Info on SD&IV: how well works with commuter rail?

[caboose63]

i am doing a hypothetical research proposal  at Saginaw Valley State University for a commuter transit system. Is there anyone on here that has worked/works for the San Diego & Imperial Valley Railroad that could shed some light and info on how it manages to operate on the same rails that San Diego Metropolitan Transit System commuter trains use? My proposal will be based on a similar setup to what the SDMTS and SD&IV have. So any information from past or past SD&IV employees would be greatly appreciated.

[ChuckCobleigh]

The MTS tracks are dispatched by MTS and basically, on the trolley schedule, no freight traffic runs. That means that freight moves have to be made between about one AM and be done before six, or so. There are some customers in El Cajon that still receive freight cars, like the Toro sprinkler plant that usually has two or three covered hoppers of plastic pellets spotted at the plant. Sometimes a switch engine can be seen parked in El Cajon during the day. The heavy rail traffic on the coast line is dispatched intermixed with Amtrak and the Coaster, with probably a slight majority of freight moves (but not all) coming in the evening hours or wee hours of the morning.