Streetcars in Los Angeles
Streetcars in Los Angeles have a long history that started with horse-drawn trolleys in 1874. The Spring and Sixth Street Railroad used small, open cars on unpaved streets. Many companies built lines, forming early networks with other railroads like the Main Street and Agricultural Park Railway, the Depot Railway, the City Railroad, and the Central Railroad. The last horse cars were converted to electric power in 1897.
Cable cars began in 1885 along routes up Bunker Hill, operated by three companies until 1902 when the lines were electrified and electric streetcars replaced cable traction. About 25 miles of routes connected downtown with areas such as Lincoln Heights, Echo Park, Filipinotown, and Pico-Union. A notable viaduct over the Southern Pacific yard, used from 1889 to 1896, was known as the Cape Horn Viaduct. Angel’s Flight on Broadway up Bunker Hill is not a cable car; it’s a funicular.
Electric streetcars quickly became dominant. The Los Angeles Electric Railway began in 1887. In 1901, Henry Huntington bought many local electric streetcar lines and formed the Los Angeles Railway, known for its yellow cars, which mainly served local routes on narrow-gauge tracks. In 1902 Huntington and Isaias W. Hellman started the Pacific Electric Railway, the red cars, which ran interurban service to suburbs and nearby counties.
After World War II, rising car ownership and highway building cut demand for streetcars. Many lines were converted to buses by 1955. The system later came under municipal control, and by 1963 all former Pacific Electric and Los Angeles Railway services had ended.
The end of the streetcars inspired sections of the film Who Framed Roger Rabbit. In later years the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission was created to coordinate transit planning. After Proposition A in 1980, light rail became the preferred option for new service. Modern light rail runs mainly on dedicated tracks, avoiding traffic.
As of 2021, the county’s rail system includes four light rail lines, with more projects planned. One major project is the OC Streetcar in Orange County—a 4.15-mile line that will connect Santa Ana and Garden Grove, following former Pacific Electric rights of way. Construction began in 2018, with opening expected around March 2026, headways every 10–15 minutes, and about 7,000 daily riders. Another planned project is the Los Angeles Streetcar for Downtown LA.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 11:22 (CET).