About the Project

The Pacific Electric Right-of-Way (PE ROW) / West Santa Ana Branch Corridor is a railroad right-of-way that extends for approximately 20 miles between the City of Paramount in Los Angeles County and the City of Santa Ana in Orange County. The railroad corridor was once part of the Pacific Electric Railway, or Red Car, system that provided mass transit service to Southern California from 1901 to 1961. Much of the corridor has been abandoned and is not currently used for mass transit purposes.

The Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), in coordination with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) and the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA), is conducting a transit Alternatives Analysis (AA) for the PE ROW / West Santa Ana Branch. The AA will examine potential transit service along the corridor that can provide additional travel options between Los Angeles and Orange Counties, reduce congestion on nearby streets and freeways, and provide adjacent communities with access to the regional transit network.

Alternatives Analysis (AA) Planning Study

The AA will examine options for connecting to the Metro Blue Line, Metro Green Line, and Los Angeles Union Station on the north end, and to the Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center on the south end. Though alternatives will generally follow the PE ROW / West Santa Ana Branch corridor, potential alignment and improvement options outside the right-of-way may be studied. The AA will evaluate a broad range of alternatives, including bus rapid transit (BRT) with dedicated bus lanes, light rail transit (LRT), commuter rail, and high speed rail, along with “no-build” and Transportation Systems Management improvements.

At the conclusion of the AA, SCAG staff will recommend a course of action to the Regional Council, as well as to Metro and OCTA. As the owners of the right-of-way and the implementing agencies, Metro and OCTA will have the option to proceed with the project into the environmental and engineering phases consistent with federal and state requirements.

Study Area

Click to view a larger map of the study area

The study area includes the cities of Los Angeles, Vernon, Huntington Park, Maywood, Bell, Cudahy, South Gate, Lynwood, Downey, Paramount, Bellflower, Cerritos, Artesia, Lakewood, La Palma, Cypress, Buena Park, Anaheim, Stanton, Garden Grove, and Santa Ana, and the counties of Los Angeles and Orange.