Purple Line (San Diego Trolley)

Purple Line
Purple Line
Overview
Status	Announced
Owner	SANDAG
Locale	San Diego County, California, United States
Stations	12 (proposed)
Service
Type	Commuter rail
System	San Diego Trolley
Route number	582 (in internal documents only)
Operator(s)	San Diego Trolley, Inc.
History
Planned opening	2035 (proposed, Sorrento Mesa to National City); 2050 (National City to San Ysidro);
2011	Draft 2050 Regional Transportation Plan published
2019	Project announced as the Purple Line
2021	Mode changed from light rail to commuter rail
Technical
Line length	30.5 mi (49.1 km)
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Electrification	Overhead line, 600 V DC
Operating speed	110 miles per hour (180 km/h) (max)
Route map
Route map
	Legend
	All stations are accessible
	This diagram: view; talk; edit;

The Purple Line is a commuter rail line proposed by the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) as part of the San Diego Trolley system. It would run from San Ysidro Transit Center at the Mexico–United States border to Kearny Mesa with a possible extension to Carmel Valley. Most of it would run along a similar route to I-805. The Purple Line could include up to 12 stations, a new maintenance facility, and a storage yard.

Projected ridership on the Purple Line was previously expected to be over 40,000 daily trips when previously studied as a light rail line with a peak hour frequency of 7–10 minutes. With its mode being changed to higher-speed and higher-capacity commuter rail, a new study will eventually be conducted to determine how many more daily trips will be generated.^[3] The line is proposed to be opened in 2035 if funding is available at a proposed total project cost of $15.56B.^[4]

History

Planning

In April 2011, the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) released a draft of its 2050 Regional Transportation Plan, which the SANDAG board of directors approved on October 28, 2011. An inland Trolley line from San Ysidro to Kearny Mesa, though not yet called the Purple Line, was included in the plan.^[5]^[6]^[7]

Line name announced

In April 2019, SANDAG approved the final version of a November ballot initiative to increase the countywide sales tax by a half-cent, which further detailed future transit plans and specifically mentioned and estimated the cost to build the proposed San Ysidro-Kearney Mesa trolley extension. It was then given its official title, the Purple Line.^[8]

Mode changed from light rail to commuter rail

In 2021, SANDAG released their 2021 Regional Plan, in which they updated the mode of the Purple Line proposal from light rail to commuter rail. As a commuter rail line, trains could run as fast as 110 miles per hour (180 km/h).^[9]

Potential stations

Potential stations according to the SANDAG plan could include:^[10]

San Ysidro Transit Center, San Ysidro
Iris Avenue, Otay Mesa West
Orange Avenue/4th Avenue, Chula Vista
E Street/4th Avenue, Chula Vista
East Plaza Boulevard/Highland Avenue, National City
Euclid Avenue (transfer to Orange Line), Southeast San Diego
Dwight Street/43rd Street, City Heights
Stadium station (transfer to Green Line), Mission Valley
Anrae Street/Mesa College Drive, Birdland
Clairemont Mesa Boulevard/Ruffner Street, Kearny Mesa
UTC Transit Center, University City
Mira Mesa Boulevard/Pacific Heights Boulevard, Sorrento Valley

References

^ ^a ^b "2021 Regional Plan - Appendix A: Transportation Projects, Programs, and Phasing" (PDF). San Diego Association of Governments. 2021. p. 17 (A-13). Retrieved October 2, 2024. 2035 - Transit Leap - Commuter Rail 582 - Sorrento Mesa to National City via UTC, Kearny Mesa, and University Heights
^ ^a ^b "2021 Regional Plan - Appendix A: Transportation Projects, Programs, and Phasing" (PDF). San Diego Association of Governments. 2021. p. 18 (A-14). Retrieved October 2, 2024. 2050 - Transit Leap - Commuter Rail 582 - National City to U.S. Border
^ "SANDAG 2023 Regional Transportation Improvement Plan" (PDF). p. 141.
^ "A Transformative Transportation Vision For the 2021 Regional Plan". p. Explore.
^ "2050 Regional Transportation Plan – Chapter 6 – Systems Development: Offering More Travel Choices" (PDF). SANDAG. October 28, 2011. pp. 6–15–6–18 & 6–33. Retrieved August 1, 2013.
^ Ojeda, Artie (October 28, 2011). "SANDAG Approves Transportation Plan". NBC San Diego (KNSD). Retrieved October 30, 2011.
^ "PROJECTS :: San Diego's Regional Planning Agency". SANDAG. October 28, 2011. Retrieved August 1, 2013.
^ "SANDAG Board of Directors Agenda, June 24, 2016, Item 16-06-10, FIRST READING: REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION ORDINANCE NO. RTC-CO-2017-01: THE SAN DIEGO COUNTY ROAD REPAIR, TRANSIT, TRAFFIC RELIEF, SAFETY, AND WATER QUALITY ORDINANCE AND EXPENDITURE PLAN PROVIDING FOR THE IMPOSITION OF A ONE-HALF OF ONE CENT RETAIL TRANSACTIONS AND USE TAX FOR A FORTY-YEAR PERIOD COMMENCING ON APRIL 1, 2017
^ "Central Mobility Hub and Connections Comprehensive Multimodal Corridor Plan" (PDF). p. 89.
^ "Purple Line Concept Map 2023-03-23" (PDF). March 23, 2023.

[AppendixA-A13-1] "2021 Regional Plan - Appendix A: Transportation Projects, Programs, and Phasing" (PDF). San Diego Association of Governments. 2021. p. 17 (A-13). Retrieved October 2, 2024. 2035 - Transit Leap - Commuter Rail 582 - Sorrento Mesa to National City via UTC, Kearny Mesa, and University Heights

[AppendixA-A14-2] "2021 Regional Plan - Appendix A: Transportation Projects, Programs, and Phasing" (PDF). San Diego Association of Governments. 2021. p. 18 (A-14). Retrieved October 2, 2024. 2050 - Transit Leap - Commuter Rail 582 - National City to U.S. Border

[3] "SANDAG 2023 Regional Transportation Improvement Plan" (PDF). p. 141.

[4] "A Transformative Transportation Vision For the 2021 Regional Plan". p. Explore.

[2050-Chap6-5] "2050 Regional Transportation Plan – Chapter 6 – Systems Development: Offering More Travel Choices" (PDF). SANDAG. October 28, 2011. pp. 6–15–6–18 & 6–33. Retrieved August 1, 2013.

[2050-NBC7SD-6] Ojeda, Artie (October 28, 2011). "SANDAG Approves Transportation Plan". NBC San Diego (KNSD). Retrieved October 30, 2011.

[2050-SANDAG-7] "PROJECTS :: San Diego's Regional Planning Agency". SANDAG. October 28, 2011. Retrieved August 1, 2013.

[8] "SANDAG Board of Directors Agenda, June 24, 2016, Item 16-06-10, FIRST READING: REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION ORDINANCE NO. RTC-CO-2017-01: THE SAN DIEGO COUNTY ROAD REPAIR, TRANSIT, TRAFFIC RELIEF, SAFETY, AND WATER QUALITY ORDINANCE AND EXPENDITURE PLAN PROVIDING FOR THE IMPOSITION OF A ONE-HALF OF ONE CENT RETAIL TRANSACTIONS AND USE TAX FOR A FORTY-YEAR PERIOD COMMENCING ON APRIL 1, 2017

[9] "Central Mobility Hub and Connections Comprehensive Multimodal Corridor Plan" (PDF). p. 89.

[10] "Purple Line Concept Map 2023-03-23" (PDF). March 23, 2023.

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