Proposed Santa Ana Branch Light Rail Would Connect Downtown Los Angeles and Artesia

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) is exploring alignments for a new light rail line.

1 minute read

September 16, 2015, 8:00 AM PDT

By chrisloos


Piggybacking off of earlier work by the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) is exploring new alignments for a proposed light rail line which would shuttle passengers between Downtown Los Angeles and Artesia.

The West Santa Ana Branch (WSAB), one of 12 projects funded by the Measure R half-cent sales tax, has a scheduled revenue operation date of 2027. The prior alternatives analysis conducted by SCAG explored numerous transportation modes for the 34-mile corridor, ranging from the practical-but-unexciting (bus rapid transit) to the overly-expensive-and-unrealistic (low-speed maglev). Citing the long distance and high potential ridership along the WSAB, SCAG recommended light rail as the preferred mode and proposed two potential routes, both of which rougly paralleled the Los Angeles River.

Metro, after receiving feedback from stakeholder cities and organizations, has expanded upon those options with four additional alignments.

Tuesday, September 15, 2015 in Urbanize LA

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Wastewater pouring out from a pipe.

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage

Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

April 13, 2025 - Inside Climate News

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Black and white photos of camp made up of small 'earthquake shacks' in Dolores Park in 1906 after the San Francisco earthquake.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees

More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

April 15, 2025 - Charles F. Bloszies

People walking up and down stairs in New York City subway station.

In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving

Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.

April 18 - Scientific American

White public transit bus with bike on front bike rack in Nashville, Tennessee.

Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan

Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.

April 18 - Bloomberg CityLab

An engineer controlling a quality of water ,aerated activated sludge tank at a waste water treatment plant.

Judge Orders Release of Frozen IRA, IIJA Funding

The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.

April 18 - Smart Cities Dive