Spanning only 298 feet, this is ‘World's shortest' train line
Train Line was dismantled in 1969 when residential area was cleared for urban development
March 10, 2024
The world's shortest train line is located in downtown Los Angeles' Bunker Hill district. The Angels Flight Railway spans barely two city blocks or 298 feet and lasts less than one minute from start to finish, The US Sun reported.
With just two cars, called Olivet and Sinai, Angels Flight is a funicular railway, which means it runs on a steep incline, running in opposite paths along a shared line.
The railway has top lower stations at California Plaza and South Hill Street. Angels Flight has a deep history as a landmark that debuted in 1901.
The line initially bridged Hill Street, at the bottom of Angels Knoll, and Olive Street, which now runs below California Plaza.
The route was dismantled in 1969 when the residential area was cleared for urban development into office buildings.
The railway was rebuilt half a block away in 1996 but that was short-lived after a traveller was killed in a 2001 incident. After nine years, Angels Flight again reopened in 2010 but was shuttered in 2013 because of a derailment.
In 2017, Angels Flight again opened to the public and remains to this day a top tourist attraction in the city.
