Place
Angels Flight
One of L.A.'s most enduring landmarks and the "shortest railway in the world" opened in 1901.
Saved
On August 31, 2017, Angels Flight once again opened to the public.
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Photo by Annie Laskey/L.A. Conservancy
Overview
On August 31, 2017, Angels Flight™ Railway reopened, four years after state regulators shuttered the historic funicular. The Conservancy, a vocal advocate for the Los Angeles landmark, worked with grassroots organizations to make the reopening possible.
Today, Angels Flight™ Railway is one of Los Angeles’ most enduring landmarks. Constructed and opened in 1901, it carried passengers up and down the steep slope between downtown and the top of Bunker Hill, then a fashionable residential district.
About This Place
About This Place
Billed as the “shortest railway in the world,” the funicular has two cars, Olivet and Sinai, connected to the same cable and counterbalancing one another. From its opening in 1901 to 1969, Angels Flight was located by the third street tunnel where it carried Angelinos between Hill St and Olive St.
The railway was dissembled in 1969 as part of the Bunker Hill Redevelopment Project and sat away in storage for almost three decades. In 1996, it was reassembled half a block from its original location in front of Grand Central Market.
Angels Flight was closed for several stints in the last two decades to address safety concerns. Most recently, community members in 2015 rallied to persuade Mayor Garcetti to work with federal, state, and local officials to reactivate the historic funicular. Thanks to public support, Angels Flight re-opened in 2017.
Our Position
Throughout the recent periods of closure, Los Angeles Conservancy has been a vocal supporter of rehabilitating Angels Flight and making it publicly accessible. The Conservancy supported grassroots organizations in making the 2017 reopening possible.
