HUNTINGTON BEACH : City Proposes Link to Monorail Line

Huntington Beach officials have launched a bid to include the city in plans for an 18-mile monorail line.

Orange County transportation officials and leaders in five other cities are developing plans for the elevated rail, which would run from Anaheim to Irvine, with stops in Orange, Santa Ana and Costa Mesa. They are also considering a series of lower-speed arteries which would branch off the main line, perhaps including one that would extend to downtown Huntington Beach.

Although a detailed route map is still being drawn, the central system is envisioned to link such attractions as Disneyland, Anaheim Stadium, the county Civic Center in Santa Ana, the John Wayne Airport and major shopping malls. Huntington Beach officials hope that the commuter system could also serve the city’s new developments planned in the Main-Pier and Huntington Center project areas, as well as such major businesses as McDonnell Douglas.

The main obstacles in building an artery would be acquiring right of way and financing.

Councilman John Erskine said an abandoned Red Car commuter rail line through Garden Grove and Huntington Beach could be revived. Ideally, project proponents hope the monorail system would be funded by existing businesses or developers who would benefit from installing stations near their buildings.

“From our standpoint, it’s a matter of seeing that this can work specifically within our city and region,” said Tom Andrusky, a city economic development official heading the project research.

During the next three months, a tentative route map is scheduled to be completed, and city councils from Anaheim, Orange, Santa Ana, Costa Mesa and Irvine are expected to consider requests for proposals from private firms to build and operate the system.