Downtown Partnership Calls on MTS to Provide Centre City Trolley Loop Downtown

San Diego, CA -

CONTACT:       Kevin Casey (619) 234-0201 x105 or (619) 540-8350 (cell) 

Downtown San Diego Partnership

Calls on MTS to Provide Centre City Trolley Loop Downtown

Proposal being considered at March 29^th City of San Diego

C Street Advisory Committee meeting would remove

Blue and Orange lines from the Centre City

 SAN DIEGO, Wednesday, March 28, 2007– At its March 27^th meeting, the Board of Directors of the Downtown Partnership unanimously endorsed a proposal for a high-frequency Centre City trolley loop Downtown. 

Under this proposal, the Blue Line would be relocated to the existing track along Harbor Drive on Bayside, and the Orange Line would terminate at Park and Imperial instead of going completely through Downtown.  Passengers from either line with destinations in the Centre City would transfer to the Centre City trolley loop, the route for which would be identical to that of Metropolitan Transit Service’s (MTS) historic trolley “Silver Line” which is set to open in August 2008. 

“This proposal should greatly increase Metropolitan Transit Service efficiency by eliminating the need for the Blue and Orange lines to make frequent and unnecessary Centre City traffic signal and station stops” said Downtown Partnership Barbara Warden.  “This will also allow MTS to operate trolley consists in the Centre City that are in scale with the existing block sizes, thus allowing pedestrians and the disabled community to navigate Downtown streets safely.”

Other cities such as Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington have similar transportation loops.  Charlotte, North Carolina is in the process of planning its downtown loop, and San Francisco is also currently considering this as an option. 

The C Street Advisory Committee is chaired by City Councilmember Kevin Faulconer.  It will consider the Centre City Trolley Loop proposal on Thursday, March 29^th at 3:45pm in the board room of the Centre City Development Corporation (225 Broadway, 11^th Floor). 

The Downtown San Diego Partnership was formed in 1993 with the merger of two prominent business associations:  San Diegans Inc. (formed in 1958), and the Centre City Association (formed in 1952.)  Today, the Partnership has more than 325 members and serves as the leading advocate for Downtown economic development, residential living, entertainment, and the arts. 

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 Attachments:

1. Diagram of proposed Centre City loop
2. Proposed two-car trolley consist for Centre City loop
3. MTS historic trolley “Silver Line” loop (service begins August 2008)