San Diego Trolley

San Diego Trolley
Current San Diego Trolley LRV Fleet
Info
Owner	Metropolitan Transit System (MTS)
Locale	San Diego, CA (San Diego County)
Transit type	Light rail
Number of lines	3 (2 additional lines available during special events and peak hours)
Number of stations	53
Daily ridership	91,284 (FY 10) average weekday riders
Website	http://www.sdmts.com/
Call Centre	5-1-1
Operation
Began operation	July 19, 1981; 30 years ago (1981-07-19)
Operator(s)	San Diego Trolley, Inc. (SDTI)
Number of vehicles	124 LRVs in Total 69 Siemens–Duewag U2s (1981–1989) 52 Siemens SD-100s (1995) 11 Siemens S70s (2005) 1 Streetcar in Total 1 PCC streetcar (2011)
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) (standard gauge)
Electrification	600 V DC Overhead line
Average speed	55 mph (89 km/h)
Top speed	65 mph (105 km/h)
System map

The San Diego Trolley is a light rail system operating in the metropolitan area of San Diego. The operator, San Diego Trolley, Inc. (SDTI),^[1] is a subsidiary of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS). The Trolley began service on July 26, 1981,^[1] and today operates three primary lines named the Blue Line, the Orange Line, and the Green Line, as well as supplementary service such as a downtown circulator known as the Silver Line on weekends and holidays and a Special Event Line operating during sporting events and other attractions. The San Diego Trolley is currently the 6th most-ridden light rail system in the United States, and is also the 8th oldest system in the United States.

The San Diego Trolley is Operated by MTS which is one of the oldest transit systems in Southern California Dating Back as early as the 1880s, although the d/b/a names have changed over the years the two modes of transportation, buses and light rail, have remained consistent over the past 125 years.

San Diego Trolley initially used the same German-built Siemens-Duewag U2 vehicles as Edmonton and Calgary in Alberta, Canada as well as Frankfurt, Germany. The fleet has since been expanded to include the SD-100 and Avanto S70 vehicles manufactured by Siemens.

History

Although electric rail service in San Diego traces its roots back to 1891 when John D. Spreckels incorporated the San Diego Electric Railway, today's operating company San Diego Trolley Incorporated (SDTI) was was not founded until 1980, when the Metropolitan Transit Development Board (now doing business as MTS) began planning a light-rail service along the Main Line of the San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway, which had been purchased by MTDB from Southern Pacific Railroad in 1979. Service began on July 19, 1981, with revenue collection beginning on July 26, 1981, trains at that time operated on a single line between Centre City or Downtown San Diego and San Ysidro, with stops in the cities of San Diego, National City, and Chula Vista.

In March 1986 SDTI opened an extension east from Centre City San Diego to Euclid Avenue, along the La Mesa Branch of the SD&AE Railway. Service was extended along the same line to Spring Street in May 1989 serving Lemon Grove and La Mesa, and again to El Cajon in June 1989. Service from El Cajon to Santee, not operating along SD&AE right-of-way, began in August 1995.

The "Bayside" extension of the Trolley in Centre City San Diego opened in June 1990. The first phase of the Old Town extension, from C Street to Little Italy in Centre City San Diego, opened in July 1992. The second phase of that extension, running from Little Italy to Old Town, opened in June 1996.

The "Mission Valley West" SDTI extension from Old Town to Mission San Diego commenced in November 1997, and the "Mission Valley East" extension from Mission San Diego to La Mesa began operating in July 2005.

Early history

The original San Diego Trolley alignment later named the "South Line" known today as the "Blue Line"

The planning for the San Diego Trolley began in 1966 under the auspices of the Comprehensive Planning Organization (CPO), an intergovernmental agency of 13 cities and San Diego County. San Diego’s streetcar system had been replaced with buses in 1949. In 1966 the local bus company, San Diego Transit, was facing a financial crisis and public takeover. The CPO developed a mass-transit plan to address the long-range transportation issues of the metropolitan area.

Little progress was made in the decade 1966–1975. CPO continued to research options for addressing the region’s transportation needs. Several prominent stakeholders submitted their own mass-transit master plans for the region. The alternatives studied in the decade included:

• Restoration of the 1949 streetcar system for $1.3 billion
• BART-like system featuring 417 stations on a system of 284 miles (457 km) for $2–5 billion
• Elevated system featuring automatic rapid transit vehicles for $1 billion
• Short demonstration light-rail line (Airport to Downtown), for $20 million
• Express bus system on freeways

The debate between rail rapid transit and light rail was conducted without reference to any specific right-of-way or railroad tracks. The CPO’s 1975 Regional Comprehensive Plan described a $1.5 billion rail-rapid transit system in San Diego featuring a system of 58 miles (93 km) and 11 lines. However, by this time, it was widely acknowledged by public officials that the BART-like system would be much more expensive than light rail. Rail rapid plans were stalled due to high costs. Proponents of the rail rapid system were concerned about the low speed of at-grade streetcar systems. Operating deficits were also a concern. A 1974 CPO study concluded that a streetcar system would incur operating deficits of $1.9 million annually. It was also understood that any BART-like system would incur substantial deficits.

The Metropolitan Transit Development Board

The creation of the Metropolitan Transit Development Board (MTDB) in 1976 with a clearly stated mission initially did not resolve differences between the many stakeholders. However, MTDB did analyze previous transit studies, and determined that the guideway system should satisfy the following principles:

• Corridor should extend a long distance and offer high-speed operation
• Low capital cost designs should be adopted, to keep the costs within an affordable range
• Construction should be at-grade with mostly exclusive right-of-way
• Operating deficits should be minimized

A feasibility study completed in 1975 identified the unit costs of guideway options, including the estimation of ‘typical section’ per-linear-foot costs for six guideway types: (1) cut-and-cover subway; (2) tunnel bore; (3) ‘aerial line’; (4) open-cut line with retaining walls; (5) sidehill berm cut line; (6) at-grade line. In addition, the MTDB’s enabling legislation explicitly required the guideway system to satisfy the following criteria, consistent with the principles adopted by the Board:

1. Priority consideration shall be given to technologies presently available and in use

2. Guideway system shall be capable of being brought into operation incrementally

3. Transportation rights-of-way of public entities shall be utilized to minimize construction costs

The adoption of the above principles effectively required either a ‘light rail vehicle’ capable of street running (to avoid grade separation), or a commuter-rail like design terminating at the Santa Fe Depot.

The MTDB’s enabling legislation also provided a dedicated funding source for guideway construction that would expire in 1981. Urgency was created since the dedicated funding would revert to the State highway fund if not expended on mass-transit guideway construction. In 1976–77, considerable planning efforts were completed. MTDB’s 1977 “Guideway Planning Project: Phase I Report” identified many alignment options:

(1) Interstate highways I-5, I-8, and I-805; (2) State Routes 94 and 163; (3) Railroad rights-of-way owned by Santa Fe (AT&SF) and by Southern Pacific/San Diego & Arizona Eastern (SD&AE); (4) Local arterials El Cajon Boulevard, 4th/6th/Genesee Avenues, and Highland/National/3rd/5th Avenues.

This report dismissed the use of local arterials for line-haul purposes, due to the cost of aerial or tunnel guideways. “A guideway extending from El Cajon easterly (parallel to I-8) to the vicinity of I-5/Santa Fe Railroad, then southerly through Centre City to San Ysidro parallel to I-5 and SD&AE” was recommended as the first increment. As planning intensified, Phase II of the “Guideway Planning Project” was under way, with efforts initially focusing on the El Cajon Line with the higher ridership potential. However, nature intervened.

Tropical Storm Kathleen

On September 10, 1976, Tropical Storm Kathleen destroyed parts of SD&AE’s Desert Line, at the time a part of the Southern Pacific (SP) system. The hurricane caused $1.3 million worth of damage, primarily in the Eastern part of the State. Through freight service to Arizona was suspended and San Diego became an isolated portion of the SP system. SP petitioned for abandonment of the SD&AE on August 9, 1977 of all tracks west of Plaster City, while the MTDB guideway planning project was ongoing. Due to the apparently immediate availability of a right-of-way in the South Bay Corridor, the transit planning refocused on the SD&AE (SP) Tijuana line, making it the effective ‘minimum operable segment’.

At the same time, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors became concerned about the freight service on the SD&AE. Direct freight service to the East was seen as vital to the county’s economic interests and the continued viability of San Diego as a deep-water port. With an eye towards preserving freight service and future transit right-of-way, San Diego County commissioned its own internal study effort, “Feasibility of Using Existing SD&AE ROW for Commuter Service”, to examine using a portion of the SD&AE tracks for light rail or diesel passenger service sharing track with freight services. Part of the motivation for considering the SD&AE was to “operate the freight service at a profit through changes to work rules, relief from property taxes, and sharing of costs with the transit operation”.

Transit alternatives

By late 1977, two major transit investment studies were under way focusing on the same corridor: the MTDB-sponsored “Guideway Planning Project”, and San Diego County’s “SD&AE ROW Feasibility Study”.

1. The Base Case: MTDB described the base case as a modified bus network that retained the same number of total vehicles as the present San Diego Transit system.

2. MTDB’s All-Bus Improvement Alternative: This “low capital cost” system would have introduced high-occupancy vehicle lanes on freeways and invested in higher capacity buses and express routes.

3. MTDB’s Rail Improvement Alternative, San Diego County’s “Light Rail Electric”: This “medium capital cost” has electric light-rail transit replacing buses in the South Line corridor and would re-deploy the buses on feeder services.

4. MTDB’s Fully Separated Rail Freight Service Alternative: MTDB examined the possibility of an exclusive double-track South Line on the SD&AE right-of-way. Under this freight rationalization proposal, freight trains would operate over the parallel Coronado Spur south to Imperial Beach, and via 2 miles (3.2 km) of new right-of-way and 5 miles (8 km) of “shared corridor” parallel operations on dedicated tracks to reach Tijuana.

5. San Diego County’s “Leased Diesel” Option: The county saw the leased diesel (equivalent to present day commuter rail) as the lowest initial cost option with the least time required to begin service. Facilities would be designed to be convertible to light rail when more funds became available.

6. San Diego County’s “Light Rail Diesel” Option: The county was interested in the self-powered diesel rail cars for its lower capital costs, however, noted that the vehicles were not then approved by the California Public Utilities Commission for one-person operation.

Implementation

In 1978, the MTDB successfully negotiated with SP to purchase the SD&AE for $18.1 million, including the $1.3 million required to restore the hurricane damaged freight line. This was a dual-intent decision, to preserve both rail freight services to the Imperial Valley, and to preserve available right-of-way for future transit use. In light of cheaper light-rail options identified in the MTDB and San Diego County studies, more expensive options such as a proposed $325 million rail-rapid transit line on a new right-of-way to the border seemed less competitive. There was universal agreement that using the SD&AE right-of-way and light rail technology was more economical and practical than a new rail-rapid transit line.

Construction of the San Diego Trolley proceeded incrementally. The initial construction of new track focused mainly in downtown San Diego. The work on the SD&AE railroad track is best described as ‘rehabilitation’. The MTDB replaced 40% of all ties, cropped and welded the jointed rail, constructed electric catenaries, and installed an absolute block signal system. To control costs, the San Diego Trolley ordered only 14 cars, and did not install ‘mimic’ boards or the on-train location equipment until after the East Line was completed in 1989. No new sidings were initially installed on the SD&AE segment, which had three passing sidings between San Diego and San Ysidro. Service started at 15-minute headways using the rehabilitated single-track line.

San Diego Trolley opened in 1981 with 13.5 miles (21.7 km) of operations on the South Line. Additional vehicles were purchased in 1983, and the South Line was mostly double-tracked by 1984, largely on the strength of demand for more frequent headways. The business plan’s incremental building and funding approach was vindicated. The East Line opened to Euclid Avenue in 1986, and was extended to El Cajon in 1989 and Santee in 1995. Service was extended northward to Old Town in 1996 and then eastward in Mission Valley in both 1997 and 2005.^[2]

The transit center at 12th & Imperial, in the southeastern portion of downtown San Diego, has historically been used as the transfer point between the various lines, and is located adjacent to the Trolley's maintenance facilities. It is a recognizable landmark in the neighborhood, as it includes a grey clocktower with red clock. It is located two blocks east of the main entrance to PETCO Park and is the station serving that facility.

Current lines

Light rail service currently operates on three lines: the Blue, Orange, and Green Lines and travels through 53 stations and 53.5 miles of double-track rail.^[1]

Main articles: Blue Line (San Diego Trolley), Orange Line (San Diego Trolley), Green Line (San Diego Trolley), Silver Line (San Diego Trolley), and Special Event Line (San Diego Trolley)

Line		Opening	Stations	Length	Termini	Operation
	Blue Line	1981	23	18.8 mi (30.3 km)	Old Town Transit Center San Ysidro Transit Center	Daily
	Orange Line	1986	23	20.7 mi (33.3 km)	Gillespie Field 12th & Imperial Transit Center	Daily
	Green Line	2005	19	19.3 mi (31.1 km)	Santee Town Center Old Town Transit Center	Daily
	Silver Line	2011	9		12th & Imperial Transit Center	Weekends & Holidays
	Special Event Line	2005	15		Qualcomm Stadium 12th & Imperial Transit Center	Special Events

^[1]

Future service plans

Trolley Renewal Project

Trolley Renewal Logo

On September 24, 2009, MTS approved the purchase of 57 new model Siemens S70 cars, at a total cost of $205 million.^[3][4] The cars began arriving in late September 2011 and are custom made model S70s. The new vehicles are nine feet shorter than the existing S70 vehicles on the system, making them the equivalent size of the older SD100 "Boxed Shaped" cars, allowing for three car operation in the downtown area. In order to run these trains on the older Orange and Blue Lines a platform renovation project has begun, starting with Blue Line stations south of Old Town, working its way southbound.

The project entails raising the station from a track level (0 inch) or 4 inch raised platform to a 6 inch raised platform and placing a special "safety tile" with a smooth surface in the center, on the curb to allow for the wheelchair ramps to deploy without being damaged, as the existing "safety tile" contains rivets all the way throughout it. Some stations, primarily south of 12th and Imperial on the Blue Line, still board at track level, and major re-construction will be needed. Such improvements will include brand new station platforms, station structures, rails, switches, signals, and overhead wires. The trolley renewal project is a $234 million project and is expected for completion in 2013.^[3]

In addition to new LRVs San Diego Trolley is also slowly retrofiring the SD-100s LRVs with new paint, door sensors & switches, wheelchair lifts, route display signs, and interior & exterior lighting. The Oldest model U2 trolleys have very little that can be done to improve their functionality or operation as they lack the overhead equipment compartments found in the SD-100s and S70s, and will eventually be retired. Eleven of these cars have already been sold to the upstart Metrotranvía of Mendoza in Mendoza, Argentina, with perhaps more on the way.^[5]

The New LRVs began arriving in late September 2011 and are scheduled to begin operation on Green Line in January 2012, the Orange Line in July 2012, and the Blue Line in 2013.^[6]

Stations and tracks currently undergoing renovation

Additional details and references can be found at the MTS Trolley Renewal page.

• Washington Street – Replacement of trolley station platforms. Station is currently closed from July through late November. Riders are to board Bus Route 10 to the Old Town Transit Center instead.^[7]
• 12th & Imperial Transit Center (Bayside Terminal) – Replacement of trolley station platforms. Passengers are to board trolleys just to the east of the platform.^[7]
• America Plaza – Replacement of trolley station platforms. Station will be closed from October 21 through December. A temporary stop has been erected nearby between Columbia and State streets to serve the area in the meantime.^[8]
• Massachusetts Avenue, Encanto/62nd Street, and 47th Street – Replacement of trolley station platforms. Stations will remain open, but riders may be asked to exit doors on the opposite side of the platforms.

• Seaport Village – Replacement of trolley station platforms. Station is anticipated to be closed sometime between November and January.^[8]
• Middletown – Replacement of trolley station platforms. Station will be closed from late-November through January. Substitute shuttle bus service will be available to transport passengers to County Center/Little Italy instead.

Mid-Coast Trolley

The proposed 2015 Trolley system map, which will go into effect once the Trolley Renewal project and the Mid-Coast routes are completed.

SANDAG is planning a Mid-Coast extension of the San Diego Trolley from the Old Town Transit Center 11 miles (17.7 km) to the University City community serving major activity and employment centers such as the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) campus and University Towne Centre (UTC) shopping center.^[9][10] This is part of the "Mid-Coast Corridor Transit Project".^[11] It is planned to be completed by 2015.^[12] MTS hopes to have S70s operating system-wide by the opening of the extension.

See also: Blue Line (San Diego Trolley)#Mid-Coast Trolley Expansion

2015 operating plan

Upon the completion of both the Trolley Renewal project and the Mid Coast trolley extension, MTS will realign trolley operations to allow for "more efficient travel" and to solve several issues with the current operating layout. Such changes include extending the Green Line from its existing eastern terminus in Santee to Old Town and south to the 12th and Imperial Transit Center's Bayside Terminal; similar to the Special Event Service Line and thus eliminating the need for the line, while the Orange Line will be shortened to terminate at the Santa Fe Depot. The Blue Line will be extended northbound to include the new Mid-Coast Trolley stations.^[13][14][15] Not only does this plan ensure every line will stop or pass through downtown, but it also creates two "universal" transfer points, one at 12th & Imperial and the other at Santa Fe Depot.

Balboa Park Streetcar Line

MTS began work in March 2011 on a study to evaluate the feasibility of reconnecting Balboa Park, the San Diego Zoo and Downtown San Diego through a fixed-guideway, electrified streetcar line.^[16] The project study corridor runs between the City College Trolley Station area, and Balboa Park, in the vicinity of the San Diego Zoo;^[17] An alignment similar to the proposed one was last served by a streetcar system in 1949 on lines 7 Park Boulevard-University Avenue to East San Diego & 11 Park Boulevard-Adams Avenue to Kensington.^[18] The Committee is also evaluating what types of streetcars to use, the possible options include the future 57 Ultra Short 2011 S70s in the "Modern Streetcar" category, and the Restored PCC Streetcars from the Downtown Silver Line in the "Vintage Streetcar" category.^[19]

See also: Silver Line (San Diego Trolley)#Balboa Park Streetcar Line

2050 Regional Transportation Plan

The San Diego Association of Governments released a draft of its 2050 Regional Transportation Plan in April 2011, which was approved in October 28, 2011.^[20] Significant expansion of 156 new miles of Trolley service is proposed in the 2050 RTP, including a north-south Trolley corridor along the I-805 corridor that would connect University City, Kearny Mesa, Mission Valley, Mid-City, and southeastern San Diego, National City, and Chula Vista. Intersecting this I-805 Trolley corridor would be three new east-west Trolley lines between University City and Mira Mesa; from Pacific Beach to East County via Kearny Mesa and Mission Valley; from downtown San Diego to SDSU via the mid-city communities, and a tunnel system in the downtown area.^[21]

Fleet specifications

Below are the technical specifications of the system's three different models of light rail vehicles, as shown on the website of the MTS.^[1]

Specification	U2 Model	SD100 Model	S70 Model
Manufacturer	Siemens Duewag Düsseldorf, West Germany and Sacramento, CA	Siemens Sacramento, CA	Siemens Sacramento, CA
Type	Double-ended articulated car, 6 axle, multiple-unit operation to 5 cars.	Double-ended articulated car, 6 axle, multiple-unit operation to 5 cars.	Double-ended articulated car, 6 axle, multiple-unit operation to 5 cars.
Fleet Size	71 69 (11 Units sold to Metrotranvía of Mendoza)	52	11 + (57 in delivery process) = 68 Total
Car Nos.	1001–1071	2001–2052	3001–3011, 4001–4057
First Purchase	1981	1995	2005
Height (top of car to rail)	12.4 feet (3,780 mm)	12.4 feet (3,780 mm)	12.4 feet (3,780 mm)
Center Aisle Floor Height	39 inches (991 mm)	39 inches (991 mm)	15 inches (381 mm)
Width (exterior)	8.7 feet (2,652 mm)	8.7 feet (2,652 mm)	8.7 feet (2,652 mm)
Length (end to end)	76 feet (23.165 m)	76.71 feet (23.381 m)	88.5 feet (26.975 m) 2011 Edition 78.5 feet (23.927 m)
Length (over coupler faces)	79.67 feet (24.283 m)	81.36 feet (24.799 m)	90.7 feet (27.645 m)
Weight (empty)	77,161 pounds (35,000 kg)	89,000 pounds (40,370 kg)	97,900 pounds (44,407 kg)
Car Body	Lightweight welded steel, reinforced fiberglass covers articulation and operator cab portion.	Lightweight welded steel.	Low alloy high tensile steel and composite materials.
Interior	Upholstered neoprene foam (fire-resistant) seat. Rubber flooring. Simulated wood paneling.	Upholstered neoprene foam (fire-resistant) seat. Rubber flooring. Simulated wood paneling.	Cloth-covered loam seats (fire-resistant), rubber flooring, color-coordinated paneling.
Wheels	Steel-tired with acoustic dampening.	Steel-tired with acoustic dampening.	Steel-tired with acoustic dampening.
Dynamic Braking	Primary method of stopping car. Fades when speed reduced to approx. 1⁄2–3 miles per hour (0.8–4.8 km/h). Friction braking completes the stop. Traction motors operate as generators. Full dynamic braking from 50 to 3 miles per hour (80.5 to 4.8 km/h).	Primary method of stopping car. Fades when speed reduced to approx. 1⁄2–3 miles per hour (0.8–4.8 km/h). Friction braking completes the stop. Traction motors become generators. Full dynamic braking from 55 to 3 miles per hour (88.5 to 4.8 km/h).	Primary method of stopping car. Fades when speed reduced to approx. 1⁄2–3 miles per hour (0.8–4.8 km/h). Friction braking completes the stop. Traction motors become alternators. Full dynamic braking from 55 to 1⁄2 mile per hour (88.5 to 0.8 km/h).
Ventilation (cooling and heating unit on entire fleet)	Dynamic air pressure allowing an exchange rate of not less than 20 times per hour.	Dynamic air pressure allowing an exchange rate of not less than 20 times per hour.	Interior air-conditioning and heating to accommodate local climate.
Speed	50 miles per hour (80.5 km/h) maximum	55 miles per hour (88.5 km/h) maximum	55 miles per hour (88.5 km/h) maximum
Overhead Traction Power	600 V DC	600 V DC	600 V DC
Operating Power Requirements	500 kW to accelerate from a stationary position. 150 kW needed to maintain speed.	550 kW to accelerate from a stationary position. 165 kW needed to maintain speed.	130 kW to maintain speed.
Passenger Capacity	Seated: 64 Commute: 96 Special Events: 150	Seated: 64 Commute: 96 Special Events: 150	Seated: 64 (52 with wheelchairs) Commute: 120 Special Events: 163
Doors – 8 per car	Individually activated by passenger pushing button after locks released by operator. One for wheelchair lift; low level stair boarding through double-folding doors.	Opened by operator and/or Individually activated by passenger pushing button after locks released by operator. One for wheelchair lift; low level stair boarding through double-folding doors.	Opened by operator and/or Individually activated by passenger pushing button after locks released by operator. All center sliding doors comply with ADA requirements; low-floor boarding through sliding doors.
Door Safety System	Includes photo-electric cells and sensitive door leaf edges, weight sensor on lower step.	Photo-electric cells and sensitive door leaf edges.	Photo-electric cells and sensitive door leaf edges.
Wheelchair Lifts	Located at one dedicated door at one end of each vehicle.	Located at one dedicated door at one end of each vehicle.	Bridge plates/ramps on 2 designated doors per car side.

Floor plans

Below are the floor plans of the system's three different models of light rail vehicle, as shown on the website of the MTS.^[1]

	Floor plan
Model U2 71 units Car nos.: 1001 – 1071 First purchase: 1981
Model SD100 52 units Car nos.: 2001 – 2052 First purchase: 1995
Model S70 11 units Car nos.: 3001 – 3011 First purchase: 2005
Model US-S70 (57 currently being delivered, last to arrive spring 2013) Car nos.: 4001–4057 First purchase: 2009 Floorplan is approximate

See also

San Diego portal

San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway San Diego Electric Railway San Diego Metropolitan Transit System San Diego Transit

Transportation in San Diego County Union Station (San Diego) U.S. Light Rail Systems List of rail transit systems in the United States

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f} "San Diego Trolley Fact Sheet". San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. January 2008. http://www.sdmts.com/Trolley/TrolleyFactSheet.asp. Retrieved June 14, 2009. 
2. ^ Ristine, Jeff (July 23, 2006). "After 25 years, the trolley keeps on moving". The San Diego Union-Tribune. http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20060723/news_1m23trolley.html#. Retrieved June 14, 2009. 
3. ^ ^{a b} MTS To Purchase 57 New Light Rail Vehicles KGTV (10 News). September 24, 2009. Retrieved September 24, 2009.
4. ^ Siemens Wins San Diego Light Rail Contract
5. ^ "San Diego U2 Trolleys successfully operate in Argentina". San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. March 9, 2010. http://www.sdmts.com/mts/MTSTrolleysinArgentina.asp. Retrieved October 1, 2011. 
6. ^ "Trolley Renewal Project". http://www.sdmts.com/trolleyrenewal.asp. Retrieved July 23, 2011. 
7. ^ ^{a b} "Washington Street Trolley station to close for renewal". The San Diego Union-Tribune. June 27, 2011. http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/jun/27/washington-street-trolley-station-close-renewal/. Retrieved September 10, 2011. 
8. ^ ^{a b} "Downtown Area Trolley Stations and Streets to Close for Two Weekends in October". Bay City Television, Inc.. http://www.sandiego6.com/news/local/story/Downtown-Area-Trolley-Stations-and-Streets-to/OxsrM4R5DEWMbYH3va9EiA.cspx. 
9. ^ Mid-Coast Trolley Extension SANDAG. Retrieved March 29, 2008.
10. ^ "Light Rail Transit Project". University of California, San Diego. http://blink.ucsd.edu/. http://blink.ucsd.edu/sponsor/VCRMP/LRT/. Retrieved September 15, 2011. 
11. ^ Mid-Coast Corridor Transit Project Fact Sheet SANDAG. Retrieved March 29, 2008.
12. ^ Schedule for Mid-Coast LTR Retrieved January 11, 2009.
13. ^ MTS Summer 2010 Newsletter
14. ^ "2030 Recommended LPA Operating Plan". University of California, San Diego. http://blink.ucsd.edu/. http://aps-web.ucsd.edu/FM/PDFs/LRT/2030-LPA-Ops-Plan-Diagram.pdf. Retrieved September 15, 2011. 
15. ^ "Mid-Coast Trolley gets key federal approval". The San Diego Union-Tribune. September 16, 2011. http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/sep/16/mid-coast-trolley-gets-key-federal-approval/. Retrieved September 17, 2011. 
16. ^ "MTS City/Park Streetcar Feasibility Study". http://www.sdmts.com/streetcarstudy.asp. Retrieved July 6, 2011. 
17. ^ "MTS Streetcar Proposed Alignment Map". http://www.sdmts.com/images/StreetcarAreaMap.gif. Retrieved July 6, 2011. 
18. ^ "Steering Committee Presentation & Discussion". pp. 3. http://www.sdmts.com/documents/StreetcarSteeringCommittee_1.pdf. Retrieved July 6, 2011. 
19. ^ "STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING No. 2 PRESENTATION". http://www.sdmts.com/documents/CityParkStreetcarSteeringCommitteePresentationJune2011.pdf. Retrieved July 6, 2011. 
20. ^ Ojeda, Artie (October 28, 2011). "SANDAG Approves Transportation Plan". NBC San Diego. http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/SANDAG-Approves-Transportation-Plan-132825978.html. Retrieved October 30, 2011. 
21. ^ 2050 Regional Transportation Plan

• Trolley Fact Sheet (Jan. 2008)
• APTA Ridership Statistics
• Gena Holle, The San Diego Trolley, Interurban Press (1995); “Guideway Planning Project Final Report”
• MTDB (1978); “Report on Feasibility of Using Existing SD&AE ROW for Commuter Service”
• San Diego County (1978); MTDB publicity materials including “San Diego Trolley, Inc. Summary” (1997), MTDB Progress Report 1976-1986; Pacific Southwest Railway Museum, San Diego & Arizona Railway.

External links

• Official Metropolitan Transit System website
• San Diego Electric Railway Association
• San Diego Trolley Photos
• Map of the San Diego Trolley System