In 1987 I voted to raise my taxes with TransNet to extend the trolley to UTC expecting to take the trolley downtown to Comic Con. Seems the government spent all that money and asked for more money in 2004 with TransNet 2. This time they actually started working on the trolley. I watched them as they were building the line and they finished it in 2021.
It was cool watching them dig a huge hole for the base of the steel reinforced concrete columns. Then they added steel. Then they put a mold around the steel and added concrete.
In July 2022 I rode the Blue Line Trolley to Comic Con. It took about an hour as I had to transfer to a 2nd trolley line in order to get to the Convention Center from UTC. The price was $5 for a day pass which I found quite reasonable. The trolley was pretty new and they kept it clean. Ride was smooth.
Not too many people riding the Blue Line.
I like riding the trolley and plan on taking it whenever I go to Comic Con or jury duty as it’s cheaper than paying for parking.
Great construction pictures! Do you know what the pictured girls were dressed up to be? As I’m not sure.
The scarlet clad girl was The Scarlet Witch from The Avengers. Not sure the about the other girl.
This is such a nice addition to San Diego. When I used to commute to work the blue line didn’t go all the way to Old Town from Chula Vista, so I’d have to transfer at 12th and Imperial and get on the green line instead. Now I’ve taken the trip a few times from Chula Vista to La Jolla and it’s way nicer than dealing with traffic and parking. I’m curious to see if they ever add on to the line – it sort of does that U-turn for the last few stops, so I’d love to see how/where they could expand. I’m still waiting for the purple line in inland Chula Vista one of of these days. 😂
If you vote to raise your taxes for it you just have to wait 34 years. That’s cool you have enjoyed riding the new trolley too!
We grew up in cities with great public transportation (me in Detroit and The Mister in Boston) and have used the Trolley system for downtown Jury Duty, receiving one additional pass because we have paid for the first pass on our own (then we would use that additional pass to explore the routes for a day). Sometimes though we get called to East County, which is six miles away and has free parking. Last year, we each had to phone into Jury Duty daily from Thursday to Wednesday to see if we had to go in the following day, so no free pass. I enjoy reviving the automatic core muscles on the trolley when slowing/stopping; it’s like riding a bicycle. Used to also take the trolley to football games (Chargers). Great photos of the construction; only got to observe it when driving to or from medical appointments in that UTC area.
That’s cool you have made great use of the trolley. I took it to Comic Con in the early days by parking at Old Town. When the parking lot filled up I started parking at Qualcomm and took the trolley from there. It’s nice I can walk to the trolley now.
Thanks! It was fun watching the construction. I like seeing how things are made.
Great pics. Glad that San Diego had their own light rail now. I remember we stayed at a hotel in SD and noticed the beginning of construction. Had no idea what it was for – asked the front desk reps and they said it was the beginning of the new light rail/trolley. Your Yelp post was the only reason why I remembered that.
I enjoyed riding the light rail during my last few years in Phoenix. It made such a huge difference heading into downtown since so much of it was being torn for new construction projects all over the downtown area.
Anyway, happy SD voted and approved it. I have enjoyed your blog. Cheers****
Thanks! Glad you liked the pics. I do prefer light rail to buses. That’s cool you saw some construction too.