Parking lots, drive-throughs, highways… L.A. is a car city first, especially now that car-centric realities are undeniable for all of us. While we do have a great public transportation system, the city isn’t known or praised for it in the same way cities like London or Tokyo are. However, there was a time when L.A. was a pioneer in urban transport and was celebrated for its incredibly famous Red Car network, the Pacific Electric Railway.
At its peak, the system was incredibly far-reaching. It connected the San Fernando Valley all the way down to Long Beach and the attractions of Balboa Island in Orange County. It also stretched from Santa Monica eastward to Riverside and San Bernardino counties. This extensive reach was evident when Charles Lindbergh visited in 1928: Pacific Electric simply added more cars, so people could easily travel from as far as Riverside just to see him.
So, what happened to this marvel? During the Great Depression, a company called National City Lines, formed by a consortium of car, oil, and tire companies, began acquiring streetcar systems nationwide, including L.A.’s electric rail, and then shutting them down.
While some attribute the demise of the Red Cars to the natural rise of automobiles and a decline in public transportation, others argue that oil and tire companies deliberately sabotaged the rail system for profit. Coincidentally, L.A. was simultaneously building freeways, and cars were increasingly seen as the future. By 1961, the last Red Car was gone, and almost overnight, L.A. became the traffic-clogged city we know today.
Yet, traces of this remarkable system remain. The Metro E Line still follows some of the old Red Car routes, and the Angels Flight Railway in Downtown L.A. was once part of the network. While LA Metro has been working since the 1990s to rebuild the system, it’s still a long way from the expansive reach of the original Red Cars.