Cable Car for Los Angeles?

In Los Angeles, a private investor (La Art) is planning a cable car between Union Station in Downtown and the Dodger Stadium. The project is currently awaiting the results of a transport study.

The cable car is to float from north-east Los Angeles (California, USA) to Dodger Stadium. The gondolas would transport passengers above or near Chinatown, Solano Canyon, Elysian Valley, Angelino Heights and Echo Park to and from the stadium’s car parks.

There will be space for 40 people per cabin. This could transport 5,000 people per hour and direction.

The project would include three stations with 13 supports on Alameda Street across from L.A.’s historic Union Station, in Los Angeles State Historic Park and on Chavez Ravine near Dodger Stadium.

Visualisation

This is what one of La Art’s stations could look like.

Concerns regarding the planned route

Metro was commissioned to carry out a feasibility study for the planned cable car project.

The approval of the environmental impact report was postponed by the Metro Board of Directors in January 2024 after City Council member Eunisses Hernandez filed a motion to suspend all measures.

There was criticism from the Los Angeles Conservancy (historical preservation organisation), among others, regarding the position of Alameda Station.

It is feared that the overall experience of the historic sites in the neighbourhood, including Union Station and the Los Angeles Plaza Historic District, could be impaired.

The station should be placed further north instead of the planned location to have less impact on the area.

LA ART’s published Environmental Impact Report (EIR) is over 3,700 pages long and describes the benefits of the nacelle system and potential negative impacts to the environment during construction. According to the study, the project will remove 3,000 vehicles per game from the Dodger Stadium car park.

The Los Angeles City Council also plans to conduct a traffic study and await the results before making any further decisions.

However, if approved by La Metro, the new system could be operational by the 2028 Olympic Games. SJ Alliance has been commissioned to realise the project.