Passenger Trains > LA Gondola Plan Advances

A plan to build a gondola between Los Angeles Union Station, and Dodger Stsdium, cleared a key environmental hurdle today.

The Los Angeles Times has the story:

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-02-22/the-pitched-battle-over-a-gondola-to-dodger-stadium-at-a-chinatown-public-housing-project

Posted from iPhone

The plan calls for billionaire Frank McCourt to place his ughly cable car station and machinery in front of beautiful Union Station, a national historic site. At all the meetings the majority of citizens protested the plan, but everyone on the LA Metro Board voted for it, save one abstension. McCourt is the person who bankrupted the LA Dodges and now wants to develop its parking lot, that he still controls, for high-end homes and up-scale shopping. He is one of the most notorious land developers in the country with many political friend$ on his toady list especially local politicians. Goodbye to the Union Station we loved! This just in...a private, non-profit historical society, that has the largest privately-owned collection of  LA Union Station archives and artifacts has announced that it will begin looking into selling or donating its collection to keep it out of Metro's hands. Previously there have been discussions with LA Metro about the possibility of a Union Station Museum inside the epic building. However, with LA Metro agreeing to put McCourt's cable car station and equipment in front of Union Station, Metro's commitment to historic preservation has come into serious question. The society has ruled out any government-owed museum for its collection account the the byzantine experience with LA Metro, part of LA County government. 



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/22/24 20:41 by RRBMail.

I persused some of the public comments in the Final Environmental Impact Report, but did not take the time to read all of them.  Some people were staunchly opposed to the project and others felt it was desperatelt needed to provide relief from traffic generated by  Dodger Stadium events.

I wonder what the capacity is?

ts1457 Wrote:
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> I wonder what the capacity is?


5000 an hour

Posted from Android

The Times article said 5000 people an hour. The Dodger Stadium's capacity is listed at 56,000.

Thanks both for the answer.

I would be skeptical about how many people would use the Gondola

When was the last time LA Union Station handled 5000 people per hour?

Jerry Martin
Los Angeles, CA
Central Coast Railroad Festival



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/23/24 09:20 by GP25.

ts1457 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thanks both for the answer.
>
> I would be skeptical about how many people would
> use the Gondola

Pretty good number of fans ride the Dodgers Express from LAUPT and the South Bay. Mr McCourt charges some pretty high prices to park in the parking lot.
Personally I take the Gold Line, now A Train, LAUPT and transfer to the Dodgers Express. Total cost $3.50 vs $35 to park at the ballpark.

But there is a LOT of opposition to this plan in the neighborhoods it would cross over at 20 feet above the ground.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/23/24 09:19 by PHall.

PHall Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Pretty good number of fans ride the Dodgers
> Express from LAUPT and the South Bay. Mr McCourt
> charges some pretty high prices to park in the
> parking lot.
> Personally I take the Gold Line, now A Train,
> LAUPT and transfer to the Dodgers Express. Total
> cost $3.50 vs $35 to park at the ballpark.

Thanks. After a game, what is the usual wait to catch the Dodgers Express?

I see that the gondola route is 1.2 miles. I think that I would walk rather than waiting say a half hour for the gondola.

I have a client that really likes the current express bus service between Union Station and Dodger Stadium.
IIRC, there is a proposal to expand that service.

Posted from iPhone

When I saw La Gondola, I thought this was about a chain of spaghetti restaurants in Illinois  :-)

 

The Gondola route will be 1.6 miles and originally costed at $150 million. That cost has mushroomed to $500 million at the close of yesterday's LA Metro meeting. The
 Gondola will ultimately service the new high-end homes McCourt plans to build on the Dodger's parking lot which he still controls. Then, if he follows his MO, McCourt will bankrupt the "Gondola" and force LA Metro to buy it to service the high-rollers in "McCourt Estates" who will demand it. Remember, real estate development was what built the Pacific Electric. So, as Yankee  pitcher Yogi Berra said: "It's deja vu all over again."



Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 02/23/24 11:15 by RRBMail.

RRBMail Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The Gondola route will be 1.6 miles and originally
> cost $150 million. That cost has musroomed to $500
> million at the close of yesterday's LA Metro
> meeting. This to Gondola will then service the
> hidh-end homes he plans to build on the Dogder's
> parking lot that he still controls. etro officials
> have acknowledged the final cost will be many more
> millions.
> After following this since 2018,the generally
> feared plan is that McCourt will bankrupt his
> Gondola and sell it to LA County. to banckrupt
> this as he did with the Dogders and sell the
> remains to LA County who will then use it to to
> service all the new high-end homes he is really
> interesd to make his money.
> -----------------------------

I think we have a movie plot here!

ts1457 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> PHall Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Pretty good number of fans ride the Dodgers
> > Express from LAUPT and the South Bay. Mr
> McCourt
> > charges some pretty high prices to park in the
> > parking lot.
> > Personally I take the Gold Line, now A Train,
> > LAUPT and transfer to the Dodgers Express.
> Total
> > cost $3.50 vs $35 to park at the ballpark.
>
> Thanks. After a game, what is the usual wait to
> catch the Dodgers Express?
>
> I see that the gondola route is 1.2 miles. I think
> that I would walk rather than waiting say a half
> hour for the gondola.

The first busses are usually waiting at the pick up point when the game ends.

And yes it's 1.2 miles horizonally but it's also about 400 feet up too through a very crowded neighborhood.

RRBMail Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> So, as Yankee pitcher Yogi Berra said: "It's deja vu all over
> again."

Yankee catcher.

ts1457 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> RRBMail Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > The Gondola route will be 1.6 miles and
> originally
> > cost $150 million. That cost has musroomed to
> $500
> > million at the close of yesterday's LA Metro
> > meeting. This to Gondola will then service the
> > hidh-end homes he plans to build on the
> Dogder's
> > parking lot that he still controls. etro
> officials
> > have acknowledged the final cost will be many
> more
> > millions.
> > After following this since 2018,the generally
> > feared plan is that McCourt will bankrupt his
> > Gondola and sell it to LA County. to banckrupt
> > this as he did with the Dogders and sell the
> > remains to LA County who will then use it to to
> > service all the new high-end homes he is really
> > interesd to make his money.
> > -----------------------------
>
> I think we have a movie plot here!

Forget it Jake, it’s Chinatown

Posted from iPhone



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/24/24 00:53 by SanDiegan.

SanDiegan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ts1457 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> > I think we have a movie plot here!
>
> Forget it Jake, it’s Chinatown

Very good! I was thinking about Chinatown when I made my post.