The world’s shortest funicular could be back up and running by Labor Day. Angels Flight has been offline for more than three years awaiting a series of significant and expensive repairs, but it may be flying again thanks to a deal announced today by Mayor Eric Garcetti.
The La La Land landmark had been seeking a new operator since 2015, and has finally found someone willing to take on the responsibility. Angels Flight will be upgraded by a private company, ACS Infrastructure Development, Inc, with assistance from Metro, reports KTLA. ACS Infrastructure Development will have a 30-year concession to operate the funicular under the public-private partnership.
A budget for the project was not announced, but costs should be somewhat offset by a doubling of the ticket price to ride the funicular. When it closed, one ride was just 50 cents, but, officials say, the initial price upon re-opening will be $1. However, holders of Metro TAP cards will get half-price admission.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Angels Flight first opened in 1901. It was built to ferry the residents of the tony homes of Bunker Hill to the commercial corridors of Downtown. As the years passed, those homes were razed or moved and, eventually, Angels Flight itself was disassembled and rebuilt on its current location in 1969. It sat there, unused, until 1996 when it was spruced up and ready to carry passengers again.
Until 2001, when one of the two cars broke loose from the track and fell, killing an 83-year-old tourist and injuring seven other people. It went back offline for nine years for a full investigation and repair, only to suffer another derailment in 2013, precipitating this most recent shut-down.
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