Opinion: Irvine Transit Vision 2035

• January 13, 2025, 9:52 am America/Los_Angeles

Last year, I wrote an article about the future of public transportation in Irvine, and this year, I’m doing an update to that based on the latest developments.

History of the Irvine Transit Vision Study

On April 1, 2024, Irvine launched its first frequent community bus line, a route chosen from its Transit Vision Study. Previously, Irvine only had infrequent service from OCTA county bus lines and commuter shuttles in iShuttle, and now, here was a line that ran every 20 minutes even on weekends that directly served residents.

Not Enough Vision in the Vision Study

After the transportation commission approved the Yale-Barranca route in 2023, they also approved Great Park Option 3 as a follow up route if the pilot was successful. Having a single potential follow up bus route does not constitute vision. There is still no master plan for a full public transportation network despite Irvine being the city of master planning.

That’s why, as a follow up to my previous Irvine fantasy map exercise, I want to build upon existing, planned and not-yet imagined routes to create a realistic yet bold vision of what public transportation in Irvine could look like, along with a surprise visionary project at the end.

Line 1 – The Current Map

Here’s a map of the Yale-Barranca route today.

Line 2 – Great Park

The Current Plan Great Park Option 3

This is the next route the city would do, if implemented as proposed in the Transit Vision Study. It connects Great Park to Culver via Trabuco.

My Proposal for Great Park

I would propose to extend the route on both ends a bit to improve the connectivity to other routes, both existing and that I will propose later in this article.

Tustin and Irvine Stations provide Metrolink and Amtrak service, and many OCTA buses also connect there, so it’s worthwhile to extend this line on both ends to ensure they hit the train station and serve as a east-west connector for other lines. This also provides coverage to Culver Plaza along the way.

Line 3 – UCI to Spectrum

The Current Plan Village Connector

UCI is the biggest trip generator, and Spectrum is the biggest destination, so it only makes sense to have a line connecting them.

Irvine is in fact soon getting a bus line called the Village Connector that almost connects these areas but somehow stops just short of reaching UCI and the Spectrum on each end. Here’s the current route the city plans.

It is comical how frustratingly close it comes to being a UCI to Spectrum connection but somehow connects neither.

My Proposal for UCI to Spectrum

My proposed changes would be to extend it slightly on both ends to connect to UCI, Spectrum, and the train station, and then bring the middle section up to Alton for a short stretch to allow for transfer opportunities with line 1 and another line I will discuss later.

This creates a whole north-south connection via a transfer to line 1 at Sand Canyon / Alton, which greatly expands where you can go on the system from anywhere on the system. Irvine Station becomes a transfer hub between multiple bus routes, Metrolink, and Amtrak, which will capitalize on the new transit oriented developments planned near the station under the city’s new General Plan for the next 20 years.

Line 4 – Jamboree

The west side of Irvine is woefully underserved even though it has many major trip generators and destinations. The Marketplace, apartments, The District, Diamond Jamboree, the airport, Irvine Business Complex, and UCI are all close to the Jamboree route, and with the groundwork laid by the 2 previous routes we added, this proposed route will be well-connected. Because this is a relatively straight route with destinations spread far apart, this is well-suited to become a bus rapid transit line with upgrade potential to light rail in the future.

Line 5 – Irvine Blvd and Sand Canyon

This line connects North Irvine and the Woodbury area including Woodbury Town Center, to the rest of the network. This connects to every other route on the map thus far. There are multiple options to route the bus after hitting Sand Canyon / Alton, but there is no clear point to terminate nearby, so I made the decision to extend it to the most popular destination area, Spectrum, to provide a 1 seat ride for residents in North Irvine and Cypress Village.

Line 6 – Yale Loop and Barranca

The rest of Woodbridge and the west side of Barranca is missing a connection to the popular destinations there such as Diamond Jamboree and the District. The final line connects them all together with a transfer available to line 1, line 4. A transfer to line 3 would still be possible with a short walk.

The Surprise: A Backbone Rail Line

This rail line would serve Diamond Jamboree and Irvine Station, being a full east-west backbone of the transportation network. Notice that this line connects to every single bus line proposed thus far, making it a great transfer line to ensure you can go from anywhere to anywhere.

Yes, Irvine can have cutting-edge rail service with quiet, zero-emission electric multiple units. And it can have it cheaply and quickly. San Bernardino recently opened its Arrow service line, which uses existing rail right of ways to connect downtown to Redlands University using modern multiple unit trains (as opposed to old diesel locomotives from the 70s). It built the project for under $300 million and in less than 5 years, which made it eligible for a federal Small Start grant to cover the bill.

The route shown here is also an existing rail right of way, with most of it being currently used for Metrolink and Amtrak. The curved branch on the west side is an existing spur used for freight deliveries and goes almost all the way to Diamond Jamboree. This is a similar length to the Arrow line, so Irvine will be able to leverage federal funds to build this almost for free.

A fast east-west rail connection would be transformative, turning a good grid of bus service from lines 1-6 into a great high speed system that feeds to and from the rail line.

Conclusion and a Vision

Irvine took its first step forward towards a future of public transportation with Irvine Connect and the Yale Barranca route. Now that it has started, it can’t wander about aimlessly. The residents of the city deserve a bold vision for mobility that will give people convenient, fast, and safe options. That vision can be realized, if the city is willing to put in the work.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the position of Irvine Watchdog or any of its volunteers.