On-time performance across the entire San Diego trolley system has been boosted by a year-old East County service change that inconveniences a relatively small number of riders.

The number of late trips across the trolley system was cut nearly in half during the first six months of 2025 thanks to the new Copper Line, a four-stop shuttle that eliminated notorious track-clogging between El Cajon and Santee.

Instead of the previous setup where the Green and Orange lines extended eastward beyond the El Cajon Transit Center, those lines now end there, and passengers heading farther east take the Copper Line. The new line runs every 15 minutes from El Cajon to Arnele Avenue, Gillespie Field and Santee and back along that same route.

While the new setup requires roughly 2,000 passengers a day to make a transfer they didn’t previously have to make, transit officials say the change has significantly boosted the overall performance of the system.

Officials say fewer late trains and smoother operations are crucial if the Metropolitan Transportation System wants to attract more riders, especially leisure riders who have cars but opt for transit anyway.

Since it began running in late September 2024, on-time performance has improved overall. Performance has also improved individually on each of the trolley’s three primary lines: Orange, Green and Blue.

When the first six months of 2025 are compared to the same period of 2024, the number of late trains on the system overall dropped from 8% down to 4.3%.

The drop was even more pronounced on the Orange Line, where the share of trains that were delayed fell from 12.5% to 4.3%, and the Green Line, where they dropped from 8.8% to 4%.

Even the Blue Line, which operates many miles west of the Copper Line, saw improvement. Late trains dropped from 7% to 4.7% on the Blue Line, which connects University City to the Mexican border.

“Our routes are very interconnected, so anything that happens on one route affects another route,” Brent Boyd, MTS director of planning and scheduling, told the MTS board recently.

The key change is eliminating train congestion on the route along Cuyamaca Street between Gillespie Field and Santee — the one stretch where all trains must share only one track.

The rest of the trolley system is double-tracked, allowing trains heading in opposite directions to pass each other. But with the single track in that area, both Orange and Green line trains heading in both directions had to take turns and wait for each other.

MTS officials say that caused substantial delays and prompted behind-schedule trolley operators occasionally to turn around before even reaching Santee so they could get back on schedule.

The share of trips where drivers stopped short of the final destination dropped by 87.1%. There were 483 such trips during the first six months of 2024 and only 62 such trips during the same time period in 2025.

The number of trips completely canceled because of traffic also fell — from 25 down to two on the Green Line, and from 10 down to four on the Orange Line.

“We’re increasing some transfers at El Cajon, but we’re dramatically improving reliability across the system,” Boyd said.

The Copper Line is supposed to run every 15 minutes from El Cajon to Santee. Before the change, the Green Line went all the way to Santee, and the Orange Line terminated at Arnele Avenue in El Cajon — one of the four Copper Line stops.

Another benefit to last year’s service change, transit officials say, is that it allows trolley operators longer breaks. Under the old system, the need to quickly turn trains around in Santee meant breaks as short as 6 minutes.

City leaders in El Cajon and Santee say the benefit of the Copper Line outweighs the cost — even though the main cost of the switch, the inconvenience of a transfer, falls heavily on riders in their cities.

“I think it’s been a positive, because we have a little bit better service than before,” said Santee Councilmember Ronn Hall, a member of the MTS board. “It’s a little inconvenient for some, but I understand the logic behind it.”

El Cajon Councilmember Steve Goble, another MTS board member, said the change has also boosted safety along the trolley tracks in Santee.

In addition, MTS officials have agreed to spend some of the roughly $1 million in savings from the Copper Line shift on enhanced security at East County trolley stations.

The $1 million in annual savings comes from MTS running one-car trains on the Copper Line, instead of the typical three-car trains from before — reducing the agency’s electricity and maintenance costs.

Goble also noted that passenger counts at the affected stations have not dropped, despite the need to make the extra transfer to the Copper Line.

He said he empathized with inconvenienced riders. “I don’t want to discount somebody’s perceived inconvenience,” he said. But he said the impact is relatively minor.

Copper Line commuters interviewed last week at the El Cajon Transit Center mostly agreed.

“I wouldn’t say it’s a huge inconvenience, but it’s maybe 5 minutes each way,” said Robert Belton, who commutes from his home in Santee to Grossmont Center for work. “It was more convenient when the Green Line just went straight there.”

Belton said he was mildly annoyed that there hadn’t been more advertising about the change.

“I had to look up on my phone, ‘Why is the green line not showing up in Santee?’” Belton said.

Nathan Boone, also of Santee, doesn’t mind the extra few minutes of commute time because of the Copper Line. But he said better bus service is needed in Santee.

“I just wish the buses in Santee were more frequent so I wouldn’t have a long walk to the trolley,” he said.

Seamus Cavanaugh, who commutes from Santee to Mission Bay for work, said he would be more frustrated by having to wait twice a day for an extra transfer if he weren’t expecting to buy a new car this spring.

“I only have to deal with this for a couple months,” he said.

On-time performance across the entire San Diego trolley system has been boosted by a year-old East County service change that inconveniences a relatively small number of riders.

The number of late trips across the trolley system was cut nearly in half during the first six months of 2025 thanks to the new Copper Line, a four-stop shuttle that eliminated notorious track-clogging between El Cajon and Santee.

Instead of the previous setup where the Green and Orange lines extended eastward beyond the El Cajon Transit Center, those lines now end there, and passengers heading farther east take the Copper Line. The new line runs every 15 minutes from El Cajon to Arnele Avenue, Gillespie Field and Santee and back along that same route.

While the new setup requires roughly 2,000 passengers a day to make a transfer they didn’t previously have to make, transit officials say the change has significantly boosted the overall performance of the system.

Officials say fewer late trains and smoother operations are crucial if the Metropolitan Transportation System wants to attract more riders, especially leisure riders who have cars but opt for transit anyway.

Since it began running in late September 2024, on-time performance has improved overall. Performance has also improved individually on each of the trolley’s three primary lines: Orange, Green and Blue.

When the first six months of 2025 are compared to the same period of 2024, the number of late trains on the system overall dropped from 8% down to 4.3%.

The drop was even more pronounced on the Orange Line, where the share of trains that were delayed fell from 12.5% to 4.3%, and the Green Line, where they dropped from 8.8% to 4%.

Even the Blue Line, which operates many miles west of the Copper Line, saw improvement. Late trains dropped from 7% to 4.7% on the Blue Line, which connects University City to the Mexican border.

“Our routes are very interconnected, so anything that happens on one route affects another route,” Brent Boyd, MTS director of planning and scheduling, told the MTS board recently.

The key change is eliminating train congestion on the route along Cuyamaca Street between Gillespie Field and Santee — the one stretch where all trains must share only one track.

The rest of the trolley system is double-tracked, allowing trains heading in opposite directions to pass each other. But with the single track in that area, both Orange and Green line trains heading in both directions had to take turns and wait for each other.

MTS officials say that caused substantial delays and prompted behind-schedule trolley operators occasionally to turn around before even reaching Santee so they could get back on schedule.

The share of trips where drivers stopped short of the final destination dropped by 87.1%. There were 483 such trips during the first six months of 2024 and only 62 such trips during the same time period in 2025.

The number of trips completely canceled because of traffic also fell — from 25 down to two on the Green Line, and from 10 down to four on the Orange Line.

“We’re increasing some transfers at El Cajon, but we’re dramatically improving reliability across the system,” Boyd said.

The Copper Line is supposed to run every 15 minutes from El Cajon to Santee. Before the change, the Green Line went all the way to Santee, and the Orange Line terminated at Arnele Avenue in El Cajon — one of the four Copper Line stops.

Another benefit to last year’s service change, transit officials say, is that it allows trolley operators longer breaks. Under the old system, the need to quickly turn trains around in Santee meant breaks as short as 6 minutes.

City leaders in El Cajon and Santee say the benefit of the Copper Line outweighs the cost — even though the main cost of the switch, the inconvenience of a transfer, falls heavily on riders in their cities.

“I think it’s been a positive, because we have a little bit better service than before,” said Santee Councilmember Ronn Hall, a member of the MTS board. “It’s a little inconvenient for some, but I understand the logic behind it.”

El Cajon Councilmember Steve Goble, another MTS board member, said the change has also boosted safety along the trolley tracks in Santee.

In addition, MTS officials have agreed to spend some of the roughly $1 million in savings from the Copper Line shift on enhanced security at East County trolley stations.

The $1 million in annual savings comes from MTS running one-car trains on the Copper Line, instead of the typical three-car trains from before — reducing the agency’s electricity and maintenance costs.

Goble also noted that passenger counts at the affected stations have not dropped, despite the need to make the extra transfer to the Copper Line.

He said he empathized with inconvenienced riders. “I don’t want to discount somebody’s perceived inconvenience,” he said. But he said the impact is relatively minor.

Copper Line commuters interviewed last week at the El Cajon Transit Center mostly agreed.

“I wouldn’t say it’s a huge inconvenience, but it’s maybe 5 minutes each way,” said Robert Belton, who commutes from his home in Santee to Grossmont Center for work. “It was more convenient when the Green Line just went straight there.”

Belton said he was mildly annoyed that there hadn’t been more advertising about the change.

“I had to look up on my phone, ‘Why is the green line not showing up in Santee?’” Belton said.

Nathan Boone, also of Santee, doesn’t mind the extra few minutes of commute time because of the Copper Line. But he said better bus service is needed in Santee.

“I just wish the buses in Santee were more frequent so I wouldn’t have a long walk to the trolley,” he said.

Seamus Cavanaugh, who commutes from Santee to Mission Bay for work, said he would be more frustrated by having to wait twice a day for an extra transfer if he weren’t expecting to buy a new car this spring.

“I only have to deal with this for a couple months,” he said.