Balboa Avenue is the most northern of 3 stations on the Mid-Coast Trolley extension on the a line ROW where the two trolley tracks are operating besides and just to the east of the two rail tracks used by Amtrak and Coaster trains. North of the station is a long approximately 5 mile gap between stations up to Nobel Drive (scheduled to take 6 minutes) as trolleys navigate Rose Canyon shared with the rail tracks and Interstate 5 (locally called just the 5).
There is a crossover just north of the station that can be used by terminating trains, no Blue Line trains are scheduled to short-turn at this station, but during Comic-Con 2022 (and I assume this will be repeated for other special events), special Comic-Con Event trains operated between here at Balboa Avenue (the reason there was lots of staff at the station, to help fumigate trains of passengers before they continued north of the station to relay on the in service tracks) and 12th/Imperial Transit Center via the Green Line (Bayside line) south of Old Town.
The station consists of two side platforms for the two track line, these platforms have four pedestrian connections two at each end that dip down to track level and two more towards the northern and southern ends of each platform that require a step to get from the 6 inch high platform down to the pedestrian-crossing. Each of these platforms have two larger canopy structures with brown support beams holding up cream colored canopy roofs.
The San Ysidro-bound platform contains a decorative wall with smaller pastel red and orange tiles towards the top and larger blocks of Orange, Beige and white tiles below; this wall acts as a windscreen, separating this platform from passing Coaster and Amtrak trains.
All access to the station is via the UTC-bound platform. A bus loop runs along the length of this platform with two of its own canopy structures, similar to those serving trolley passengers and 5 bus bays. Beyond these bus bays (separated by the entrance for buses and cars, and vehicle exit for all traffic except city buses) are two small parking lots with a total of 227 parking spaces. This parking lot was completely full when I tried to park there around 10:00am on Comic-Con Sunday with banners directing us to drive down Morena Blvd to the Tecolote Road Station that had a much less tapped Park & Ride lot.
The one entrance to the parking lots are from Morena Blvd, towards the northern end of the platforms, Balboa Avenue/Garnet Avenue (the street changes names while passing near the station) run along the northern edge of the northern parking lot, and is located below the grade of the station and Morena Blvd to allow for the street’s underpasses beneath the trolley and train tracks, plus Interstate 5 and even Morena Blvd. There is a pedestrian ramp to try and provide some connectivity between the station and the community.
Photos 1-17: July 24, 2022
Clairemont Drive