Gillespie Field station (formerly Weld Boulevard station) is a Copper Line station of the San Diego Trolley in the San Diego suburb of Santee, California. It is located across Marshall Avenue from Gillespie Field, a county airport, however there is no public access to the airport and the surrounding area is sparse and largely unwalkable. The station has no bus connections, therefore most passengers who use the station also use the 175 space park and ride lot.
Gillespie Field | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Gillespie Field station, March 2010 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| General information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | 1990 1⁄2 North Cuyamaca Street Santee, California United States | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 32°49′38″N 116°58′56″W / 32.8271°N 116.9821°W | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Owned by | San Diego Metropolitan Transit System | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operated by | San Diego Trolley | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Platforms | 2 side platforms | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tracks | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Construction | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Structure type | At-grade | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Parking | 175 spaces[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bicycle facilities | 8 rack spaces, 2 lockers[2] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Accessible |  | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Station code | 75022, 75023[3] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| History | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | July 26, 1995[4] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rebuilt | 2005 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Previous names | Weld Boulevard (1995–2005) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Services | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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History
editGillespie opened as part of the fourth and final segment of the East Line (now Orange Line) on July 26, 1995, which extended the physical line from El Cajon to Santee. With the opening of the Green Line in July 2005,[5] this service was replaced, and Orange Line trolleys began to terminate at this station. This was due to the route between Gillespie Field and Santee Town Center being single tracked, and having two lines running on that route would cause operational issues.[6]
Orange Line service was further truncated to El Cajon on September 2, 2012, as part of a system redesign due to low ridership between the two stations, leaving only the Green Line serving this station.[7]
Gillespie Field station was ranked worst rail station in California in a 2015 UC Berkeley School of Law study, due to its sparse, unwalkable location and lack of ridership.[8] Study co-author Elkind was quoted in the press, “I almost wondered if there was really a station out there or if we got the GPS wrong. It looked like cow pastures.”[9]
To further reduce operational issues on the single track between Gillespie Field and Santee, the Copper Line began service on September 29, 2024, and the Green Line was also truncated back to El Cajon.[10]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Transit Station Parking". San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
- ^ "Interactive San Diego Regional Bike Map". San Diego Association of Governments. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
- ^ "Schedules & Real Time". San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
- ^ "History". San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. May 22, 2015. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
- ^ "MTS Historical Timeline". San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. 2013. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
- ^ "East extension means changes in routes, timetables". U-T San Diego. July 3, 2005. Archived from the original on February 24, 2014. Retrieved September 15, 2012.
- ^ "September 2, 2012 Service Changes. Major Bus and Trolley Service Changes". San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. Archived from the original on April 30, 2015.
- ^ Elkind, Ethan N.; Chan, Michelle; Faber, Tuong-Vi. "Grading California's Rail Transit Station Areas" (PDF). UC Berkeley School of Law/Next10. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
- ^ Srikrishnan, Maya (October 19, 2015). "The Case of the Worst-Ranked Transit Station in California". Voice of San Diego. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
- ^ Vigil, Jennifer (September 29, 2024). "MTS Copper Line Trolley Service Begins Sunday Between El Cajon, Santee". Times of San Diego. Retrieved September 29, 2024.