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Blue Line (Sacramento RT)
Encyclopedia
The Blue Line is a light rail
transit line in the Sacramento Regional Transit District
(RT) light rail system. It runs primarily north-south in Sacramento
between the Watt/I-80
and Meadowview
stations. Portions of the Blue Line run along the original initial alignment between Watt/I-80 and 16th Street
stations.
(1987), including the cost of vehicles and maintenance and storage facilities. Much of the line, when it was first built, was single-tracked, though improvements over the 1990s allowed much of the original system to be double-tracked. The line was built mainly using a railroad right-of-way, coupled with use of structures of an abandoned freeway project. A limited portion of the route runs on streets, mainly in downtown Sacramento.
Surprisingly, the line became more popular than anyone anticipated—in fact, so popular that further expansions and improvements were necessary. Two new stations at 39th and 48th streets opened in 1995, and a 2.3 miles (3.7 km) extension to the Mather Field/Mills station opened in 1998. In June 2004, a further extension from Mather Field/Mills to Sunrise was opened.
On September 26, 2003, the South Line opened for 6.3 miles (10.1 km) between the 16th Street station on the Watt/I-80-Downtown-Mather Field/Mills line and a station at Meadowview Road in the south end, which is the first phase of a planned longer 11.2 miles (18 km) line to Elk Grove. Much of the extension follows a railroad right-of-way. When it opened, 7 new stops were added to the system. Following a June 2005 reconfiguration of the light rail lines, the South Line merged with the Watt I-80/Downtown line (formerly part of the previous Watt/I-80-Downtown-Sunrise line) effectively combining the old line with the new, and was redesignated the Blue Line. The former original portion of the Watt/I-80-Downtown-Folsom line was redesignated the Gold Line
.
Light rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
transit line in the Sacramento Regional Transit District
Sacramento Regional Transit District
The Sacramento Regional Transit District, commonly referred to as RT, is the agency responsible for public transportation in the Sacramento, California area. It was established on April 1, 1973, as a result of the acquisition of the Sacramento Transit Authority...
(RT) light rail system. It runs primarily north-south in Sacramento
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
between the Watt/I-80
Watt/I-80 (Sacramento RT)
The Watt/I-80 is a side platformed Sacramento RT light rail station in North Highlands, California, United States. The station was opened on March 12, 1987, and is operated by the Sacramento Regional Transit District. As part of the Blue Line, it has service to Downtown Sacramento, South...
and Meadowview
Meadowview (Sacramento RT)
Meadowview is a side platformed Sacramento RT light rail station in Sacramento, California, United States. The station was opened on September 26, 2003, and is operated by the Sacramento Regional Transit District. As part of the Blue Line, it has service to Downtown Sacramento, North Sacramento,...
stations. Portions of the Blue Line run along the original initial alignment between Watt/I-80 and 16th Street
16th Street (Sacramento RT)
16th Street is a side platformed Sacramento RT light rail station in Downtown Sacramento, California, United States. The station was opened on September 5, 1987, and is operated by the Sacramento Regional Transit District...
stations.
History
The first light rail line of the RT opened March 12, 1987. Initial service commenced between Watt/I-80 and 8th & O stations only for the first six months. It was extended to Butterfield that same year on September 5. In all, it was an 18.3 miles (29.5 km) route between Watt/I-80 station in North Sacramento, through downtown, and continuing east on Folsom Blvd. to Butterfield Way station. It was built at a cost of $176 million USDUnited States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
(1987), including the cost of vehicles and maintenance and storage facilities. Much of the line, when it was first built, was single-tracked, though improvements over the 1990s allowed much of the original system to be double-tracked. The line was built mainly using a railroad right-of-way, coupled with use of structures of an abandoned freeway project. A limited portion of the route runs on streets, mainly in downtown Sacramento.
Surprisingly, the line became more popular than anyone anticipated—in fact, so popular that further expansions and improvements were necessary. Two new stations at 39th and 48th streets opened in 1995, and a 2.3 miles (3.7 km) extension to the Mather Field/Mills station opened in 1998. In June 2004, a further extension from Mather Field/Mills to Sunrise was opened.
On September 26, 2003, the South Line opened for 6.3 miles (10.1 km) between the 16th Street station on the Watt/I-80-Downtown-Mather Field/Mills line and a station at Meadowview Road in the south end, which is the first phase of a planned longer 11.2 miles (18 km) line to Elk Grove. Much of the extension follows a railroad right-of-way. When it opened, 7 new stops were added to the system. Following a June 2005 reconfiguration of the light rail lines, the South Line merged with the Watt I-80/Downtown line (formerly part of the previous Watt/I-80-Downtown-Sunrise line) effectively combining the old line with the new, and was redesignated the Blue Line. The former original portion of the Watt/I-80-Downtown-Folsom line was redesignated the Gold Line
Gold Line (Sacramento RT)
The Gold Line is a light rail transit line in the Sacramento Regional Transit District light rail system. It runs primarily east-west in Sacramento, portions of unincorporated Sacramento County, Rancho Cordova and Folsom...
.
Listing of stations on the Blue Line
| Station | Opened | Bike lockers | Transfers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Watt/I-80 Watt/I-80 (Sacramento RT) The Watt/I-80 is a side platformed Sacramento RT light rail station in North Highlands, California, United States. The station was opened on March 12, 1987, and is operated by the Sacramento Regional Transit District. As part of the Blue Line, it has service to Downtown Sacramento, South... |
1987 | Yes | RT buses 1, 15, 19, 26, 80, 84, 93, 103 Placer County Transit |
| Watt/I-80 West Watt/I-80 West (Sacramento RT) The Watt/I-80 West is a side platformed Sacramento RT light rail station in Sacramento, California, United States. The station was opened on March 12, 1987, and is operated by the Sacramento Regional Transit District. As part of the Blue Line, it has service to Downtown Sacramento, South... |
1987 | Yes | No transfers on site |
| Roseville Road Roseville Road (Sacramento RT) Roseville Road is an island platformed Sacramento RT light rail station in Sacramento, California, United States. The station was opened on March 12, 1987, and is operated by the Sacramento Regional Transit District as part of the Blue Line... |
1987 | Yes | 85 |
| Marconi Arcade Marconi Arcade (Sacramento RT) Marconi Arcade is a side platformed Sacramento RT light rail station in Sacramento, California, United States. The station was opened on March 12, 1987, and is operated by the Sacramento Regional Transit District as part of the Blue Line. The Arcade portion in the station name comes from the... |
1987 | Yes | RT buses 25, 86, 87 |
| Swanston Swanston (Sacramento RT) Swanston is a side platformed Sacramento RT light rail station between Arden Way and El Camino Avenue, just west of the Capital City Freeway, in Sacramento, California, United States. The station was opened on March 12, 1987, and is operated by the Sacramento Regional Transit District as part of... |
1987 | Yes | No transfers on site |
| Royal Oaks Royal Oaks (Sacramento RT) Royal Oaks is a side platformed Sacramento RT light rail station located on Arden Way near the Arden Fair Mall, in Sacramento, California, United States. The station was opened on March 12, 1987, and is operated by the Sacramento Regional Transit District as part of the Blue Line.-References:*... |
1987 | No | RT buses 22 and 23 |
| Arden/Del Paso Arden/Del Paso (Sacramento RT) Arden/Del Paso is a side platformed Sacramento RT light rail station in Sacramento, California, United States. The station was opened on March 12, 1987, and is operated by the Sacramento Regional Transit District as part of the Blue Line. The station's main function is a light rail station but it... |
1987 | Yes | RT buses 13, 14, 15, 16, 19, 22, 23, 25, 88 |
| Globe Globe (Sacramento RT) Globe is an island platformed Sacramento RT light rail station in Sacramento, California, United States. The station was opened on March 12, 1987, and is operated by the Sacramento Regional Transit District as part of the Blue Line. It is located in the median of Del Paso Boulevard at Globe Avenue.... |
1987 | No | RT bus 15 |
| Alkali Flat/La Valentina Alkali Flat/La Valentina (Sacramento RT) Alkali Flat/La Valentina is an island platformed Sacramento RT light rail station in Sacramento, California, United States. The station was opened on March 12, 1987, and is operated by the Sacramento Regional Transit District as part of the Blue Line. It is located on 12th street near D street in... |
1987 | No | RT bus 33 |
| 12th & I | 1987 | No | No transfers on site |
| Cathedral Square (westbound: 10th & K, eastbound: 11th & K) Cathedral Square (Sacramento RT) Cathedral Square is a split light rail station on the Sacramento Regional Transit District's Blue Line. It is located along the K Street Mall at 11th Street and 10th Street in Downtown Sacramento, California. The stop is located near many office facilities and the Cathedral of the Blessed... |
1987 | No | No transfers on site |
| St. Rose of Lima Park (westbound: 7th & K, eastbound: 9th & K) St. Rose of Lima Park (Sacramento RT) St. Rose of Lima Park is a split light rail station on the Sacramento Regional Transit District's Blue Line. It is located at the intersection of 9th and K Streets and 7th and K Streets , near the park named in honor of Rose of Lima, in Downtown Sacramento, California... |
1987 | No | Gold Line Many RT buses |
| 7th & Capitol (southbound); 8th & Capitol (northbound) 7th & Capitol and 8th & Capitol (Sacramento RT) 7th & Capitol and 8th & Capitol is a split light rail station on the Sacramento Regional Transit District's Blue and Gold Lines. It is located in Downtown Sacramento at the intersection of Capitol Mall and 7th Street and 8th Street and within walking distance of the California State Capitol... |
1987 | No | Gold Line |
| 8th & O 8th & O (Sacramento RT) 8th & O is a split light rail station on the Sacramento Regional Transit District's Blue and Gold Lines. It is located at the intersection of 8th and O Streets in Downtown Sacramento, California , with the split platforms located on each side of 8th Street where the line splits into one-way... |
1987 | No | Gold Line |
| Archives Plaza | 1987 | No | Gold Line |
| 13th Street 13th Street (Sacramento RT) 13th Street is a side platformed Sacramento RT light rail station in Downtown Sacramento, California, United States. The station was opened on September 5, 1987, and is operated by the Sacramento Regional Transit District... |
1987 | No | Gold Line |
| 16th Street 16th Street (Sacramento RT) 16th Street is a side platformed Sacramento RT light rail station in Downtown Sacramento, California, United States. The station was opened on September 5, 1987, and is operated by the Sacramento Regional Transit District... |
1987 | No | Gold Line RT bus 6 |
| Broadway Broadway (Sacramento RT) Broadway is a side platformed Sacramento RT light rail station in Sacramento, California, United States. The station was opened on September 26, 2003, and is operated by the Sacramento Regional Transit District. As part of the Blue Line, it has service to Downtown Sacramento, North Sacramento,... |
2003 | No | RT buses 51, 62 |
| 4th Avenue/Wayne Hultgren 4th Avenue/Wayne Hultgren (Sacramento RT) 4th Avenue/Wayne Hultgren is a side platformed Sacramento RT light rail station in Sacramento, California, United States. The station was opened on September 26, 2003, and is operated by the Sacramento Regional Transit District... |
2003 | No | RT bus 62 |
| City College City College (Sacramento RT) City College is a side platformed Sacramento RT light rail station on the Sacramento City College campus in Sacramento, California, United States. The station was opened on September 26, 2003, and is operated by the Sacramento Regional Transit District... |
2003 | No | No Transfers on site |
| Fruitridge Fruitridge (Sacramento RT) Fruitridge is an island platformed Sacramento RT light rail station in Sacramento, California, United States. The station was opened on September 26, 2003, and is operated by the Sacramento Regional Transit District... |
2003 | No | RT buses 61, 205, 252 |
| 47th Avenue 47th Avenue (Sacramento RT) 47th Avenue is a side platformed Sacramento RT light rail station in Sacramento, California, United States. The station was opened on September 26, 2003, and is operated by the Sacramento Regional Transit District... |
2003 | Yes | No Transfers on site |
| Florin Florin (Sacramento RT) Florin is a side platformed Sacramento RT light rail station in Sacramento, California, United States. The station was opened on September 26, 2003, and is operated by the Sacramento Regional Transit District. As part of the Blue Line, it has service to Downtown Sacramento, North Sacramento,... |
2003 | Yes | RT buses 54, 65, 81 |
| Meadowview Meadowview (Sacramento RT) Meadowview is a side platformed Sacramento RT light rail station in Sacramento, California, United States. The station was opened on September 26, 2003, and is operated by the Sacramento Regional Transit District. As part of the Blue Line, it has service to Downtown Sacramento, North Sacramento,... |
2003 | Yes | RT buses 4, 5, 47, 56, E-Tran 156 |
