Green Line (SacRT) explained

Green Line
Type:Light rail
System:SacRT light rail
Locale:Sacramento, California
Start: (south)
End: (north)
Stations:7
Routes:Line 519
Daily Ridership:440 (Q2 2018)[1]
Owner:Sacramento Regional Transit District
Character:At-grade street running
Tracks:2

The Green Line is a light rail transit line in the Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) light rail system. It opened on June 15, 2012,[2] and runs between 13th Street station and 7th & Richards/Township 9 station. The Green Line runs through north downtown to Township 9 in the River District, and is projected eventually to reach Sacramento International Airport. The line only operates on weekdays.[3]

History

In the 1990s, SacRT started identifying corridors for new light rail extensions and selected an alignment for a new line that would reach the Sacramento Airport from Sacramento via Natomas.[4] Formal planning for the line began in the early 2000s. Construction for the initial segment of the Green Line that runs to the River District began in late 2009 after finalizing environmental review in early 2009.[5] The initial line opened for service on June 15, 2012, with a single new station at Township 9.[6]

In 2016, low ridership on the Green Line and the lack of development at Township 9 led the SacRT Board to consider closing the line in 2017.[7]

Line description

The Green Line begins at its current northern terminus at the 7th and Richards / Township 9 station in the River District. From there it initially travels south on 7th Street on a single-track. Reaching downtown, the Green Line goes to two tracks at G Street as one-way tracks for 7th and 8th Streets where it joins the Blue and Gold Lines. It then turns westward on O Street, southward on 12th, then eastward in an alley paralleling Q and R Streets, before reaching its southern terminus at 13th Street station.

Station listing

The following table lists the current stations of the Green Line, from north to south.

Key
Closed station
StationOpenedTransfers
June 15, 2012 Sacramento Regional Transit: 11, 33
County Center

2007

March 12, 1987Closed September 30, 2016
7th & Capitol (southbound)
8th & Capitol (northbound)
March 12, 1987

Future expansion

As part of the Light Rail Modernization Project, 7th Street is planned to be double tracked, with a new infill station at Railyards Boulevard to better serve the Sacramento Railyards.[8]

Proposed airport link

The Green Line to Sacramento International Airport (SMF) light rail future extension Project will extend service to Sacramento International Airport.[9] The agency is currently completing environmental documents for the project. This project was planned to start construction by 2022.[10] As of May 2019, future new Green Line stations, South to Northwest from the existing 7th & Richards/Township 9 Station, are:

Notes and References

  1. RT Quarterly Ridership Report. June 2018. December 12, 2018. Sacramento RT.
  2. Web site: Sacramento Green Line Open. June 16, 2012. Light Rail Transit Association. August 19, 2012. March 7, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160307053458/http://www.lrta.org/news/12/news1211.html. dead.
  3. Web site: RT Light Rail Schedules: 519 Green Line . Sacramento Regional Transit . PDF. August 19, 2012.
  4. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20150821005635/http://www.sacrt.com/dna/project_overview/history.html. History of the Project. Sacramento RT. August 21, 2015. December 23, 2018. live.
  5. Web site: Green Line to the River District. December 23, 2018. September 27, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150927155032/http://www.sacrt.com/dna/mos-1/default.html. Sacramento RT.
  6. News: Light Rail Makes First Step Toward Natomas. Chris. Shannon. The Natomas Buzz. June 15, 2012. December 23, 2018.
  7. News: Bizjack . Tony . May 20, 2016 . Light-rail Green Line may shut in Sacramento to save money . Sacramento Bee . August 22, 2016.
  8. News: McLawhorn . Jennifer . SacRT Receives $35 Million for Improving Light Rail System . 4 September 2023 . . July 6, 2023.
  9. Web site: Green Line to the Airport . Green Line 2 Airport . Sacramento RT . 14 December 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160513223917/http://www.greenline2airport.com/ . 13 May 2016.
  10. Web site: Schedule*. Green Line 2 Airport. en-US. 2019-05-27.