CONTACT: Aaron Hoskins
ahoskins@mail.sdsu.edu
SDSU Marketing & Communications
Office (619) 594-1119

SAN DIEGO, Friday, July 8, 2005 – After 10 years of planning and five years of construction, the San Diego Trolley’s new line and underground station at San Diego State University are now open for business. Students, faculty, staff and visitors will begin to enjoy a new era of convenient access to and from Montezuma Mesa.

SDSU President Stephen L. Weber hailed the opening of the SDSU Trolley station and the debut of the Green Line service to the university as a historic occasion for the campus and the community. (The community can enjoy free rides on the new line from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday; regular fare service begins Sunday.)

“This is a spectacular achievement and an excellent example of what San Diegans can do when they work together,” Weber said.

“The opening of the Trolley’s Green Line represents a key milestone in the physical development of our campus – but more importantly in our linkage to the community of San Diego,” Weber said. “Improved bus and trolley service will encourage even greater interaction between the San Diego State campus and the region.”

Weber also said the trolley is an important part of the university’s plans to help meet increasing student demand for higher education over the next 20 years.

“The trolley will reduce traffic impacts and also will lessen the need to build additional parking so more space can be devoted to additional classes and other facilities to serve students,” he said.

The Metropolitan Transit System, which operates the San Diego Trolley, projects more than 4,000 riders will use the SDSU station each day; even higher ridership is expected during campus special events. In addition, a bus plaza that opened in January directly above the underground station facilitates access to and from the trolley.

Trolleys will serve SDSU from about 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week, including holidays. The street-level bus plaza is served by MTS Routes 11, 13, 81, 115, 936, and 955.

The station’s amenities include art elements from the ceiling to the floor, glass-encased elevators and the latest ticket vending machines with color monitors. It also features state-of-the-art safety systems and 18 closed-circuit security cameras. Four transit security officers also will be assigned to monitor the station and 4,000-foot tunnel.

The SDSU station is one of four new stops built as part of the Mission Valley East Trolley extension. The stops, which are now part of the Trolley’s new Green Line from Santee to Old Town, are expected to generate more than 11,000 new trips a day, and enhance transportation capacity and mobility within the busy Interstate 8 corridor.

First envisioned by MTS more than 25 years ago, the project is funded with state, federal and TransNet dollars, including the local half-cent sales tax. No SDSU funds were used for construction.

For more information about the Green Line opening or trolley service in general, please visit http://www.sdcommute.com.

San Diego State University is the oldest and largest institution of higher education in the San Diego region. Founded in 1897, SDSU offers bachelor's degrees in 81 areas, master's degrees in 72 and doctorates in 16. SDSU's nearly 33,000 students participate in academic curricula distinguished by direct contact with faculty and an increasing international emphasis that prepares students for a global future. For more information log on to www.sdsu.edu.

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