You Can Finally Ride the Funicular From ‘La La Land’
L.A.’s historic Angels Flight® is set to reopen after four years of renovations.
Los Angeles’ historic funicular, Angels Flight®, will reopen to the public on Thursday, August 31, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The 116-year-old railway shut down after a derailment four years ago for a $5-million safety upgrade. Work included the installation of a brand new evacuation staircase, new motors, and updated safety features. The funicular also got a fresh coat of orange paint, including on the two cars named Sinai and Olivet.
At 298 feet long, Angels Flight® proclaims itself to be the world’s shortest railway. (Although that honor technically belongs to the Fisherman’s Walk Cliff Railway in Bournemouth, U.K., at 128 feet)
A ride up the hill takes less than 50 seconds.
The railway connects the Pershing Square Metro station to the top of Bunker Hill, allowing easy access to Los Angeles’ MOCA, Walt Disney Concert Hall, and the Broad.
This isn’t the first time that the railway has shut down. Since it opened on December 31, 1901, Angels Flight® has had intermittent operations. The railway closed down in the 1960s and spent 27 years in storage. It reopened and relocated a half-block south in 1996, but shut down again in 2001 after a fatal accident.
This weekend’s grand opening will be the first time the funicular has shuttled passengers since a derailment in 2013 — except for a secret ride for Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling during filming for “La La Land.”
A one-way ride on the funicular will cost $1.
Source: Travel and Leisure
