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Angels Flight, everyone's favorite funicular, is returning by Labor Day. The announcement was made during a noontime press conference on Wednesday with Mayor Eric Garcetti and Los Angeles Councilmember Jose Huizar.
A release said that the reopening is made possible through a public-private partnership between ACS Infrastructure Development Inc and the nonprofit Angels Flight Railway Foundation. Other key partners were involved in the project to revive Angels Flight, with Metro and the City of Los Angeles also taking part. Speaking on efforts to get the funicular up and running again, Garcetti said that it was "The longest journey to the shortest ride ever."
Mayor Eric Garcetti and Los Angeles Councilmember Jose Huizar at Wednesday's press conference. (Photo by Julia Wick/LAist)
The mayor added that the reason why it closed in 2013 was because of operational issues; the L.A. Times reports that it had derailed. Sitting idle for years, Angels Flight had become a target for graffiti.
Garcetti emphasized his confidence that Angels Flight will be running in the best condition possible when it reopens. "I will be here riding it myself. That's how confident I am in these engineers," said Garcetti.
Also at this press conference: mock tickets from the earliest days of Angels Flight, which began operating in 1901. pic.twitter.com/T7baoihJOD
— Laura J. Nelson 🦅 (@laura_nelson) March 1, 2017
The CPUC confirms to me that in January, they approved a safety plan to bring Angels Flight up to state standards and get it running again.
— Laura J. Nelson 🦅 (@laura_nelson) March 1, 2017
We'll be updating with more information.
With additional reporting by Julia Wick.
