San Diego trolley project reaches milestone

Starting Sept. 2, the San Diego Trolley’s Green Line will start operating through downtown San Diego, marking a milestone in the $720 million trolley renewal project that’s currently under construction.

The trolley will travel past the Convention Center and Petco Park, and serve a transit center at 12th and Imperial, said San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) and Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) officials in a prepared statement. SANDAG and MTS are overseeing the project’s construction.

“With the Green Line coming downtown, people all over San Diego can now reach the downtown area more conveniently,” said MTS Chairman Harry Mathis during a ceremony held yesterday at the Gaslamp Quarter Trolley Station to mark the Green Line’s extension. “This event also marks about the halfway point in a major reinvestment of our trolley infrastructure, which will bring low-floor cars and modern stations to our entire trolley network.”

With the Green Line extension, riders will have the option of direct service from Santee, El Cajon, La Mesa, San Diego State University and Mission Valley to downtown San Diego without the need to transfer.

Started in fall 2010, the trolley renewal project is scheduled for completion in 2015. Combined with 11 low-floor cars already in the MTS fleet, the trolley system will eventually feature 76 low-floor cars. The new vehicles will be added to the Orange Line in spring 2013, and to the Blue Line in summer 2014.

The systemwide overhaul also includes raising 35 station platforms to accommodate the low-floor vehicles, replacing outdated rail and overhead wires, and improving street crossings, switches and signaling. In addition, the project will expand freight capacity between downtown San Diego and the border area.