San Diego Trolley Purple Line

Planning

Proposed ~11-mile transit line from the San Ysidro Transit Center at the US-Mexico border through National City, City Heights, and Kearny Mesa to University Town Center/Sorrento Mesa; SANDAG has not yet finalized whether the corridor will be built as subway, above-ground rail, or Trolley (light rail).

Alignment Map

Map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Alignment is approximate.

Alignment

The Purple Line is a proposed roughly 11-mile transit corridor running from the San Ysidro Transit Center at the US-Mexico border through National City, City Heights, and Kearny Mesa to University Town Center and Sorrento Mesa. SANDAG has completed a conceptual study weighing subway, above-ground rail, and Trolley (light rail) options but has not settled on a final mode, and near-term plans call for Rapid bus service on the corridor as an interim measure.

SANDAG’s December 2025 Regional Plan, a $125 billion program, pushed the corridor’s full completion out to 2050 (from an earlier 2035 target), with only a segment reaching Mission Valley considered realistic in the nearer term; the remainder toward Sorrento Valley/UTC/Kearny Mesa is treated as a further future extension.

Updates

2026-02 — Regional Plan pushes full build to 2050

SANDAG’s newly adopted $125 billion Regional Plan delayed the Purple Line’s full completion to 2050, prioritizing a partial build to Mission Valley in the nearer term.

2025-01 — Cost estimates draw scrutiny

Reporting highlighted per-mile cost estimates approaching $1 billion for the corridor, intensifying debate over mode choice and scope.

References