El Cajon, CA
Stop on the proposed 17,000-mile maglev network. Next stop: San Diego, CA (12.4 mi).
About El Cajon
El Cajon is a city in San Diego County, California, United States, 17 mi (27 km) east of downtown San Diego. The city takes its name from Rancho El Cajón, which was named for the box-like shape of the valley that surrounds the city, and the origin of the city's common nickname "the Box".
Source: Wikipedia summary (full article). Population and facts as published there.
Cost breakdown (proposal-scale estimates — see math)
| Item | Basis | Estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Terminal construction | Large-city terminal (range $2–4B) | $3B |
| Land acquisition | Regional factor 1.5× on $200M base | $300M |
| Track: El Cajon → San Diego | 12.4 mi × $500M/mi | $6.2B |
| Annual operations (share) | Staffing, power, maintenance | $60M/yr |
| Stop total (excl. annual ops) | $9.5B |
Best terminal location (proposed)
the El Cajon Transit Center district (Trolley Orange/Green lines). El Cajon's transit center is the East County hub where two Trolley lines meet, with downtown's Main Street corridor alongside. The city is the densest part of San Diego's east county. It captures the entire East County catchment from La Mesa to Alpine.
Before / after
Aerial mock-up (illustrative, not an engineering rendering). Left: the proposed site today. Right: with the maglev terminal.
- La Mesa — the 'Jewel of the Hills' on the Trolley corridor between the two.
- The Spring Valley corridor — unincorporated commercial strip on the alignment.
- San Diego's College Area — SDSU-adjacent dense neighborhood approaching downtown.