Balboa Line

The Balboa Line was the southernmost route of the Pacific Electric Railway. It ran between Downtown Los Angeles and the Balboa Peninsula in Orange County by way of North Long Beach, though the route was later cut back to the Newport Dock. It was designated as route 17.
History.
Originally planned by the Pacific Electric, the line was turned over to the Los Angeles Interurban Railway in 1904 who proceeded to build out the tracks south from Long Beach until reaching Balboa in 1906.
The Newport Beach to Balboa segment was reduced to a single daily round trip in June 1940 and was fully abandoned on November 18 of that year. This started a series of service abandonments and restorations — all Newport trains were discontinued on that date. In July 1942, passenger service was briefly restarted with runs of the club car "Commodore", lasting just under two months. Service was fully restored on May 2, 1943, owing to the need to move workers for the war effort and Pacific Electric lacking motor coaches to do so; trains ran between Huntington and Long Beach, where passengers transferred to Long Beach Line cars. By July, morning and evening runs were discontinued, as noise from the interurban line interfered with the United States Navy submarine listening post at Seal Beach. Service was fully discontinued at the end of September under further direction by the Navy. Rush Hour service began again in June 1944, but was discontinued after three months. A fifth restoration with a more comprehensive schedule started in June 1945, but service was again discontinued after three months. 
June 1946 brought the last incarnation of the line. By mid-1948, Pacific Electric had purchased the requisite Southern Pacific Railroad lines to allow them to move freight to Newport and Huntington without the trip through Long Beach and Sunset Beach. "Commodore" service lasted seasonally until September 1949, its final run. The last passenger train on the line ran to Newport from Los Angeles on June 30, 1950.
Though ridership early on was very high, it had slowly dwindled to 55,390 in 1948.
After abandonment.
Since closure of the rail line, the beach route between Long Beach and Balboa has become heavily trafficked, and plans to revive rail service along this corridor have been proposed sporadically. The Long Beach Green Belt path occupies of the corridor in Belmont Heights. The Jenni Rivera Memorial Park also occupies a segment of the right of way in Long Beach. The former path through Seal Beach was converted to a greenway; the Seal Beach Historical Society operated the Red Car Museum out of a former Pacific Electric tower car located on the pathway from 1981 until 2021.
Service.
The route ran "flyer" service between Downtown Los Angeles and Willowville (a route also served by the Long Beach Line), making flag stops only at Vernon, Slauson, Watts, Compton and Dominguez Junction.
"Commodore".
The "Commodore" was a parlor car which ran a limited schedule during the summer seasons. It was the only such service operated by Pacific Electric. Beginning in 1936, the special was intended to attract commuters with summer homes in the area. Passenger paid a 35¢ premium () per trip, or could acquire a weekly pass for $6.75 () which was also accepted for regular trips on the line. Initial "Commodore" runs called at Balboa, Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, and Long Beach before continuing non-stop to Los Angeles. By the end of its life in 1949, the car only called at Huntington Beach between Newport and Los Angeles.