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Riders should plan for weekend delays during construction through early 2028
By Paul Levikow
August 27, 2025 (El Cajon) -- The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System Wednesday announced details of the San Diego Trolley Orange Line Improvement Project, or Rail Ready, on the stretch of tracks from San Diego to El Cajon. The $151 million improvement project will modernize the Orange Line between the 32nd and Commercial Street Station in San Diego to the El Cajon Transit Center on S. Marshall Avenue.
Riders will experience weekend service disruptions about once a month over the next two-and-a-half years, according to MTS officials, but they will have access to bus shuttles between those stations at no extra charge.
“The infrastructure with the Orange Line is decades old. It’s been around a long time and so, we want to bring that up to today’s standards,” MTS spokesman Mark Olson said. “Now we can get moving on it, get this thing rolling and make sure it’s in a solid state of good repair for our customers for generations to come.”
The two-phase upgrade through early 2028 is made possible by federal and state grants and local MTS capital improvement funds.
The project includes track and signal improvements from Massachusetts Avenue to the El Cajon transit Center for greater operational flexibility; two new universal crossovers to improve train flow and reduce delays; eleven grade crossings with upgraded signals and gate arms for safety; track and pedestrian walkway upgrades at 47th Street in San Diego, La Mesa Boulevard and the El Cajon transit Center; replacement of 6,400 feet of curve-worn rail for a smother, more reliable ride; and modernized signaling and switching systems for safer, more efficient operations, according to MTS. Service disruption will be happening less frequently once the project is complete.
“Holistically it will be a much better ride for our customers and serve the community much better,” Olson said. “It’s going to do a lot of good for the riders of East County all the way through Lemon Grove, La Mesa, all the way into downtown. It’s going to do a lot of good for everybody that takes the Orange Line.”
Olsen said Rail Ready is twofold. “We want to have the rail system ready for the future and serving the public well into the future,” he said. “But it’s also to get our riders ready that a big construction project is coming up on the rail line.”
Riders can stay informed in real time by visiting a dedicated MTS website for updates and subscribing to a newsletter that will keep them informed of service disruptions. In addition, a video explaining the project in English and Spanish is posted at https://www.sdmts.com/inside-mts/current-projects/rail-ready.
“We want people to stay informed, stay in the know about this project, not only its benefits, but any kind of service disruptions that may be taking place because of it,” Olson said. We just want to make sure residents are well aware that this is happening and there will be some closures, but also get excited about this infrastructure project that will do a lot of good for their rail line.”
New trolley rail cars will come later.
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