The world’s shortest railway that takes 45s to travel on – 298ft long and gorgeous views | World | News
Los Angeles is famous for the Hollywood sign, palm-lined boulevards, lavish celebrity parties and blockbuster films. But one of its most unusual attractions takes just about 45 seconds to ride. Angels Flight, a historic funicular in downtown LA, stretches a mere 298 feet up steep Bunker Hill, earning it a claim as the world’s shortest railway. Built in 1901 and still running today, the tiny train has carried more than 100 million passengers.
The funicular’s two orange cars, Olivet and Sinai, move in opposite directions along the steep track, taking passengers from the bustling streets near the Grand Central Market up toward California Plaza.
It may be short, but Angels Flight packs plenty of glamour. The railway appears in multiple films and TV shows, most famously in La La Land, where Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling rode its tiny cars in a memorable scene. It was shot on a day in 2016 when the attraction was still closed and briefly opened just for filming.
The ride itself is a miniature adventure. Short, but steep, it costs only a few dollars and offers stunning views of the city. It’s a quirky blend of history and Hollywood that remains a firm favourite with tourists and locals alike, with some calling it a nostalgic relic of old Los Angeles.
It represents one of the last remnants of old Bunker Hill, once a hilltop neighbourhood of grand Victorian homes. Opened in 1901 to help mostly affluent residents climb the steep incline, the funicular was dismantled in 1969 during the area’s redevelopment. It was rebuilt in 1996 using the original cars and reopened again in 2017 after safety upgrades.
The funicular has dealt with its fair share of maintenance and safety challenges over the years. Most notably, the Los Angeles Times reported, 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.
Despite its ups and downs, the railway now has a solid 4.1 rating on Tripadvisor.
One visitor summarised: “The funicular is very quaint and can be a bit hard to find amidst big buildings, especially if you try to go to the top end through an outdoor courtyard. The ride itself is fun and very well-maintained, and cheap and quick too. The replica paper tickets are a great souvenir too! I would love to have learned a bit more about the historical context with a plaque at either end, but regardless, this is a quick and unique LA experience worth checking out!”
