April 9: This Date in Los Angeles Transportation History

1961:  Los Angeles – Long Beach rail service is replaced by buses.

The first “brand-new” Dreamliner coach departs the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority Depot at 5:00 a.m.

There was “no fanfare” as the first bus moved in and out of the depot.

The departure marked the end of the interurban rail system between the two cities which launched on July 4, 1902.

Rail service would eventually return with the launch of the Metro Blue Line on July 14, 1990.

More information can be found in the May, 1961 issue of The Emblem, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority employee news magazine.