Silver Line (San Diego Trolley)

Silver Line

Company type	Public transit service
Industry	Transportation
Founded	2011
Founder	San Diego Metropolitan Transit System
Headquarters	San Diego , United States
Area served	Downtown San Diego, California
Products	Heritage streetcar service
Parent	San Diego Metropolitan Transit System

Silver Line

The Silver Line is a heritage streetcar route managed by the San Diego Trolley, a branch of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS). It operates a "downtown loop" circuit around downtown San Diego utilizing restored historic streetcars. As one of five lines within the trolley network, it shares its tracks with the Blue, Orange, Green, and Copper lines.

History

Introduced in 2011 as the fourth addition to the San Diego Trolley system and its inaugural circular route, the Silver Line’s development began in the early 1990s following the completion of the Downtown Loop. Initial plans considered employing three Vienna Class N1 streetcars from Austria, but these vehicles were ultimately unsuitable due to their age and insufficient power for integration with the existing infrastructure.

By 2005, MTS decided to utilize PCC streetcars that had originally served the San Diego Electric Railway during the 1930s and 1940s. From 2005 through 2010, MTS procured six PCC streetcars from cities including San Francisco and Philadelphia. This effort was supported by a collaboration with the San Diego Historic Streetcar Society, a non-profit organization dedicated to restoring these vintage cars for operation on the new line.

The restoration of Car 529 marked a milestone when it was completed in early 2011, leading to the Silver Line’s official launch on August 27, 2011. The refurbishment process required over 3,000 volunteer hours and $850,000 in funding contributions. Initially, service was limited to weekends and holidays, operating at half-hour intervals between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. By December of that year, operations expanded to include Tuesdays and Thursdays during similar hours, with intentions to extend service further as additional streetcars became operational.

In 2015, following a grant from San Diego Gas & Electric to restore streetcar number 530 and sponsorship of an associated third-grade history program, the line was renamed the SDG&E Silver Line; this sponsorship has since ended.

Service was paused from April 2020 to July 2021 due to COVID-19 infections among bus operators but resumed weekend operations on July 3, 2021.

Operations

As of January 2024, the Silver Line runs hourly on selected holidays from approximately 9:07 a.m. (pull out) until 5:07 p.m. (pull in), constrained by the limited fleet size.

Ridership

Despite service restrictions and interruptions in 2014, ridership totaled 29,104 passengers for that fiscal year. In FY 2015, ridership rose modestly to 32,944 despite ongoing limited service availability.

Stations

Due to their single-ended design, heritage PCC streetcars operate in a one-way clockwise direction around downtown San Diego.

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 FlixBus 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
	Marina, San Diego	Template:MTS icon Template:Rint FlixBus
	Core, San Diego	Template:MTS icon Amtrak Pacific Surfliner (at Santa Fe Depot) Coaster rail service (at Santa Fe Depot) MTS bus: Routes 83, 215, 225, 235, 280, 290, 923, 992
	Core, San Diego	Template:MTS icon and Template:MTS icon
	Core, San Diego	Template:MTS icon, Template:MTS icon MTS bus: Routes 3, 120
	East Village, San Diego	Template:MTS icon, Template:MTS icon MTS bus: Routes 2, 5, 7, 12, 20, 110, 215, 225, 235, 280, 290, 992
	East Village, San Diego	Template:MTS icon, Template:MTS icon MTS bus: Routes 3, 5

Rolling stock

Service on the Silver Line commenced in August 2011 featuring a single operational heritage 1946 Presidents Conference Committee (PCC) streetcar, designated Car #529. This vehicle was equipped with pantograph current collectors to ensure compatibility with MTS overhead power infrastructure, while maintaining trolley poles for aesthetic purposes.

In March 2014, MTS expanded its fleet by acquiring a second 1946 PCC streetcar, Car #530. Restoration efforts, funded in part by a grant from San Diego Gas & Electric, required one year to complete. Car #530 was officially introduced into service on March 2, 2015, aligning with the centennial festivities of Balboa Park.

The original San Diego Trolley unit, Siemens–Duewag U2 number 1001, underwent refurbishment for use on the Silver Line and was unveiled on July 11, 2019.

Legend

Color Key
In service	Stored	Scrapped	Preserved

Image	Fleet number	Model	Built	Heritage	Tenure on SDTI	Status
Active Silver Line trolleys
	529	PCC streetcar	1946	Former MUNI 1122, originally SLPS 1716	2011-present	Currently rostered
	530			Previously at Rockhill Trolley Museum, formerly at Baltimore Streetcar Museum, originally PSCT/TNJ/NJT 10, and before that TCRT 329	2015-present
	1001	Siemens–Duewag U2	1980	The inaugural car of the San Diego Trolley system	1981-2015; 2019-present
Inactive trolleys
	6888	Vienna Class N-1	1954	ex-Vienna Stadtbahn NH 6888, NH 6890, and NH 6891; formerly numbered 2882, 2950, and 2951 respectively	Operated 1992-2005	Transferred to the San Diego Electric Railway Association in 2005
	6890
	6891
	Distinct from SDVTI car #530 currently in service	PCC streetcar	1945	Former MUNI unit 1123, originally SLPS number 1728.		Not restored; cannibalized for parts and ultimately dismantled.
	531		1946	Former San Francisco Municipal Railway car 1170, originally Streetcars in St. Louis number 1777	Operated from 2006 to 2013	Donated to San Diego Electric Railway Association in 2013; currently renumbered as "SDER 539".
	532		Built in 1948	Formerly operated by Philadelphia Transportation Company/SEPTA as car number 2186.		Unrestored; renumbered to 531 circa 2014 as part of restoration plans that were never realized; subsequently scrapped.
	533		Constructed in 1947	Previously part of the Philadelphia Transportation Company/SEPTA fleet as car number 2785.		Retained as a spare parts source; remains extant.

Additional streetcars

MTS has intentions to refurbish five more PCC streetcars to broaden heritage operations. Among these is Car #531, a former SEPTA PCC from 1948. Although restoration funding is secured at the MTS PCC workshop, this car has yet to be introduced into active service. It remains uncertain whether these additional streetcars will ultimately be deployed on the line.

Future

A potential development involves extending the Silver Line from Downtown toward Uptown and Balboa Park. In March 2011, MTS initiated a feasibility analysis for a 1.5-mile fixed-guideway, electrified streetcar route designed to reconnect Downtown San Diego, Balboa Park, and the San Diego Zoo. This corridor would connect the City College Trolley Station with Balboa Park near the Zoo, tracing a path formerly served by streetcar Lines 7 and 11 until 1949.

The 2012 report highlighted significant obstacles, particularly the challenge of crossing Interstate 5. The narrow space between Park Boulevard lanes and the inadequate load capacity of the Hillcrest bridge for light rail vehicles pose substantial engineering and financial difficulties. Although the study proposed a five-year timeframe for completing the project, no additional advancements have been made since its publication.

External links

• San Diego Vintage Trolley website
• San Diego Electric Railway Association website