RENEWED PUSH FOR RED CAR TROLLEY EXTENSION IN SAN PEDRO

According to the San Pedro downtown business leaders, a Red Car Trolley extension is needed to connect the shopping district to the waterfront, especially with the Ports O Call redevelopment finally moving forward. Making sure that the downtown district isn’t left behind as the waterfront is developed has been a concern for many business leaders, for a long time.

In a feasibility study commissioned in 2006, the 1.4 mile addition into downtown would cost $26.2 M. The port’s original $9.5M, 1.5 mile Waterfront Red Car line opened in July of 2003. It took years to get through a lengthly and rigid permitting process, with many delays.

The cars that run along San Pedro’s waterfront, including a 1907 restored model, have plenty of ambiance, expansion supporters say the system and equipment needs to be more practical for use as a public transportation option that will link attractions throughout the area.
The old Red Car Trolley’s once crisscrossed all over Los Angeles stretching some 1200 miles. By the 1960s, the rails gave way to the advent of freeways, buses and all those private automobiles.