The Copper Line trolley will begin serving the two stations between El Cajon Transit Center and Santee Town Center on Sept. 29.
The trolley will run approximately every 15 minutes from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day. Its connecting service will replace the current Green and Orange line routes that extend north of El Cajon Transit Center to reach Arnele Avenue Trolley Station, Gillespie Field and Santee Trolley Station.
The line was added in an effort to “improve the reliability of the Green and Orange Lines, not just in East County, but throughout the system,” according to the San Diego Metropolitan System website.
According to SDMTS, the benefits of the Copper Line include an increase in the reliability of the Green Line. It would create more consistent travel schedules by preventing Green Line trips from turning around at the Gillespie Field station, which, according to MTS, happens “at least once a day.” The Copper Line will also allow for a higher frequency of Green Line stops at night and the extension of all Sunday routes to terminate at El Cajon Transit Center, cutting the half that stop short at the SDSU Transit Center.
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The last two stops on the Copper Line, Gillespie Field and Santee Town Center were constructed with a single track, which only allows for one direction of Trolley service at a time. The line also runs into the traffic light at the intersection of Mission Gorge Road and Cuyamaca. These barriers cause delays on the Green Line, which ultimately impact Orange Line services and cause riders to miss transfers farther west.
Condensing the Green and Orange lines past El Cajon Transit Center into the Copper Line, which according to SDMTS, will operate with one- or two-car trains rather than three, is an attempt to reduce the wait times for riders and lessen traffic at the street intersection.
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“The Copper Line is an effort to increase reliability and on-time performance for the Orange and Green Lines. Approximately 8% of current riders on the Orange and Green Lines are expected to now make a transfer to/from the Copper Line,” according to the SDMTS website.
