The 17.7km eight-station line will follow the alignment of the existing Coaster commuter rail line from Old Town to serve Linda Vista, Pacific Beach, and the University of California San Diego campus before reaching a park-and-ride terminus at Westfield UTC in University City.
Five public meetings will be held during June and following the completion of the consultation process, the environmental impact statement will be finalised and submitted to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for approval. When the report is certified by the Sandag board and the FTA, the project will move to the final design phase. Construction is expected to begin in 2015, with commercial services due to start in 2018.
Sandag says that as an extension of the Blue Line to the Mid-Coast Corridor will offer a 'one-seat ride' from the university and northern districts to the city centre, south San Diego, and the Mexican border at San Ysidro.
