| Watts | |
| Type: | Streetcar |
| System: | Pacific Electric |
| Locale: | Los Angeles, California |
| Start: | Pacific Electric Building |
| End: | Watts |
| Daily Ridership: | 37,436 (peak, 1946) 4,325 (close, 1958) |
| Open: | 1904 |
| Owner: | Southern Pacific Railroad |
| Operator: | Pacific Electric (1904–1958) Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority (1958–1959) |
| Linelength Mi: | 7.45 |
| Tracks: | 2–4 |
The Watts Line was a local line of the Pacific Electric Railway that operated between the Pacific Electric Building in Downtown Los Angeles and the Watts Station at 103rd Street in Watts. It was the primary local service for the Southern District, which also included the Long Beach, San Pedro, Santa Ana and Whittier interurban lines. The route operated along the Southern Division's Four Tracks route, with the Watts Line using the outer tracks and the Long Beach line and other limited stop lines using the inner tracks.[1]
The local service operated between 1904 and November 2, 1959.[2] The line was quadruple-tracked in 1907.[3] [4] During the 1910s, its service was combined with the South Pasadena Line of the Northern District. From 1938 to 1950, the line was combined with the Sierra Vista Line, which was the main local line in the Northern District. Streetcars were removed and replaced with a parallel bus service on November 2, 1959.
Tracks north of Washington Boulevard were removed or paved over (except a short spur track) after PE service ended. In the late 1980s, the right of way was rehabilitated with one or two tracks used for freight rail (with electrification removed) and two tracks rebuilt to modern light rail specifications. Service along the line between Washington Boulevard and 103rd Street recommenced in 1990 as the Los Angeles Metro Blue Line (renamed the A Line in 2019), with stations at Washington Boulevard, Vernon Avenue, Slauson Avenue, Florence Avenue, Firestone Boulevard, and 103rd Street.
The following were stops and stations along the Watts line:[5]