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Railroads Operating in Los Angeles County

Metrolink at Union Station, Los Angeles. Photo by Felicia Aparicio.

In 1995, Burlington Northern merged with the Atchinson Topeka & Santa Fe Railway to form Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway. The following year, Southern Pacific Lines was acquired by Union Pacific Railroad.



Amtrak Passengers Union Station, 800 N Alameda St, LA 90012;
(800) 872-7245
Metrolink
(Southern California Regional Rail Authority)
Passengers 700 S Flower St, Ste 2600, Los Angeles 90017;
(800) 371-LINK
Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway Freight 3770 E 26th St, Los Angeles 90023;
(323) 267-4140
Los Angeles Junction Railway
(owned by Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway)
Freight 4433 Exchange Ave, Los Angeles 90058;
(323) 277-2001
Union Pacific Railroad Company Freight 13181 Crossroads Parkway North #500,
City of Industry 91746
(626) 935-7602


Los Angeles & San Pedro Railroad becomes the first railroad in Southern California in 1869. Source: USC Digital Library.


The first rail transportation into Los Angeles was the Los Angeles & San Pedro Railroad, built by General Phineas Banning in 1869. The first rail station in the city was located at Alameda and Commercial streets. The station burned down in 1924.


Over 4,000 Chinese construction workers built the first rail line into Los Angeles from San Francisco for the Southern Pacific Railroad. The line was completed on September 5, 1876, when a gold spike was driven into the final railroad tie at the now extinct town of Lang in the Santa Clarita Valley.