This is San Diego, California. Serving a population of 3.3 million people,
a network of light rail, commuter rail, and bus rapid transit lines run across this US city,
servicing 82 stations along their routes. Consisting of 117 miles of track and 8 miles of dedicated busway,
the system connects various cities across San Diego, with trains and buses travelling from
downtown to various outlying cities. But how did the system grow from its original
stations to the network it is today? My name’s Zach, and this is the Evolution of the Network.
San Diego’s first trolley line was launched in July 1981, making it the oldest modern
light rail system in the United States. Starting from the US/Mexico border at San Ysidro, the
line travelled north into downtown, serving 18 stations to the Santa Fe Depot.
Five years later in March 1986, a second line was added to the system, with trains beginning on the
East line. Starting from the South line terminus at the Santa Fe Depot, the route followed the South
line to 12th & Imperial, before branching off east to service four new stations to Euclid Avenue.
At the same time, the downtown station at San Diego Square was closed, given its close
proximity to the Gaslamp station. In October of that year, an infill station was opened on
the South line at Bayfront/E Street, relieving congestion from the nearby stop at H Street.
Three years later in May 1989, an extension of the East line was opened, adding four new stations to
Spring Street. The following month, an additional four stop extension opened, taking the route to
Main & Marshall station in El Cajon. A new weekend shuttle train began in May 1990,
running from 12th & Imperial station to the newly opened San Diego Convention Center.
One month later in June, service on this segment was expanded,
with the East line taking over service from Santa Fe Depot back around to the 12th & Imperial station.
At the same time, various stations downtown were renamed, with Santa Fe Depot becoming Columbia St,
and Gaslamp becoming Fifth Avenue. On the East line, the terminal station at Main & Marshall was
renamed to El Cajon, while Broadway Lemon Grove was renamed to Lemon Grove Depot.
The downtown station at Columbia Street was closed in November 1991,
with tracks in the area being reconfigured. In its place, a new station was opened nearby at
American Plaza, with the South line being extended to end at the stop.
A further extension of the South line opened 8 months later in July 1992,
with two new stations to County Center/Little Italy. The extension also included a relocated
stop at Santa Fe Depot, providing more convenient access to the Amtrak station of the same name.
Three years later, commuter rail service began in San Diego, running from the Santa Fe Depot in
downtown. Starting in February 1995, the COASTER line ran north to the Oceanside Transit Center,
which provided connections to Los Angeles’ Metrolink commuter rail network.
In August, a three-station extension of the East line opened, taking the route to Santee.
The following June, the North line was extended three stops,
ending at the COASTER station at Old Town. Service on the network was rebranded in
November 1997, with the lines now being referred to by colors. The East line was designated as the
Orange line, while the North-South line became the Blue line. At the same time, the Blue line
was extended east from Old Town, with seven new stations opening to Mission San Diego.
Three years later, an infill stop was opened on this in segment,
with trains stopping at Fenton Parkway in September 2000. In downtown, the station at
12th & Market was reconstructed in March 2004, with the stop being renamed to Park & Market.
Two new trolley lines were launched in July 2005, five years after the last system expansion. A new
green line began service, running between Old Town and Santee. Four new stations were serviced
along with existing stops on the Blue and Orange lines, including the systems only underground stop
at San Diego State University. With this change service on the Blue line was cut back to Old Town,
with trains running in rush hours only to Qualcomm Stadium. On the Orange line,
trains were cut back one stop to Weld Blvd, which was renamed to Gillespie Field at that time.
A new Special Events line also began service, running during larger events at the Qualcomm
Stadium and in downtown. Starting from the stadium, the route travelled south
to Gaslamp Quarter, providing connections between these two entertainment areas.
The rush hour extension of the Blue line to Qualcomm Stadium ended in September 2006, reducing
duplication on this section of the system. Two years later in March 2008, a new diesel
light rail line was launched, running across the northern end of San Diego County. Starting from
the Oceanside Transit Center at the end of the COASTER line, the route travelled east to the
Escondido Transit Center, servicing 14 new stops. Three years later in August 2011, a new trolley
line was launched in downtown San Diego, with a heritage streetcar running limited trips.
The Silver line ran in a clockwise loop from 12th & Imperial, servicing all stops in downtown.
Routes on the network was reconfigured in September 2012, in order to provide more direct
connections into downtown. Service on the Blue line was cut back from Old Town to American Plaza,
while the Orange line was cut back from 12th & Imperial to the Santa Fe Depot.
The Special Events line was discontinued, with these stops now being service by the Green Line.
On the opposite end of the Orange line, service was cut back from Gillespie Field to El Cajon,
reducing service levels on this stretch of the system. The Blue line station
at Bayfront/E Street was also renamed at this time, now being referred to simply as E Street.
San Diego’s first dedicated bus lanes opened in October 2014, with a half mile median busway
running along Park Boulevard. Servicing buses on the 215 Rapid route, the segment included
two centerline stations at Howard and University Avenues, along with enhanced curbside stops along
the rest of the route. In 2015, San Diego began selling the naming rights for various lines,
in order to fund improvements to the system. The Silver line rights were bought by the San Diego
Gas & Electric company, while later that year, the Blue line rights were purchased by the University of
California San Diego Health. On the other end of the spectrum, the Green line station at Qualcomm
Stadium was simplified to Stadium in June 2017, following a change of sponsorship for the center.
Orange line service was revised one month later in July, with the line being cut back from Santa Fe
Depot to American Plaza. In October, naming rights for the Green line were sold to Sycuan casino,
with the El Cajon stop on the line also being renamed after the venue.
A new busway opened along Interstate 15 in March 2018, adding 2.4 miles of dedicated lanes.
Buses on the 235 Rapid serviced two centerline stations at City Heights and Boulevard, with trips
running in the I-15 HOV lanes between downtown San Diego and the Escondido Transit Center. One month
later in April, service on the Orange line was changed once again, improving operations on the
network. In downtown, service was cut back from American Plaza to a new platform at Courthouse,
while at the opposite end, trains were extended one stop from El Cajon – Sycuan to Arnele Avenue.
A third busway opened in southern San Diego County in January 2019, with 3.7 miles of
lanes running in the median of East Palomar Street. Five centerline stations were serviced
along the stretch, with buses continuing in HOV lanes into downtown San Diego.
The following summer, an additional 1.4 miles of lanes were opened west from Heritage,
although no new stations were included on this segment.
Finally in November 2020, the Green line station at Stadium was closed, following the demolition
of the adjacent property. This brings us to the San Diego rapid transit map that we know today.
In the years to come, more extensions are planned for the San Diego transit network, which will
see new stations open on the system. In November 2021, the Blue line will be extended north to UC
San Diego, following the Green Line to Old Town, and continuing north to service nine new stations.
One year later in November 2022, the Stadium station on the Green line is expected to reopen,
coinciding with new developments in the area.
That was the evolution of San Diego’s rapid transit network, giving us the six rail lines
and three busways that we know today. If you haven’t already, be sure to watch our Evolution
of the Network videos on other American cities, which you can access by clicking the button in the
top right corner. Don’t forget to leave a like if you enjoyed this video, and comment down below to
join in the discussion. My name’s Zach, and I’ll be Vanishing Underground, until the next one.