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, but passes through heaviliy populated areas in need of transportation alternatives. Trail development will be challenging due to difficult street crossings in much of the corridor, but can be successful if combined with the development of mass transit on the corridor. Bellflower has already completed the Bellflower Bikeway in the corridor.
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.
Disclaimer: All project trails listed on TrailLink.com are in various phases of development and may not be open for public use. Rails-to-Trails Conservancy does not manage any trails listed on TrailLink.com. To learn more about the current status of trail development, please look in the "Related Links" section below to find contact information for the local organization or agency responsible for trail management.