Nobel Drive (San Diego Trolley Blue Line)

Nobel Drive is the first stop on northbound trains in La Jolla after the five mile gap in the stations as trolleys navigate rose canyon. The station is located on an elevated structure just west of the 5 built along one of the parking lots of La Jolla Village Square, a shopping mall (that is much smaller than the UTC mall). The station is just a mile from the UTC Mall, the terminus of the Blue Line just east down Nobel Drive, that the trolley takes a bit of a circuitous route to get there forming a ∩ shape between Nobel Drive and UTC to service its 4 important intermediate stops. In view, directly across the 5 from the station is a large white Morman Temple that provides a backdrop for waiting passengers.

The station has two side platforms for the two track trolley line, each with two modern shelters that are designed to cover an area at what is towards the front of the train on each platform, and about one car south. These platforms are each connected by pedestrian grade-crossings at each end of the platforms, with a fence running between the two tracks.

At the southern end of the platforms is the entrance to the station’s 5 story, over 1,000 space parking structure. This structure is shared with retail customers of the shopping mall and parking is completely free. Transit patrons have 289 that are just on the top to levels 4 and 5. Access to the parking structure is via a very short walkway from the San Ysidro-bound platform to the northern end of the garage at level 4. Here is a wide, mostly outdoors staircase leading to street level, connecting all of the garage levels, along with two elevators.

At the northern end of the trolley platforms is a staircase down from the UTC-bound platform that leads closest to a walkway beneath the elevated trolley structure to only the south side of Nobel Drive right next to a Freeway On Ramp to the 5. Across from here is a staircase and glass elevator structure with a single elevator in a little plaza between surface parking for the shopping mall, that connects to the end of Nobel Drive.
Photos 1-33: July 25, 2022

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Stepping off a San Ysidro-bound train

Looking out from the San Ysidro-bound platform at the 5 story parking structure

S70 #5049 leads a Blue Line train to Int'l Border out of the station

S70 #5049 continues leaving Nobel Drive

A station name sign hanging from the top corner of the platform canopy

Looking across the station tracks, the distinctive Morman Temple is the backdrop

Looking off the staircase alongside the parking garage at the elevated structure above the parking lot of a shopping mall

The very short walkway from station to the parking structure at level 4

S70 #5036 is a single Not In Service trolley car, (I assume being used for operator training)

S70 #5036 passes through the station, a single not in service trolley car

On the staircase, leaving the elevated statino heading down to the shopping mall below

Level 2 of the parking garage, fairly empty since these spaces are designed for retail customers, built by MTS to replace the surface parking lost by the building of this station

The blue colors of the main staircase to leave the station via the elevated structure and blue elevator shaft

The MTS logo and black lettering for Nobel Drive Trolley Station beneath

The trolley station is above the parking lot for a shopping mall, the spaces all marked retail only, trolley customers must park in the free parking structure

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