Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Angels Flight Is Returning Next Week
(Photo by ATOMIC Hot Links via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr)
()
The four-year wait is over: the Angels Flight funicular will reopen to the public on Thursday, August 31.
The famed downtown Los Angeles landmark has been undergoing renovations lately, following Mayor Eric Garcetti's March announcement that the self-proclaimed shortest railway in the world would be operational again by Labor Day.
As detailed by Los Angeles Downtown News, a public-private partnership was formed by ACS Infrastructure, engineering firm Sener, and the non-profit Angels Flight Railway Foundation to create the Angels Flight Development Company. The AFDC has spent about $5 million updating the funicular, and is currently awaiting final approval by the California Public Utilities Commission. The last few months have seen an emergency stairway added to the rail line, along with an upgrade to the motors and other systems.
"I will be here riding it myself. That's how confident I am in these engineers," Garcetti said at the March press conference ahead of the overhaul.
Support for LAist comes from
Angels Flight originally opened at Hill and Third Streets, one block north from its current location, in 1901—only to close in 1969.
()
The original location of Angels Flight at 3rd and Hill before its 1969 closure (left) and the present day 3rd and Hill (right). (Photos via Wikipedia (L) and Google Maps (R))
Since reopening at the base of California Plaza in 1996, the railway has faced something of a rocky history. In 2001, one of the cars derailed and slid down the track—it resulted in the death of one man and the injuries of seven others. Angels Flight closed for nine years following the incident as its operators dealt with legal settlements and approval by the CPUC. The funicular reopened in 2010, only to derail again in 2013, this time to no injuries. Thursday's opening will mark the first return to public operations since then.
“People have worked very hard together to make sure it comes together and that safety is guaranteed,” Steven DeWitt of ACS Infrastructure told Downtown News.
Tickets for the funicular will be $1 (a doubling in price from 2013), and TAP Card holders will be able to purchase a ride for 50 cents. DeWitt told LAist that regular operating hours will be daily from 6:45 a.m. to 10 p.m.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
The critical findings are part of long-awaited after-action report was released Thursday. It contains recommendations for increasing emergency staffing and updating old systems. -
Diving has changed, mountain biking has been added. Here's where to watch the Olympics in person in 2028. -
'A Great Day in the Stoke' is a free, daylong event in Orange County billed as 'the largest gathering of Black surfers in history.' The fourth annual festival is set for Saturday in Huntington Beach. -
Kimmel returned less than a week after ABC suspended his show over comments he made about the assassination of right wing activist Charlie Kirk. -
Southern California might see some light rain tonight into Wednesday morning. After that, cooler weather is on the way, but expect the humidity to remain. -
A gate tax at Disney? It's a possibility.
Best of LAist