Courtesy city of Anaheim, via the LA Times
Internal emails, contracts, and PowerPoint presentations obtained by The Anaheim Investigator through the public records act reveal city planners are exploring the option of constructing an aerial gondola system to connect the Platinum Triangle with the Anaheim Resort in preparation for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
The proposed gondola system, which a recent estimate suggests will cost up to $125.7 million, would be built by Swyft Cities, a crowdfunded high-tech startup based in northern California, and begin at a station near the Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center, a transit hub located close to the Honda Center and Angel Stadium.
While the final route has yet to be decided, there seems to be interest in an alignment running east-west along Katella Avenue featuring six stops. At Harbor Boulevard, the line would split into two branches, each ending near the eastern entrances of Disneyland, California Adventure theme parks and the Anaheim Convention Center.
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Last December, Swyft Cities shared a PowerPoint presentation indicating that their gondola system—comprising of a fleet of around 35 “pods”—could be implemented at an estimated cost of roughly $33 to $37 million. This equated to just under $11 million per mile, subject to variation based on final design and alignment considerations.
“This proposal is substantially cheaper than ATN’s BRT proposal,” noted one city planner, making reference to $70 million the Anaheim Transportation Network is planning to invest in a bus rapid transit system and associated mobility hubs to accommodate the expected influx of tourists during the 2028 Summer Olympics.
But by July, their estimate had changed drastically. In another PowerPoint presentation Swyft Cities submitted that same month–of which the City of Anaheim paid them a $20,000 consulting fee to produce–they reported the gondola system would now cost $125.7 million, or $33 million per mile. It is not known why these numbers tripled.
As of today, no source of funds has been identified to pay for this system. However, one slide included in the July PowerPoint presentation says that financing could come from public-private partnerships, grants, and the California Infrastructure
&Economic Development Bank, a public entity owned and operated by the state.It should be mentioned that Anaheim isn’t the only local city looking at aerial gondolas. The San Francisco Chronicle reported the City of Irvine is working closely with Swyft Cities on developing one that will ferry visitors around the Great Park, a recreational area being built on land previously occupied by a Marine Corps Air Station.
Emails reveal city planners here reached out to their Irvine counterparts to learn more about it. “I wanted to check in to see if you have cost estimates or any other useful information to share in your due diligence on Swyft Cities,” wrote Rudy Emami, public works director, in a March 11th message to Sean Crumby, who held a similar job in that town.
While “key stakeholders” like OCVibe have quietly expressed enthusiasm for the gondola system, its implementation is not a foregone conclusion. Because Swyft Cities has never delivered a fully operational system, there are concerns about its ability to fulfill its promises–putting taxpayer money at risk of significant cost overruns and system failure.
See here, here, and here for previous gondola blogging. As of last October, when we heard about Swyft Cities’ conversation with Sugar Land, the time frame for getting something built was “one to two years”. I’m waiting to see if there are any updates on that. This would aim to be ready for the 2028 Olympics, so that’s less than three years to have something in place, so probably at most two and a half years to finish it. Either we’ll start seeing these things pop up in various locations – a Google news search for “Whoosh gondola” found some similar stories for other cities in recent months – or it will end up another clever flash in the pan. I’d rooting for the former – I will absolutely visit Sugar Land to take a ride on one of these things – but we’ll see. The LA Times and Urbanize LA have more.