Gondolas From Union Station To Dodger Stadium One Step Closer To Becoming A Reality

CHAVEZ RAVINE (CBSLA) — It's not quite a mission to Mars, but people seem just as excited at the news the plan to send people to Dodger Stadium through the air might be one step closer to becoming a reality.

Los Angeles Metro on Tuesday sent a formal request for information on the proposed aerial tram project floated back in April. Mayor Eric Garcetti tweeted the gondola plan "has taken another key step forward," saying that when it is completed, it "is expected to carry 5,000+ passengers per hour in each direction & take less than 5 min to go between [Union Station] & [Dodgers] Stadium."

Metro CEO Phillip Washington issued a statement, which read, in part, "We take seriously any idea that provides a good alternative to driving, and we're eager to consider the proposal."

The system would carry 40 people per cabin on a suspended cable from Union Station to the stadium every 25 seconds.

The mayor said in April the tram could be up and running for the 2022 season, and he has assured Angelenos the money for the project — about $125 million — would not be coming out of city coffers. If it is ultimately created, the gondola system will be built and paid for by Aerial Rapid Transit Technologies LLC. ARTT was founded by Drew McCourt, the son of former Dodgers owner Frank McCourt.

The trips won't be free, but the Dodgers say it will cost less than the current $25 for parking at the stadium.

Whoever pays for the project or the trips, the gondolas can't come soon enough for some Dodgers fans who drove up to an hour to be at the game against the San Francisco Giants Tuesday.

"I would take the gondola with the baby," a Whittier dad said with his tiny baby boy in Dodger Blue strapped to his chest.

In:
• Dodger Stadium