After decades of planning and years of construction, campus is connected to the community like never before.
One of the largest infrastructure projects in San Diego history, the Mid-Coast Trolley Extension, has arrived at UC San Diego.
“Students and employees who live throughout San Diego now have direct access to the heart of our campus, and students now have direct access to employment centers, shopping and area cultural attractions,” says UC San Diego Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla. “Direct, fast and cost-effective trolley service enables everyone to take advantage of the educational, cultural, employment and health care opportunities offered by UC San Diego.”
The 11-mile extension of the Blue Line trolley includes stations at main campus and UC San Diego Health, offering a safe, reliable and inexpensive alternative to driving while helping reduce roadway congestion and ease parking demands. The Blue Line now extends from University Town Center (UTC) to the border region at San Ysidro, with many more connections to be made from downtown and Old Town San Diego. Riders can even transfer to a free electric shuttle to access the San Diego International Airport.
Manu Agni, a fourth-year Urban Studies and Planning major and president of Associated Students of UC San Diego, says, “I believe that community is about seeing a piece of myself in someone else, and I hope that for every single UC San Diego student, this will help us see ourselves in the entire San Diego region.”
Currently, 60 percent of UC San Diego’s faculty, staff and students use alternative transportation for their daily commute. The university expects this percentage to increase, further contributing to cleaner air and overall sustainability efforts.