers among all lines. There are six terminal stations within the system. Of these stops, 37 are situated within San Diego city boundaries serving diverse neighborhoods; an additional sixteen stations lie in neighboring municipalities such as El Cajon and National City.

The majority of stations are at ground level, supplemented by ten elevated stations and one subterranean station (SDSU Transit Center). Roughly half of all stations provide complimentary park and ride options, while most offer connections to MTS bus routes.

Renamed stations

Numerous stations have undergone name changes to correspond with service extensions, sponsorship agreements, or nearby developments:

In June 1990, the Gaslamp station was renamed Fifth Avenue station following the East Line expansion; simultaneously, Main & Marshall was rebranded as El Cajon Transit Center, and Broadway Lemon Grove became Lemon Grove Depot.
After reconstruction in March 2004, 12th & Market station adopted the name Park & Market station.
With the inauguration of the Green Line in July 2005, Weld Boulevard station was renamed Gillespie Field station.
The Bayfront/E Street station was renamed E Street station in September 2012 as part of system restructuring.
In June 2017, Qualcomm Stadium station became Stadium station following the expiration of Qualcomm's naming rights; the location now features Snapdragon Stadium and the SDSU campus.
El Cajon Transit Center briefly carried the name El Cajon–Sycuan in October 2017 due to a sponsorship deal with Sycuan Casino.
December 2023 saw Alvarado Medical Center station renamed Alvarado station after the adjacent hospital was acquired by UC San Diego Health.
Coinciding with the Copper Line's debut and updated signage in September 2024, Alvarado station was renamed UC San Diego Health East.

San Diego Square station

Located on C Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues downtown, San Diego Square station commenced operations in July 1981 but ceased service on March 23, 1986. The closure resulted from low patronage and its close proximity to Fifth Avenue station. This shutdown also allowed for the October 1986 opening of the E Street infill station without extending travel durations. Physical traces of San Diego Square remain visible on C Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues.

Columbia Street station

Originally opened as Santa Fe Depot in July 1981 and renamed Columbia Street in June 1990, this station closed in November 1991 following track layout changes. It was supplanted by America Plaza station located one block to the west.

Lines

As of 2021, the San Diego Trolley system operates three principal daily routes—the Blue, Green, and Orange Lines—serving 62 stations along approximately 65 miles of predominantly double-tracked rail. Additionally, the Silver Line offers a heritage streetcar service with limited weekday and weekend operations within a downtown loop. The Copper Line commenced service in September 2024, linking El Cajon and Santee.

Line	Opened	Length	Number of stations	Termini	Operation
Template:MTS icon	1981	26.3 mi (42.3 km)	32	UTC Transit Center San Ysidro Transit Center	Daily
Template:MTS icon	2005	19.8 mi (31.9 km)	24	12th & Imperial Transit Center El Cajon Transit Center	Daily
Template:MTS icon	1986	17.1 mi (27.5 km)	18	Courthouse station El Cajon Transit Center	Daily
Template:MTS icon	2011	2.7 mi (4.3 km)	9	12th & Imperial Transit Center	Select Holidays
Template:MTS icon	2024	3.8 mi (6.1 km)	4	Santee station El Cajon Transit Center	Daily

Stations

Below is a compilation of all stations that the San Diego Trolley currently serves.

Legend
†	End-of-line station

Station	Line(s)	Area	Notes
Template:Sort	Template:MTS icon	National City
Template:Sort†	Template:MTS icon Template:MTS icon Template:MTS icon Template:MTS icon	San Diego, East Village	Central transfer hub connecting all lines; provides access to Petco Park. Terminus for both Green and Silver lines.
Template:Sort	Template:MTS icon	National City
Template:Sort	Template:MTS icon	San Diego, Grant Hill
America Plaza†	Template:MTS icon Template:MTS icon	San Diego, Downtown Core	Serves as a transfer point between Blue and Silver lines; located next to Santa Fe Depot. Some Blue Line trains terminate here.

References