View source for Old Town Transit Center

{{Short description|Passenger train, light rail, and bus station in San Diego, California, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox station
| style              = Amtrak
| name               = Old Town Transit Center<br />{{Small|San Diego, CA}}
| image              = SDT Old Town1.jpg
| image_caption      = Green Line trolley approaching Old Town Transit Center in 2008
| other_name         = {{Unbulleted list
   | San Diego–Old Town
   | Old Town San Diego
   }}
| address            = 4005 Taylor Street
| borough            = [[San Diego, California]]
| country            = United States
| coordinates        = {{coord|32.7552|-117.1995|type:railwaystation_region:US-CA|display=inline,title|format=dms}}
| owned              = [[San Diego Metropolitan Transit System]]
| line               = NCTD [[San Diego Subdivision]]<ref name=schematics>{{CA rail schematics|page=26}}</ref>
| platform           = 2 [[side platform]]s (Amtrak/Coaster)<br />2 side platforms, 1 [[island platform]] (San Diego Trolley)
| tracks             = 2 (Amtrak/Coaster)<br />2 (San Diego Trolley)
| train_operators    = {{Unbulleted list
   | [[Amtrak]]
   | [[Coaster (rail service)|Coaster]]
   | [[San Diego Trolley]]
   }}
| bus_stands         = 21<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 5, 2021 |title=Old Town Transit Center Modernization |url=https://www.sdmts.com/old-town-transit-center-modernization |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220407031521/https://www.sdmts.com/old-town-transit-center-modernization |archive-date=April 7, 2022 |access-date=April 7, 2022 |website=San Diego Metropolitan Transit System |language=en}}</ref>
| bus_operators      = {{Unbulleted list
   | {{bus icon}} [[San Diego MTS bus system|MTS]]: {{SDMTS route|8}}, {{SDMTS route|9}}, {{SDMTS route|10}}, {{SDMTS route|28}}, {{SDMTS route|30}}, {{SDMTS route|35}}, {{SDMTS route|44}}, {{SDMTS route|83}}, {{SDMTS route|88}}, {{SDMTS route|105}}
   | {{rint|air|link=San Diego International Airport}} (via {{bus icon}}) [[San Diego International Airport#Public transportation|San Diego Flyer shuttle]]
   | {{bus icon}} [[University of San Diego]] shuttle
   | {{bus icon}} [[UC San Diego]] Triton Transit: [[UC San Diego Medical Center, Hillcrest|Hillcrest&nbsp;Express]]
   | {{rint|bus}} [[FlixBus]]
   }}
| parking            = 412 spaces<ref name="Station list">{{Cite web |title=UC San Diego Blue Line station list |url=https://www.sdmts.com/schedules-real-time-maps-and-routes/trolley |access-date=November 21, 2021 |website=San Diego Metropolitan Transit System |date=22 May 2015 |language=en}}</ref>
| bicycle            = 
| accessible         = Yes
| status             = Unstaffed, platform with shelters
| code               = {{Amtrak code|OLT}}<br />75042, 75043 (San Diego Trolley)<ref name="code">{{Cite web |title=Schedules & Real Time |url=https://www.sdmts.com/schedules-real-time |access-date=November 21, 2021 |website=[[San Diego Metropolitan Transit System]]|date=14 May 2015 }}</ref>
| zone               = 3 (Coaster)
| opened             = {{start date and age|1994}}{{Citation needed|date=October 2023}}
| mpassengers        = {{rail pass box|system=Amtrak|passengers={{Amtrak ridership|San Diego-Old Town}}{{Amtrak ridership|citationCA}}|pass_year={{Amtrak ridership|date}}}}
| services           = {{Adjacent stations
  |system1=Amtrak
    |line1=Pacific Surfliner|left1=Solana Beach|right1=San Diego
  |system2=North County Transit District
    |line2=Coaster|left2=Sorrento Valley|right2=Santa Fe Depot
  |system3=San Diego Trolley
    |line3=Blue|left3=Tecolote Road|right3=Washington Street
    |line4=Special Event|left4=Tecolote Road|right4=Washington Street|to-left4=Balboa Avenue|to-right4=12th & Imperial
    |line5=Green|left5=Morena/Linda Vista|right5=Washington Street|to-left5=El Cajon|to-right5=12th & Imperial
  }}
| other_services_header = Former services
| other_services_collapsible = yes
| other_services = {{Adjacent stations
  |system=San Diego Trolley
    |line1=Green|type1=2005-2012|left1=Morena/Linda Vista|to-left1=Santee
    |line2=Blue|type2=2005-2012|right2=Washington Street
    |line3=Blue|type3=1997-2005|left3=Morena/Linda Vista
|right3=Washington Street|to-left3=Mission San Diego|to-right3=San Ysidro
    |line4=Special Event|type4=pre-2012|left4=Morena/Linda Vista|right4=Washington Street|to-left4=Qualcomm Stadium|to-right4=12th & Imperial
  }}
| mapframe           = yes
| mapframe-zoom      = 14
}}

'''Old Town Transit Center''', also known as '''San Diego–Old Town station''', or '''Old Town San Diego station''', is an intermodal transportation station in the [[Old Town, San Diego|Old Town]] neighborhood of [[San Diego]], California. It is served by [[Amtrak]]'s ''[[Pacific Surfliner]]'', the [[Coaster (rail service)|COASTER]] commuter rail service, and the [[San Diego Trolley]], as well as numerous [[San Diego Metropolitan Transit System]] bus lines.

The station is located at the intersection of Rosecrans Street/Taylor Street and Pacific Highway, adjacent to [[Old Town San Diego State Historic Park]] and the freeway intersection of [[Interstate 5 in California|Interstate 5]] and [[Interstate 8]]. It is also located about two miles southeast of [[SeaWorld San Diego]] and [[Mission Bay (San Diego)|Mission Bay]], providing access to the northernmost beaches in the city of San Diego. Free parking (Park & Ride) for up to 24-hours is available in the Transit Center lots.

== History ==
Old Town Transit Center was built in the early 1990s, and the [[San Diego Trolley]]'s North/South Line (known until then as the South Line) was extended here on June 16, 1996.<ref name="SDMTS-timeline"/> In November 1997, the line, renamed the [[Blue Line (San Diego Trolley)|Blue Line]],<ref name="SDMTS-timeline">{{cite web | title = MTS Historical Timeline | publisher = [[San Diego Metropolitan Transit System]] | url = http://www.sdmts.com/MTS/timeline.asp | year = 2013 | access-date = June 29, 2013}}</ref> was extended into [[Mission Valley, San Diego|Mission Valley]]. When the [[Green Line (San Diego Trolley)|Green Line]] service was introduced with the opening of the Mission Valley East extension on July 10, 2005,<ref name="SD-Trolley-history">{{cite news |last=Ristine |first=Jeff |date=July 23, 2006 |title=After 25 years, the trolley keeps on moving |work=[[The San Diego Union-Tribune]] |url=http://www.utsandiego.com/uniontrib/20060723/news_1m23trolley.html |url-status=dead |access-date=June 14, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121009114815/http://www.utsandiego.com/uniontrib/20060723/news_1m23trolley.html |archive-date=2012-10-09}}</ref> the Blue Line's northern terminus was pushed back to this station, which also served as the Green Line's western terminus. During a system redesign on September 2, 2012, as part of the Trolley Renewal Project, MTS extended the western terminus of the Green Line from this station to [[12th & Imperial Transit Center|12th & Imperial Bayside Terminal]] and shortened the Blue Line's northern terminus to [[America Plaza station|America Plaza]]. The [[Special Event Line (San Diego Trolley)|Special Event Line]] was eliminated; and instead, the Green Line added cars and offer more frequent service to the [[San Diego Convention Center]], [[Petco Park]], [[Snapdragon Stadium]], and [[Viejas Arena]] when necessary.<ref name="2012reallignment">{{cite web |year=2012 |title=September 2, 2012, Service Changes. Major Bus and Trolley Service Changes |url=http://www.sdmts.com/Planning/ServiceChangesSeptember2012.asp |access-date=December 29, 2013 |publisher=[[San Diego Metropolitan Transit System]]}}</ref>

As part of the Mid Coast Trolley Project, on November 21, 2021, the [[Blue Line (San Diego Trolley)|Blue Line]] returned to service the Old Town station. The Blue Line provides access to places such as the [[University of California, San Diego]], [[Jacobs Medical Center]], [[Westfield UTC]], and the [[Mexico–United States border]] in [[San Ysidro, San Diego|San Ysidro]].

== Service ==
=== Commuter and intercity rail ===
The Old Town Transit Center hosts passenger trains operating on [[Amtrak]]'s ''[[Pacific Surfliner]]'' intercity rail route and on the [[Coaster (rail service)|COASTER]] commuter rail service. Of the 22 weekday [[Amtrak]] ''Pacific Surfliner'' trains operating in San Diego, 18 of them stop at the Old Town Transit Center,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/536/483/Pacific-Surfliner-Schedule-040113,0.pdf |title=Pacific Surfliner Schedule, effective January 14, 2014 |publisher=[[Amtrak California]] |date=November 2013 |access-date=December 19, 2013 |archive-date=September 30, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130930101733/http://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/536/483/Pacific-Surfliner-Schedule-040113,0.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> though the Surfliner trains operating at Old Town do not offer checked luggage service, and stop at Old Town to board passengers (northbound trains) or detrain passengers (southbound trains) only, respectively.

Amtrak ridership at Old Town Transit Center has exploded between Fiscal Year 2011 and 2013. In Fiscal Year 2011, there were just 22,867 boardings and detrainings at Old Town<ref name="Amtrak-CA-factsheet-2011">{{cite web |url=http://www.amtrak.com/pdf/factsheets/CALIFORNIA11.pdf |title=Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2011 – State of California |publisher=Amtrak |date=December 2011 |access-date=August 13, 2013 |archive-date=April 13, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130413230301/http://www.amtrak.com/pdf/factsheets/CALIFORNIA11.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> (which was a 5.79% increase over Fiscal Year 2010). In Fiscal Year 2012, boardings and detrainings at Old Town rose to 61,118, a 167% increase over FY2011.<ref name="Amtrak-CA-factsheet-2012">{{cite web |url=http://www.amtrak.com/pdf/factsheets/CALIFORNIA12.pdf |title=Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2012 – State of California |publisher=Amtrak |date=November 2012 |access-date=August 13, 2013 |archive-date=July 17, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130717230033/http://www.amtrak.com/pdf/factsheets/CALIFORNIA12.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> As of Fiscal Year 2013, the Amtrak ridership figure has continued to rise, to 135,749 boardings and detrainings, a further 122% increase over FY2012. (There has been a corresponding decrease in Amtrak boardings at [[Union Station (San Diego)|Santa Fe Depot]] in downtown San Diego over this same period, possibly indicating that some Amtrak boardings have been relocating from Santa Fe Depot to Old Town over the past two years.) Of the 74 California stations served by Amtrak, the Old Town Transit Center was the 25th-busiest in Fiscal Year 2013, boarding or detraining an average of approximately 372 passengers daily.<ref name="Amtrak-CA-factsheet-2013">{{cite web |date=November 2013 |title=Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2013 – State of California |url=http://www.amtrak.com/pdf/factsheets/CALIFORNIA13.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131218101319/http://www.amtrak.com/pdf/factsheets/CALIFORNIA13.pdf |archive-date=December 18, 2013 |access-date=December 11, 2013 |publisher=Amtrak}}</ref>

=== San Diego Trolley ===
Old Town Transit Center is also a light rail station on the [[San Diego Trolley]]'s [[Green Line (San Diego Trolley)|Green Line]]. This station originally served as that line's terminus, until a system realignment in September 2012 extended the Green Line though Old Town to downtown San Diego.<ref name="2012reallignment" />

The Trolley's [[Blue Line (San Diego Trolley)|Mid-Coast extension]] that was completed in November 2021<ref name="mceopen">{{cite press release |last1=Olsen |first1=Mark |title=San Diego Region Celebrates Grand Opening of Mid-Coast Extension of the UC San Diego Blue Line Trolley |url=https://www.sdmts.com/inside-mts/media-center/news-releases/san-diego-region-celebrates-grand-opening-mid-coast-extension |access-date=October 24, 2022 |work=[[San Diego Metropolitan Transit System|SDMTS]] |date=November 22, 2021}}</ref> extends to serve the [[University City, San Diego|University City]] area.<ref name="Midcoast">{{cite web | title=Mid-Coast Corridor Transit Project | publisher=[[San Diego Association of Governments]] (SANDAG) | url=http://www.sandag.org/index.asp?projectid=250&fuseaction=projects.detail | access-date=April 16, 2013 | archive-date=May 5, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130505073328/http://www.sandag.org/index.asp?projectid=250&fuseaction=projects.detail | url-status=dead }}</ref>

=== Bus service ===
Old Town also operates as a bus transit center for [[San Diego Metropolitan Transit System]]'s routes 8, 9, 10, 28, 30, 35, 44, 83, 88, and 105.<ref name="conn">{{Cite web |date=November 2021 |title=San Diego Regional Transit Map |url=https://www.sdmts.com/sites/default/files/attachments/rtm_nov2021.pdf |access-date=November 21, 2021 |publisher=[[San Diego Metropolitan Transit System]]}}</ref> There is an underground pedestrian tunnel linking bus terminals on both sides of the station with the trolley/train areas.

The station is also served by [[San Diego International Airport]]'s [[San Diego International Airport#Public transportation|San Diego Flyer]] shuttle which operates every 20 to 30 minutes between the Old Town Transit Center, Terminal 1 and Terminal 2.<ref>{{Cite web |title=San Diego Flyer |url=https://www.san.org/to-from/Public-Transportation#1178347-old-town-shuttle |website=[[San Diego International Airport]]}}</ref> The station also sees service from [[UC San Diego]]'s Triton Transit Hillcrest Express, which connects passengers with the [[UC San Diego Medical Center, Hillcrest]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Triton Transit |url=https://transportation.ucsd.edu/campus/shuttles/index.html |access-date=2023-04-07 |website=transportation.ucsd.edu}}</ref> [[University of San Diego]] shuttles,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tram Information and Hours – Public Safety |url=https://www.sandiego.edu/safety/tram-services/ |access-date=November 22, 2021 |website=[[University of San Diego]]}}</ref> and [[FlixBus]] intercity motorcoaches.<ref>{{Cite web |title=San Diego, CA |url=https://www.flixbus.com/bus/san-diego-ca |access-date=June 14, 2024 |website=[[FlixBus]]}}</ref>

== Station layout ==
There are four tracks; two tracks are designated for the San Diego Trolley services, while the other two tracks are used for COASTER, Amtrak, and [[BNSF]] freight service.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 21, 2021 |title=Old Town Transit Center map |url=https://www.san.org/DesktopModules/Bring2mind/DMX/API/Entries/Download?Command=Core_Download&EntryId=14834&language=en-US&PortalId=0&TabId=225}}</ref>

{{Old Town Transit Center Platform Layout}}

== See also ==
{{Portal|California|Trains}}
* [[List of San Diego Trolley stations]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
{{Amtrak web|OLT|San Diego, CA–Old Town}}
*[http://www.gonctd.com/coaster-stations/ COASTER Stations]
*[http://www.sdmts.com/Bus/communities/oldtown.asp Old Town Transit Center – SDMTS]
*[http://www.trainweb.org/usarail/oldtown.htm Old Town San Diego Amtrak Station – USA RailGuide (TrainWeb)]
*[http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=663 Old Town San Diego State Historic Park (California State Parks)]

{{Public Transportation in Greater San Diego}}
{{San Diego Trolley}}
{{Coaster (rail service) navbox|COASTER}}
{{Amtrak California stations}}

[[Category:Amtrak stations in San Diego County, California]]
[[Category:Blue Line (San Diego Trolley)]]
[[Category:Green Line (San Diego Trolley)]]
[[Category:North County Transit District stations]]
[[Category:San Diego Trolley stations in San Diego]]
[[Category:Transit centers in the United States]]
[[Category:Bus stations in San Diego County, California]]
[[Category:Railway stations in San Diego]]
[[Category:1994 establishments in California]]