Special Event Line (San Diego Trolley)

Special Event Line
Special Event Line
	A Special Event Line trolley (left) next to a Green Line trolley (right) at Seaport Village station
Overview
Status	Only operates on special events, in late July
Owner	Metropolitan Transit System
Locale	San Diego, California
Termini	Balboa Avenue; 12th & Imperial;
Stations	12
Website	http://www.sdmts.com/
Service
Type	Light rail
System	San Diego Trolley
Route number	540 (in internal documents only)
Operator(s)	San Diego Trolley, Inc.
History
Opened	July 20, 2022
Technical
Number of tracks	2 Tracks
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Electrification	600 V DC Overhead lines
Operating speed	Max. 50 mph (80 km/h)
Route map
Route map
	Amtrak Pacific Surfliner & Coaster
	to Oceanside
	to Courthouse
	Storage &
	Maintenance Yard
	Multiple
	services
	All stations
	are accessible

The Special Event Line, also known as the "Red Line" until 2012, is a light rail line operated by the San Diego Trolley, an operating division of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. Two different versions of this line operated, both times only during special events.

The original version of the Special Event Line, operating from at least 2007 to 2012, connected Qualcomm Stadium station with Gaslamp Quarter station, during sporting events at Qualcomm Stadium, Cox Arena, and the SDSU Open Air Theatre (OAT), as well as during events like San Diego Comic-Con. This version of the Special Event Line was discontinued in 2012, after the Trolley Renewal Project saw the Green Line extended over the Special Event Line's route.

Later, in July 2022, the Special Event Line was revived, this time running from Balboa Avenue Transit Center (which had opened in the previous September as part of the Blue Line Mid-Coast extension) to 12th and Imperial. This version of the Special Event Line was revived from July 20 to July 23, 2023, and most recently from July 25 to July 28, 2024.