The West Santa Ana Branch is a former streetcar right-of-way (ROW) and potential transit corridor connecting Los Angeles County and Orange County

Orange County, California

Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...

 in Southern California

Southern California

Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...

. The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority is the California state-chartered regional transportation planning agency and public transportation operating agency for the County of Los Angeles formed in 1993 out of a merger of the Southern California Rapid Transit District and the...

 (Metro) owns the part of the ROW in L.A. County, and the Orange County Transportation Authority

Orange County Transportation Authority

The Orange County Transportation Authority is the public sector transportation planning body and mass transit service provider for Orange County, California. Its ancestor agencies include not only the prior Orange County Transit District but also such diverse entities as the Pacific Electric...

 (OCTA) owns the part of the ROW in Orange County.

The streetcar right-of-way was operated by the Pacific Electric Railway

Pacific Electric Railway

The Pacific Electric Railway , also known as the Red Car system, was a mass transit system in Southern California using streetcars, light rail, and buses...

. The ROW runs from the intersection of the I-105

Interstate 105 (California)

Interstate 105 is an Interstate Highway in southern Los Angeles County, California that runs east–west from near the Los Angeles International Airport to Norwalk...

 and I-710

Interstate 710

Interstate 710 is a major north–south interstate freeway running for 23 miles through Los Angeles County, California...

 freeways in Paramount

Paramount, California

Paramount is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. According to the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 54,098 down from 55,266 at the 2000 census...

, southeast to 1st Street in downtown Santa Ana

Santa Ana, California

Santa Ana is the county seat and second most populous city in Orange County, California, and with a population of 324,528 at the 2010 census, Santa Ana is the 57th-most populous city in the United States....

.

Project

The project is being considered as a way to relieve freeway congestion between the two counties. Metro has prioritized the corridor on its Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP), and funding for it is guaranteed in Measure R

Measure R

Measure R was a ballot measure in the November 2008 elections in Los Angeles County, California that proposed raising county sales taxes by one half cent for thirty years in order to pay for transportation projects and improvements. The measure was approved by voters with 67.22% of the vote, just...

. The project is being coordinated by the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) in conjunction with Metro and OCTA.

SCAG is conducting 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 are bus rapid transit

Bus rapid transit

Bus rapid transit is a term applied to a variety of public transportation systems using buses to provide faster, more efficient service than an ordinary bus line. Often this is achieved by making improvements to existing infrastructure, vehicles and scheduling...

, light rail

Light rail

Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...

, commuter rail and high-speed rail

High-speed rail

High-speed rail is a type of passenger rail transport that operates significantly faster than the normal speed of rail traffic. Specific definitions by the European Union include for upgraded track and or faster for new track, whilst in the United States, the U.S...

. SCAG organized a first round of public meetings in June 2010. A second round of public meetings is planned for November and December 2010.

External links

• Pacific Electric Right-of-Way/West Santa Ana Branch Corridor Alternatives Analysis website by the Southern California Association of Governments
  Southern California Association of Governments
  The Southern California Association of Governments is the metropolitan planning organization of six of the ten counties in Southern California, serving Imperial County, Los Angeles County, Orange County, Riverside County, San Bernardino County, and Ventura County...
  
  
• Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
• Orange County Transportation Authority