County Urged to Buy Southern Pacific Line
A coalition of environmentalists on Wednesday urged the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission to buy the Southern Pacific railroad’s 14-mile Santa Monica branch line before developers grab the potential east-west transit corridor that connects the beach cities with downtown Los Angeles.
The unused line runs from Santa Monica east along Exposition Boulevard past USC, a route environmentalist say could be used for light rail trains carrying up to 63,000 passengers a day. But some residents say they don’t want commuter trains in their neighborhoods.
The line is one of several the commission is negotiating to buy from the Southern Pacific Transportation Co. and the Santa Fe Railway.
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