Skip to Content
Streetsblog Los Angeles home
Streetsblog Los Angeles home
Log In
Downtown LA

Eyes on the Street: Angels Flight Running Again

The nearly 300-foot Angels Flight railway resumed operations today in downtown Los Angeles. All photos: Joe Linton/Streetsblog L.A.

This morning, downtown Los Angeles' historic narrow-gauge funicular Angels Flight railway resumed operations. The 33 percent grade 298-foot railway had been closed since a derailment incident in 2013.

Angels Flight originally opened in 1901 in a nearby Bunker Hill location. In its heyday it carried more passengers per mile than any other railway in the world, over 100 million in its first 50 years. The funicular was shut down in 1969, a victim of Bunker Hill redevelopment. In 1996, L.A.'s Community Redevelopment Agency re-opened the line, moving it to its current location between 3rd and 4th Streets. The railway was shut down in 2001 after a brake failure crash killed one passenger. It reopened in March 2010, operating through 2013.

Trips cost $1, or 50 cents for Metro pass holders.

Mayor Eric Garcetti and City Councilmember José Huizar about to celebrate today's first ride up Angels Flight
Mayor Eric Garcetti and City Councilmember José Huizar about to celebrate today's first ride up Angels Flight.
Mayor Eric Garcetti and City Councilmember José Huizar about to celebrate today's first ride up Angels Flight
Angels Flight resumed operations today
Angels Flight resumed operations today.
Angels Flight resumed operations today
Angels Flight extends from Hill Street to California Plaza
Angels Flight extends from Hill Street to California Plaza.
Angels Flight extends from Hill Street to California Plaza

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog Los Angeles

Metro Lawyers Up Against Measure HLA, Tells L.A. City that Metro Projects Don’t Require Planned Bus/Bike/Walk Improvements

Metro: "any attempt to enforce [Measure HLA] against Metro is beyond the City's legal authority, and Metro will challenge any such attempt."

March 19, 2025

Metro Tests Foothill A Line Extension, Authority Prepares to Construct Next Segment

Emergency drills are being practiced and vital systems double checked while a final price tag and start date are being worked out for Pomona to Montclair.

March 19, 2025

LAPD Appears to Have Fired More than a Dozen Shots at Unarmed Man During South L.A. Traffic Stop Friday Night, Killing Him

35-year-old Mario Sanchez had been holding a cellphone. The California DOJ is now investigating.

March 18, 2025
See all posts