Type Light rail Stations 67 | Locale Los Angeles Opened 1895 | |
 | ||
System Los Angeles Railway, Los Angeles MTA Termini Western Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard
Central Avenue and Firestone Boulevard | ||
S was a line operated by the Los Angeles Railway from 1895 to 1958, and by the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority from 1958 to 1963.
Contents
San Pedro Line (1895-1911)
The original San Pedro line began at an uncertain point in Downtown Los Angeles and reached the South Side of the city by way of Fourth Street, San Pedro Street, Park Avenue (present-day Avalon Boulevard), Gage Avenue, and South Central Avenue to 68th Street.
S Line (1911-1963)
Following the Great Merger of 1911, the tracks on Fourth Street were removed, and the San Pedro line now ran from San Pedro Street to Seventh Street from Downtown to the outskirts of Westlake. Here, the route took advantage of an old LAIU track on Hoover, Wilshire, and Commonwealth to continue northwest via Sixth Street, Vermont Avenue, Third Street, and Western Avenue to Santa Monica Boulevard on the southern edge of Hollywood. In 1920, the route was renamed "S."
During the LARy and LATL eras, further route changes were made. The LAIU shortcut to Sixth Street was eliminated and the route ran straight on 7th between San Pedro and Vermont, while the route's southern terminus was extended 1.25 miles further south to the intersection of Avalon and Firestone Boulevard. When the N line was decommissioned in 1950, S was re-routed to fill in its route along 8th street, where it continued until its closure in 1963.
The route was very popular due to its proximity to Hollywood as well as the sizable manufacturing district in South Los Angeles.