The West Santa Ana Branch is a former streetcar right-of-way (ROW) and potential transit corridor connecting Los Angeles County and Orange County in Southern California. The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) owns the part of the ROW in L.A. County, and the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) owns the part of the ROW in Orange County. [1][2]
The streetcar right-of-way was operated by the Pacific Electric Railway. The ROW runs from the intersection of the I-105 and I-710 freeways in Paramount, southeast to 1st Street in downtown Santa Ana.
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. [3][4] The project is being coordinated by the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) in conjunction with Metro and OCTA. [5] [6]
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, 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 is planned for November and December 2010. [7]