Alissa writes a wonderful blog and frequently shares stories and photos (on Flickr) about her adventures while “walking through LA”. She recently took a field trip through the abandoned subway systems of Los Angeles. For those who didn’t know, LA does indeed have a subway system although the geographical dispersion of LA residents doesn’t make it a very popular choice for moving about the city. Still, in the 1940’s, over 65,000 riders used the LA subway system, a system that has since been abandoned after the new lines were built.

Entrances to the underground system have been sealed but readers have noted there are a few ways you can still get in. Unsealed entrances are typically located behind locked gates or inside the old subway system’s boarded-up terminals.

Here’s a collection of photos from the old LA subway system. Check out Alissa’s Flickr page for more wonderful pics.

And here’s how it looks today.

Image Credits

In-Article Image Credits

Pacific Electric cars in the subway underneath Bunker Hill via KCET by Metro Transportation Library and Archive with usage type - Creative Commons License
Construction of the western portal of the Pacific Electric subway tunnel at 1st and Glendale, circa 1926 via KCET by Metro Transportation Library and Archive with usage type - Creative Commons License
South portal of the Broadway tunnel, near Broadway and Temple, circa 1925. via KCET by Metro Transportation Library and Archive with usage type - Creative Commons License. 1925
Los Angeles Tunnels via Flickr by Alissa Walker with usage type - Creative Commons License
Los Angeles Tunnels via Flickr by Alissa Walker with usage type - Creative Commons License
Los Angeles Tunnels via Flickr by Alissa Walker with usage type - Creative Commons License
Los Angeles Tunnels via Flickr by Alissa Walker with usage type - Creative Commons License
Los Angeles Tunnels via Flickr by Alissa Walker with usage type - Creative Commons License
Los Angeles Tunnels via Flickr by Alissa Walker with usage type - Creative Commons License
Air raid drill in Los Angeles tunnels 1958 via The Los Angeles Public Ligbrary with usage type - Public Domain. 1958
Interurban car boarding passengers from the underground platforms at the Subway Terminal Building in Los Angeles via Wikimedia Commons by University of Southern California. Libraries, California Historical Society with usage type - Public Domain. 1930