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SAN DIEGO — Getting around San Diego may be a bit easier for commuters now that the Blue Line Trolley Extension is up and running.

Sunday was the big grand opening for the UC San Diego Blue Line but Monday was the first time many commuters boarded the trolley for work or school. Jim Linthicum, chief of capital programs for SANDAG, said they estimate about 20,000 people will ride the trolley each day.

“Think about the population, the students that come and go to school here,” Linthicum said. “They will be able to live a little bit further away and just get there on the trolley. It’s such an opportunity for workers and students.”

While SANDAG oversaw the project, the trolley line is operated by MTS. The 11-mile extension took more than five years and $2 billion to complete.

For some, one of the most thrilling parts about the Blue Line is the connection it provides from the United States-Mexico border to UTC and UC San Diego.

“This is going to be a game changer, because you see all the traffic and when you take the trolley, you actually sail over the freeway. And you can see everyone waiting in traffic, where you are just going right where you need to be,” MTS CEO Sharon Cooney said.

The new stations are located at Tecolote Road, Clairemont Drive, Balboa Avenue, Nobel Drive, VA Medical Center, UC San Diego Central Campus, UC San Diego Health La Jolla, Executive Drive and the UTC transit center.

You can view a map of the extended Blue Line and check trolley schedules on the MTS website.