West Santa Ana Branch

The West Santa Ana Branch is a rail right-of-way formerly used by the Pacific Electric's (PE) Santa Ana route in Los Angeles County and Orange County in Southern California. The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) owns the segment of the right-of-way in Los Angeles County, and the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) owns the segment in Orange County.[1][2]

A monument along the right-of-way in Stanton, commemorating the Pacific Electric streetcars.

The line runs from the Watts Towers in the city of Los Angeles, southeast to the intersection of 4th Street and Santa Ana Boulevard in downtown Santa Ana. A two-mile (3.2 km) portion of it is occupied by Interstate 105 and the Green Line. The right-of-way runs nearly straight for on a diagonal between the two cities, in contrast to the cardinal grid of Orange County.

History

The right-of-way was owned by the Pacific Electric Railway for streetcar service. The 12.5-mile (20 km) section in Orange County between Paramount and Stanton was acquired by the Southern California Regional Rail Authority in 1990 as part of the $450 million package deal with Southern Pacific.[3]

Remnants

The Ghost Town & Calico Railroad attraction at Knott's Berry Farm uses a PE depot formerly located at Hansen station along the ROW in Stanton as the main station building. The building was moved to the theme park in 1952.[4][5][6]

Future development

The Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), in conjunction with Metro and OCTA,[7][8] conducted an alternatives analysis to determine the list of all feasible alternatives for the project. These alternatives may use all or part of the ROW. Modes under consideration were bus rapid transit, light rail, commuter rail and high-speed rail. SCAG organized a first round of public meetings in June 2010. A second round of public meetings were held in November and December 2010.[9]

Los Angeles Metro project
Main article: West Santa Ana Branch Transit Corridor

Metro has prioritized the corridor on its Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP), and funding for it was guaranteed in the LA County Measure R and Measure M transportation funding ballot measures.[10][11] As proposed, the light rail line will travel between Artesia and Union Station, using the ROW between Paramount and Artesia.[12]

OC Streetcar
Main article: OC Streetcar

As of 2016, the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) is collaborating with the cities of Santa Ana and Garden Grove to build a streetcar line. The western terminus of the proposed route would follow the Pacific Electric right-of-way near the intersection of Harbor Boulevard and Westminster Avenue in Garden Grove.[13]

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See also

References
  1. "West Santa Ana Transit Corridor". Los Angeles Metro. Retrieved 2014-01-01.
  2. "Pacific Electric Right of Way Study". Orange County Transportation Authority. Retrieved 2014-01-01.
  3. Rail Passenger Development Plan: 1991-96 Fiscal Years (PDF). Sacramento, CA: Division of Mass Transportation, Caltrans. 1991.
  4. DeCaro, Dave. "Knott's Berry Farm: Calico Railroad". Daveland. Retrieved 2017-05-07.
  5. "The Santa Ana Branch". Abandoned Rails. Retrieved 2017-05-07.
  6. Brigandi, Phil. "Historic Knott's Berry Farm". So Cal Historyland. Retrieved 2017-05-07.
  7. "About the Project". Pacific Electric Corridor. Southern California Association of Governments. Archived from the original on 1 May 2012. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  8. Chan, Steven (2008-09-05). "Bravo! rapid bus, part III: A massive expansion, plus light rail in Orange County?". Resonance:Steven Chan's website. Retrieved 2014-01-01.
  9. "Community Meetings". Pacific Electric Corridor. Southern California Association of Governments. Archived from the original on 3 May 2012. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  10. "2009 Long Range Transportation Plan Attachment A" (pdf). Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  11. "Proposed One-Half Cent Sales Tax for Transportation" (pdf). Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  12. "LACMTA to begin environmental process for West Santa Ana Branch line". RT&S. Simmons-Boardman Publishing. 2016-09-23. Retrieved 2017-05-07.
  13. Marroquin, Art & Pimentel, Joseph (March 3, 2016). "Anaheim releases proposed map for streetcar that would link ARTIC to Disneyland". The Orange County Register. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
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