Silver Line (San Diego Trolley)
Encyclopedia
The Silver Line is one of one of two supplementary and five overall light rail
lines operated by the San Diego Trolley
, an operating division of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System
. The Silver Line is the trolley’s first circular route in the system which operates the "downtown loop"; a circle of tracks around Downtown San Diego, and is operated using renovated PCC streetcars
. Service for the line currently only operates during weekends and holidays every 30 minutes between the hours of 10 am to 2 pm.
Other Trolley lines in the system include the regular service Blue, Orange, and Green lines and supplementary Special Event
line.
, the line will use six renovated vintage PCC
streetcars formally used in San Francisco and Philadelphia, which are currently undergoing restoration. Currently, only one of these cars, Car 529, has been completed and is currently running on the Silver Line. Restoring this car for use in the trolley system required over 3,000 volunteer hours and $850,000 in donations.
Fares for the line are different from the other trolley lines in the system as tickets to ride this line can only be bought on board the trolley and cash will only be accepted, meaning Compass Cards
and other fare scripts such as daily passes cannot be used to ride the streetcar. For the first two weeks of the trolley’s run, riders who boarded at the 12th & Imperial Transit Center received "commemorative tickets" to use for boarding the trolley.
streetcars to expand service operations. It is yet to be announced when these streetcars will be completed for service.
station is closed until December for these renovations, although a temporary station for America Plaza has been erected between Columbia and State streets to serve the area in the meantime.
The project study corridor runs between the City College Trolley Station area, and Balboa Park, in the vicinity of the San Diego Zoo; 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.
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...
lines operated by the San Diego Trolley
San Diego Trolley
The San Diego Trolley is a light rail system operating in the metropolitan area of San Diego. The operator, San Diego Trolley, Inc. , is a subsidiary of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System ...
, an operating division of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System
San Diego Metropolitan Transit System
The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System is the public transit service provider for Central, South, Northeast and Southeast San Diego County, in the United States. MTS operating subsidiaries include the San Diego Trolley, Incorporated , and San Diego Transit Corporation...
. The Silver Line is the trolley’s first circular route in the system which operates the "downtown loop"; a circle of tracks around Downtown San Diego, and is operated using renovated PCC streetcars
PCC streetcar
The PCC streetcar design was first built in the United States in the 1930s. The design proved successful in its native country, and after World War II was licensed for use elsewhere in the world...
. Service for the line currently only operates during weekends and holidays every 30 minutes between the hours of 10 am to 2 pm.
Other Trolley lines in the system include the regular service Blue, Orange, and Green lines and supplementary Special Event
Special Event Line (San Diego Trolley)
The Special Event Service Line is one of one of two supplementary and five overall light rail lines operated by the San Diego Trolley, an operating division of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System...
line.
History
The Silver Line is the fourth line in the San Diego Trolley system with service beginning in 2011. With a partnership with the San Diego historic streetcar society, an non profit organization developed to educate the public of the history of the San Diego Electric RailwaySan Diego Electric Railway
The San Diego Electric Railway was a mass transit system in Southern California, USA, using streetcars and buses.The SDERy was established by "sugar heir," developer, and entrepreneur John D. Spreckels in 1892...
, the line will use six renovated vintage PCC
PCC streetcar
The PCC streetcar design was first built in the United States in the 1930s. The design proved successful in its native country, and after World War II was licensed for use elsewhere in the world...
streetcars formally used in San Francisco and Philadelphia, which are currently undergoing restoration. Currently, only one of these cars, Car 529, has been completed and is currently running on the Silver Line. Restoring this car for use in the trolley system required over 3,000 volunteer hours and $850,000 in donations.
Fares for the line are different from the other trolley lines in the system as tickets to ride this line can only be bought on board the trolley and cash will only be accepted, meaning Compass Cards
Compass Card
The Compass Card is a form of electronic ticketing used on public transport services within San Diego County, California. It is administered by the San Diego Association of Governments and is valid on a number of different travel systems in San Diego County including MTS buses, the San Diego...
and other fare scripts such as daily passes cannot be used to ride the streetcar. For the first two weeks of the trolley’s run, riders who boarded at the 12th & Imperial Transit Center received "commemorative tickets" to use for boarding the trolley.
Stops along the Silver Line
As the vehicles are single sided, the Silver Line operates one-way in a clockwise rotation.| Silver Line (Downtown Loop) | |||||
| Station Name | Connections | Bus | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12th & Imperial Transit Center |    Special Event Line (San Diego Trolley) The Special Event Service Line is one of one of two supplementary and five overall light rail lines operated by the San Diego Trolley, an operating division of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System... |
Serves Petco Park PETCO Park Petco Park is an open-air ballpark in downtown San Diego, California, USA. It opened in 2004, replacing Qualcomm Stadium as the home park of Major League Baseball's San Diego Padres. Before then, the Padres shared Qualcomm Stadium with the NFL's San Diego Chargers... . Transfer station for Blue and Orange Lines. |
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| Gaslamp Quarter Gaslamp Quarter (San Diego Trolley station) Gaslamp Quarter is a station of the Orange line on the San Diego Trolley. It is located in the Gaslamp Quarter section of the city and serves the surrounding trendy neighborhood. A variety of entertainment destinations, as well as PETCO Park are accessible from the station.... |
Special Event Line (San Diego Trolley) The Special Event Service Line is one of one of two supplementary and five overall light rail lines operated by the San Diego Trolley, an operating division of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System... |
Serves Gaslamp Quarter, Petco Park PETCO Park Petco Park is an open-air ballpark in downtown San Diego, California, USA. It opened in 2004, replacing Qualcomm Stadium as the home park of Major League Baseball's San Diego Padres. Before then, the Padres shared Qualcomm Stadium with the NFL's San Diego Chargers... , Convention Center San Diego Convention Center The San Diego Convention Center is the primary convention center in San Diego, California. It is located in the Marina district of downtown San Diego near the Gaslamp Quarter, at 111 West Harbor Drive... . |
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| Convention Center Convention Center (San Diego Trolley station) Convention Center is a station of the Orange line on the San Diego Trolley. It is located in the Marina District section of the city, which features a variety of waterfront apartments just west of Downtown. The San Diego Convention Center is located adjacent to the station.... |
Special Event Line (San Diego Trolley) The Special Event Service Line is one of one of two supplementary and five overall light rail lines operated by the San Diego Trolley, an operating division of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System... |
Serves Convention Center San Diego Convention Center The San Diego Convention Center is the primary convention center in San Diego, California. It is located in the Marina district of downtown San Diego near the Gaslamp Quarter, at 111 West Harbor Drive... . |
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| Seaport Village Seaport Village (San Diego Trolley station) Seaport Village is a station of the Orange line on the San Diego Trolley, United States. It is located in the Marina District section of the city, which features waterfront apartments, just west of Downtown. Seaport Village, a shopping and entertainment complex, is located adjacent to the... |
Special Event Line (San Diego Trolley) The Special Event Service Line is one of one of two supplementary and five overall light rail lines operated by the San Diego Trolley, an operating division of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System... |
Transfer station for Special Event Line Special Event Line (San Diego Trolley) The Special Event Service Line is one of one of two supplementary and five overall light rail lines operated by the San Diego Trolley, an operating division of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System... . |
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| America Plaza America Plaza (San Diego Trolley station) America Plaza is a station of the Blue and Orange lines on the San Diego Trolley. It is located in the Downtown Core of the city and is directly connected to One America Plaza, the city's tallest building.... (Temporarily relocated between State and Columbia.) |
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Transfer station for Blue Line. | |||
| Civic Center Civic Center (San Diego Trolley station) Civic Center is a station of the Blue and Orange lines on the San Diego Trolley. It is located in the Downtown Core of the city and is surrounded by a variety of important office buildings. It is also the main stop for Westfield Horton Plaza, a major shopping mall.... |
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Serves City Hall, Westfield Horton Plaza Westfield Horton Plaza Horton Plaza, officially Westfield Horton Plaza, is a five level outdoor shopping mall located in downtown San Diego and remarkable for its bright colors, architectural tricks and odd spatial rhythms. It stands on six and a half city blocks and is adjacent to the city's historic Gaslamp Quarter. ... . |
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| Fifth Avenue Fifth Avenue (San Diego Trolley station) Fifth Avenue is a station of the Blue and Orange lines on the San Diego Trolley. It is located in the Downtown Core of the city and is surrounded by a variety of important office buildings.... |
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| City College City College (San Diego Trolley station) City College is a station of the Blue and Orange lines on the San Diego Trolley. It is located in the East Village neighborhood of the city and serves students at San Diego City College and San Diego High School, workers at the warehouse facilities located on the outskirts of Downtown, and an... |
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Serves San Diego City College San Diego City College San Diego City College is a public, two-year community college located in San Diego, California. City College is part of the San Diego Community College District along with San Diego Mesa College, San Diego Miramar College and San Diego Continuing Education... , San Diego High School San Diego High School San Diego High School is an urban public educational complex comprising six small schools located on the southern edge of Balboa Park, in San Diego, California. It is part of the San Diego Unified School District. It is the oldest high school in the San Diego Unified School District and one of the... . |
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| Park & Market Park & Market (San Diego Trolley station) Park & Market is a station of the Blue and Orange lines on the San Diego Trolley. It is located in the East Village neighborhood of the city and serves the high density residential developments that surround the stop.... |
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Additional Streetcars
MTS is currently working on restoring an additional five PCCPCC streetcar
The PCC streetcar design was first built in the United States in the 1930s. The design proved successful in its native country, and after World War II was licensed for use elsewhere in the world...
streetcars to expand service operations. It is yet to be announced when these streetcars will be completed for service.
Trolley Renewal Project
While the Silver Line has no plans to use the new Siemens S70 models anytime soon, the current stations will be undergoing restoration to improve service on the trolley system and to enable usage of the Siemens S70 on the Orange and Blue Lines, although this will be done over a period of time to prevent the disruption of operation. Currently the America PlazaAmerica Plaza (San Diego Trolley station)
America Plaza is a station of the Blue and Orange lines on the San Diego Trolley. It is located in the Downtown Core of the city and is directly connected to One America Plaza, the city's tallest building....
station is closed until December for these renovations, although a temporary station for America Plaza has been erected between Columbia and State streets to serve the area in the meantime.
Balboa Park Streetcar Line
One of the future proposals for trolley expansion is to eventually extend the Silver Line from Downtown up towards Balboa Park and the Uptown communities. 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.The project study corridor runs between the City College Trolley Station area, and Balboa Park, in the vicinity of the San Diego Zoo; 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.
Proposed Streetcar Alignment
| Station Name | Connections | Bus | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zoo Place (Proposed Station) |
Will serve San Diego Zoo San Diego Zoo The San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park, San Diego, California, is one of the most progressive zoos in the world, with over 4,000 animals of more than 800 species... . |
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| Prado (Proposed Station) |
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| Naval Medical Center (Proposed Station) |
Will serve Naval Medical Center. | ||
| San Diego High School (Proposed Station) |
Will serve San Diego High School San Diego High School San Diego High School is an urban public educational complex comprising six small schools located on the southern edge of Balboa Park, in San Diego, California. It is part of the San Diego Unified School District. It is the oldest high school in the San Diego Unified School District and one of the... . |
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| City College City College (San Diego Trolley station) City College is a station of the Blue and Orange lines on the San Diego Trolley. It is located in the East Village neighborhood of the city and serves students at San Diego City College and San Diego High School, workers at the warehouse facilities located on the outskirts of Downtown, and an... |
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Serves San Diego City College San Diego City College San Diego City College is a public, two-year community college located in San Diego, California. City College is part of the San Diego Community College District along with San Diego Mesa College, San Diego Miramar College and San Diego Continuing Education... . |