Pacific Electric Railway

Established by railroad and real estate tycoon Henry Huntington, the Pacific Electric Railway was the largest interurban electric railway service in the world. At its peak, the system connected Los Angeles with Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties with over 1,000 miles of track. On March 1, 1903, Pacific Electric began providing passenger service to Monrovia. The 17.5 mile trip from Los Angeles took 53 minutes and cost 50 cents for a round trip. Soon after service began, a depot was built here as one of three station buildings on this line, along with Azusa and Glendora. All three were standard P.E. buildings containing a passenger ticket office, waiting room, agent’s office, and a freight room. A small freight yard also occupied the rest of the site. The Monrovia Line, later called the Monrovia-Glendora Line, began in Los Angeles and traveled through South Pasadena, San Marino, and Arcadia via Huntington Drive. In Monrovia, it ran primarily down Olive Avenue, and Olive Avenue Park was once part of Pacific Electric’s right-of-way. The trains ran for almost half a century and contributed to Monrovia’s growth during the first part of the 20th century. Passenger service on this line ended on September 30, 1951, and the tracks continued to be used for freight service for several more years. Monrovia’s depot was demolished in May 1967.

Monrovia, California · United States