SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – The Mid-Coast Trolley line extension project has reached a major milestone, and some San Diego transportation officials on Tuesday got a first look at some of the new trolley stops.
The project has been in the making since 2016, and now Metropolitan Transit System officials say extension of the UC San Diego Blue Line is on track to open by mid-November.
Once it’s finished, the line from the San Ysidro border will extend all the way to the UTC area -- an effort that will cut down on drive times and congestion in these busy communities.
Mark Olson with MTS said, “It’s going to serve a number of health care campuses like Scripps, UC San Diego Health, as well as the Veterans Administration health care center. It has educational opportunities like UC San Diego. It connects to the rest of our system. It's not just an extension, it's a transit system expansion.”
To support the 11-mile extension, MTS had to hire about 120 more employees to fill positions such as trolley operators, security guards, and mechanics.
For the next few months, MTS officials will continue testing the trains and focusing on training their new employees.
“We have to make sure our operators know how the system works, how the train feels, make sure the power works. We need to make sure the platforms work well and interact with the trolley, and that the tracks are running smoothly,” Olson said.
On Aug. 28, the public will be invited to take a similar ride to check out the new expansion. The preview is free and open to the public from 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
