The private group planning to build the aerial rapid transit project between Union Station and Dodger Stadium — known as Los Angeles Aerial Rapid Transit (LA ART) — recently sent out a letter informing those interested in the project that community engagement will continue in 2022.
The project team will spend the first half of 2022 meeting with residents, businesses, and organizations to gather feedback and refine the project. It’s anticipated that the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) will then be released to the public this summer. An important reminder: the LA ART project is not a Metro project; however, Metro is the lead the agency for the environmental review process under state law.
We invite you to stay up to date on the progress of this project by visiting the LA ART website at www.laart.la . There you will see the latest community update meeting presentation from June 2021. The LA ART outreach team notes that in 2021, the team talked with over 12,000 households and met with close to 60 organizations from Chinatown, El Pueblo, Solano Canyon and Mission Junction, as well as State Parks, Metro and Los Angeles city officials.
These conversations led to project developments such as the proposed Community Access Program, which will ensure affordable rides for those who live and work along the route, and the selection of the Broadway Alignment, the preferred project route with an intermediate station in Chinatown.
Here are some renderings courtesy of LA ART:
Categories: Policy & Funding, Projects
As much as I don’t support this ugly thing….This thing better accept the TAP Cards we already have.
The proposed aerial tramway is to Dodger Stadium what the monorail concept is to the Sepulveda pass. Insufficient public transportation.
I think this is great transport option, let’s try it and see if it works. If it does, we can be a success. Look at Bolivia, they have an extensive system of aerial tramways, and it is hugely successful.
Of all the projects that will never happen, this one will never happen the most. Another shiny distraction away from the needs of everyday transit riders.
It will be very interesting trying to rescue people stuck over the Pasadena Freeway when there is a equipment failure. This is just another Pie in the Sky MTA fiasco that if built will be another of its failures when it ceases operation for what ever reason. The East-West travel corridor currently in use by MTA buses to Dodger Stadium should be a PRIMARY candidate for a light rail line with a turn out up into Dodger Stadium. This would solve two transportation problems the MTA currently faces especially since only one line now serves Sunset Bl. to and from Downtown Los Angeles where three lines used to serve the corridor at times with overloads.
This really could have been the foundation for the Yellow Line so we could finally have a true rail line that actually goes both into Downtown Glendale, Downtown Burbank and Connect with Burbank Media District and Burbank Airport via Hollywood way, and finally terminate at North Hollywood where it could continue to Chatsworth or even continue starting in Glendale to go to Eagle Rock and Montclair.
But instead we get something that only Elysian Park visitors will use for half-time out of the year.
I don’t have a huge issue with this being built except for that it will probably cost an exorbitant amount to ride (it should really cost the same as a Metro bus ride). Meanwhile an escalator from the pedestrian bridge over the 110 at Stadium Way and Bernard St paired with a free shuttle or escalator up Vin Scully Avenue would accomplish much more with much less development. Unfortunately those solutions won’t be built because they don’t line Frank McCourt’s pockets.
Funny how the city has money for this and other garbage projects, But cant clean up its own streets. let that sink in
For game days I sort of see this project like the ferry at a Giants game; each hold between 267 and 320 people, and there’s only a few of them. The ferry is a bit of a signature for the park and a novel experience for a limited number of fans. The LA ART fits nicely with the Dodger brand, since people can arrive in the 3rd inning and leave at the 7th, which you can’t do on the ferry. In all seriousness, I could see people getting a timed ticket with demand pricing, so it may be $5 if you go early to see batting practice but $20 if you want to get there 15 minutes before the first pitch.
The real value of the project is on non-game days for other events (think LA Marathon, flea markets, or stadium tours). The Dodgers want to develop year-round retail and tourism opportunities, and this would certainly support that. As for Frank McCourt’s involvement, I think he still has a 50% interest in the parking lots, so would get a cut of any redevelopment that would happen as a result of more access to the park on non-game days.
I’ve taken the ferry in SF as well and I agree that this would be similar. People will do it for the novelty at least once.
Probably no more than 2 or 3 thousand people would take this each way for a game, which is fine since people don’t leave and arrive at the same time. Staples Center gets less than 5% of its patrons using public transit and that is with a station right there. Some people will probably still elect to take the Dodger Stadium shuttle, but this could take some pressure off of this.
I want it owned and operated by Metro…have nothing to do with Frank McCourt. He left me disgusted on his handling of the L.A. Dodgers
Eww, no thanks. Metro left me disgusted at their handling of the Expo Line, and that’s just the start of the long list of things they left me disgusted with.
Of all Metro projects, this seems like the most ridiculous one ever.
Hi Rick;
A private firm is actually building and funding the project. Metro is the lead the agency for the environmental review process under state law.
Steve Hymon
Editor, The Source
Wait, hold on, please feel free to correct me, but lets just say, theoretically speaking, if any of us had the money to build and operate our own rail line in LA county with no tax dollars of any kind involved, one would still need to get Metro involved regardless?
In my opinion, If ever there was a “pie-in-the-sky” project LA ART is it! The company (LLC) that controls LA ART is registered in the State of Delaware and its “principal” is listed as Frank McCourt. Why am I not surprised? Meanwhile, LA ART could jam Alameda Street traffic, blight Los Angeles State Historic Park and may impact views of iconic Union Station. LA ART so far has not produced or will not produce a model of it in relationship to Union Station, so who can say for sure? Their artist renderings are wide-angle so the artist can make LA ART’s relationship to Union Station look like whatever he wishes–a scale model won’t lie. LA ART’s Enviromental Impact Report application says there is no airport within 2 miles of it, but they somehow left out Hooper helicopter airport–the world’s busiest–which is only 1/4 mile away. BTW, the state defines a “heliport” as an airport. Meanwhile, METRO is carrying Frank’s water. It smells like the movie “Chinatown” all over again! But, of course this is just my opinion.
This is a silly idea. This proposal offers to move 5000 people an hour. The capacity of Dodger Stadium is 56,000. If only 10% used this, It would take an hour and 20 minutes to move everyone. No one is going to wait that long to get to Alameda Station. Plus WHY is anyone proposing another different transit technology. We should NEVER do this. We should capitalize in exist transit modes and not introduce new, additional skill sets required for maintenance and operation of new sky buckets.
I don’t think it’s meant to transport everyone. However, if you could remove 10-15 percent of the vehicles coming into the stadium, pushing those people to Union Station, it’s more than a success.
I’m concerned about public access to the gondola– among other things. What will the operating hours of the gondola be? If the gondola only runs during major events at Dodgers and surrounding area, then it’s usefulness is very limited. Access to Dodgers needs to be overhauled for sure, but I’m not sure the gondola as it is will do it.