DTLA’s Angels Flight To Reopen By Labor Day Thanks To Historic P3
Eric Garcetti: Let me take you back to the Los Angeles of days past.
The center of the entire city is right here at Angels Flight. The Westside is the area that will soon become McArthur Park. The Eastside is just as far as the Arts District, but no further. The beginning of the pueblo is merely a few footsteps to the north, and the city is just beginning to become the grand metropolis that we now know it will become.
Back then, in 1901, for a penny a ride, the railcars Sinai and Olivet started to help people move up one of the toughest hills in the geography of Los Angeles. People needed to be able to transport themselves from Bunker Hill to the fabulous market down below. Since then, Angels Flight—the world’s shortest railway—has given more than 100 million rides along its hillside track.
Angels Flight has become a landmark for the city. Unfortunately, for most of my life, these cars have been left motionless. We saw its past glory fade and become a distant memory. But Angels Flight is a cultural gem that tells an unforgettable story about the history of Los Angeles.
With the film La La Land, we felt that sense of romance for our city of Angels. Now, we will soon be able to join Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone as we reopen Angels Flight.
The historic railway will be open for business this Labor Day. The California Public Utilities Commission has certified a plan that will operate Angels Flight by the highest standards of safety, rebuilding a reliable, sustainable structure that will serve Angelenos for the next 30 years.
The funicular will be upgraded and modernized to keep people safe and keep them on the move. The wood paneling will be restored. As Downtown experiences its resurgence, the timing could not be better.
I thank the thousands of engaged citizens who wrote me about the importance of Angels Flight, as well as the leaders who brought together this public-private partnership. Thanks to the Angels Flight Railway Foundation, ACS Infrastructure, and Nossaman for dreaming with us. We celebrate the rebirth of this iconic attraction—and once the modernization is complete, we will welcome millions of visitors from around the world to experience it with us.
While I cannot say that the fares will be the same as in 1901, I can say that all Metro TAP cardholders will receive 50-percent discounts on Angels Flight rides for the next three years. This will allow folks to disembark at the Pershing Square station and easily access the top of Bunker Hill—an area that includes the Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Broad Contemporary Art Museum, MOCA, and the Los Angeles Music Center, among other cultural institutions.
Thanks to Councilmember José Huizar, Adele Yellin, Hal Bastian, John Welborne, Nuria Haltiwanger, and Geoffrey Yarema—an unprecedentedly dedicated team.
José Huizar: It is truly a great day for preserving some of the history and greatness we have in Downtown Los Angeles.
The importance of this public-private partnership must be noted; it provides an example and a blueprint for how the City of Los Angeles can continue to move forward some of our most difficult projects.
This agreement between the Angels Flight Railway Foundation and ACS Infrastructure represents the light at the end of the tunnel. We are getting safety enhancements and the financial support to make Angels Flight viable and sustainable.
Downtown LA is dynamic and a rapidly changing place. In the last 10 years, its residential population skyrocketed from 10,000 to 55,000. It is projected that we will have 125,000 more people living in Downtown by the year 2040.