Angels Flight Railway has endured sweeping changes over decades ferrying passengers up and down a hill in downtown Los Angeles — but even it isn’t immune to the pressures of inflation.
The iconic funicular railway has announced that fares will increase from $1.00 to $1.50 starting June 1 to keep pace with the rising cost of insurance, maintenance and labor. A souvenir round trip will be available for $3 and L.A. Metro TAP Card users can continue to ride at half price.
This is the first price increase since 2017 and officials say they do not anticipate another being necessary for the foreseeable future.
“Angels Flight is not just a mode of transportation — it’s a living piece of Los Angeles history,” Hal Bastian, president of the nonprofit Angels Flight Railway Foundation, said in a statement. “This fare change will allow us to continue serving our community while maintaining the safety and heritage of the world’s shortest railway.”
The funicular has dealt with its fair share of maintenance and safety challenges over the years, most notably a terrifying 2001 accident when a car broke loose at the top of the track and plummeted to the bottom of the hill — killing an 83-year-old tourist from New Jersey and injuring seven others.
Investigators later concluded that faulty mechanical systems, combined with weak oversight, were to blame.
Tickets cost just a penny when the train opened in 1901, offering commuters a practical way to navigate the steep terrain between ritzy Bunker Hill housing and downtown Los Angeles offices. The railway carried about 4,000 passengers daily before shutting down in 1969 when Bunker Hill’s historic housing was razed to make way for skyscrapers.
The railway reopened in 1996, half a block from its original location, to offer tourists and residents the opportunity to sample a unique piece of L.A. history. Tickets to ride the revived Angels Flight between Hill Street and California Plaza cost 25 cents then.
However, the railway shut down once again following the 2001 incident. It took nine years to get the troubled train back in commission and it continued to be plagued by problems.
Angels Flight closed temporarily in 2011 due to wear on the cars’ tires. Two years later, the railway was shut down indefinitely following a derailment that September, with no injuries reported, and a subsequent safety report by the National Transportation Safety Board.
The funicular returned to the limelight in 2016, when Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone rode it for the film “La La Land.” A year later, it reopened to the public with new safety standards in place. Since then, no significant issues have been reported.
