San Diego Square station

San Diego Trolley, Inc.

Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Public transportation
Founded	1980 (1980)
Founder	Metropolitan Transit Development Board (now San Diego Metropolitan Transit System)
Headquarters	San Diego , United States
Area served	San Diego County, California
Products	Light rail transit services
Owner	San Diego Metropolitan Transit System
Parent	San Diego Metropolitan Transit System

The San Diego Trolley is a light rail network operating throughout San Diego County, California. Managed by San Diego Trolley, Inc. (SDTI), a subsidiary of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS), the system commenced operations on July 26, 1981. It currently runs four principal routes—the Blue, Orange, Green, and Copper Lines—alongside a heritage streetcar loop downtown called the Silver Line, which operates on holidays.

History

In 1980, San Diego Trolley Incorporated (SDTI) was formed as part of the Metropolitan Transit Development Board’s (now MTS) initiative to introduce light rail service along the Main Line of the former San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway (SD&AE Railway), which had been purchased from Southern Pacific Railroad in 1979. The trolley began running on July 19, 1981, with revenue service launching on July 26. Initially, it operated a single route connecting downtown San Diego to San Ysidro, serving communities such as National City and Chula Vista.

Service expanded in March 1986 when SDTI extended the line eastward from downtown to Euclid Avenue using the La Mesa Branch of the SD&AE Railway, establishing a second route named the East Line; the original route was designated the South Line. The East Line saw further extensions to Spring Street in May 1989 and then onward to La Mesa and El Cajon by June 1989. In August 1995, service was extended from El Cajon to Santee, marking an expansion beyond the historic SD&AE right-of-way.

The "Bayside" extension near San Diego’s waterfront opened on June 30, 1990. The Old Town extension was completed in two stages: from C Street to Little Italy in July 1992, followed by a stretch from Little Italy to Old Town in June 1996.

On November 23, 1997, the "Mission Valley West" extension launched, linking Old Town with Mission San Diego and including the Qualcomm Stadium station shortly 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 opened on July 10, 2005, connecting Mission San Diego to La Mesa and coinciding with the introduction of the Green Line.

From 2010 through 2015, stations along the Blue and Orange Lines underwent significant upgrades as part of the $620 million Trolley Renewal Project. This initiative included new track installations and enhanced station amenities aimed at improving service dependability and rider experience.

Current system

The San Diego Trolley network encompasses 62 stations distributed across four lines, spanning a total of 65 miles of track. Fourteen stations function as transfer points, with the 12th & Imperial Transit Center in downtown San Diego serving as the primary universal transfer hub. Additional transfer options are available at Santa Fe Depot, America Plaza, and Courthouse stations where all lines intersect. Six stations serve as termini for various routes. Of these stations, 37 lie within San Diego city boundaries catering to various neighborhoods; others are located in neighboring cities such as El Cajon and National City.

The majority of stations are at ground level; however, there are ten elevated stations and one subterranean station at SDSU Transit Center. Approximately half of all stations offer complimentary park-and-ride options along with connections to MTS bus services.

Station name changes

Several stations have undergone renaming to reflect service modifications and collaborative agreements:

- In June 1990, with the East Line extension, Gaslamp station was renamed Fifth Avenue station; at the same time, Main & Marshall was redesignated as El Cajon Transit Center, and Broadway Lemon Grove became known as Lemon Grove Depot.

- Following reconstruction in March 2004, 12th & Market station was retitled Park & Market station.

- The Green Line inauguration in July 2005 prompted the renaming of Weld Boulevard to Gillespie Field station.

- A September 2012 reorganization resulted in Bayfront/E Street being simplified to E Street station.

- After Qualcomm’s naming rights expired in June 2017, Qualcomm Stadium station was renamed Stadium station; subsequent demolition of the stadium (2020–21) led to the site’s redevelopment as San Diego State University’s Snapdragon Stadium and Mission Valley campus.

- In October 2017, El Cajon Transit Center temporarily adopted the name El Cajon–Sycuan due to Sycuan Casino securing Green Line naming rights.

- December 2023 saw Alvarado Medical Center station renamed Alvarado station following UC San Diego Health’s acquisition of Alvarado Hospital.

- Coinciding with signage updates for the Copper Line in September 2024, Alvarado station was renamed UC San Diego Health East station.

San Diego Square station

Located on C Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues downtown, San Diego Square station opened in July 1981 but ceased operations on March 23, 1986, due to low patronage and its close proximity to Fifth Avenue station. Its closure enabled the introduction of the E Street infill station in October 1986 without extending travel durations. Physical traces of this former station remain visible on C Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues.

Columbia Street station

Initially launched as Santa Fe Depot in July 1981 and renamed Columbia Street in June 1990, this station closed in November 1991 following track realignment. It was superseded by America Plaza station located one block to the west.

Service lines

As of 2021, San Diego Trolley operates three principal daily routes: Blue, Green, and Orange Lines. These cover a network of 62 stations spanning approximately 65 miles of predominantly double-track rail. The Silver Line heritage streetcar provides limited weekday and weekend service within a downtown loop. The Copper Line commenced operations in September 2024, connecting El Cajon with 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

Presented below is a comprehensive list of all stations serviced by the San Diego Trolley system.

Legend
†	End-of-line station

... [sequence continues with similar formatting for remaining stations emphasizing transfer options, terminal designation, and notable nearby landmarks relevant to transit users] ... style="background-color:#FFE6BD"| Template:MTS icon BlueUniversity City, San Diego
Terminus of Blue Line; serves Westfield UTC and Costa Verde Shopping Center.

Station	Image	Line(s)	Area	Notes
		Template:MTS icon	National City
		Template:MTS icon Template:MTS icon Template:MTS icon Template:MTS icon	San Diego, East Village	Central hub for all lines; adjacent to Petco Park; terminus for both Green and Silver lines.
		Template:MTS icon	National City
		Template:MTS icon	San Diego, Grant Hill
		Template:MTS icon	San Diego, Stockton
		Template:MTS icon	San Diego, Chollas View
		Template:MTS icon	La Mesa
		Template:MTS icon Template:MTS icon	La Mesa, California Connection point between Green and Orange lines.
		Template:MTS icon Template:MTS icon	Core, San Diego Interchange for Blue and Silver lines; located next to Santa Fe Depot; endpoint for select Blue Line services.
		Template:MTS icon	El Cajon, California Provides access to Parkway Plaza.
		Template:MTS icon	Clairemont, San Diego
		Template:MTS icon	Logan Heights, San Diego Nearby Chicano Park served.
		Template:MTS icon	San Ysidro, San Diego
		Template:MTS icon Template:MTS icon Template:MTS icon	East Village, San Diego Covers San Diego City College and High School areas.
Template:MTS icon Blue Template:MTS icon Orange Template:MTS icon Silver  Core, San Diego Services City Hall and Courthouse vicinity.