New public records from the city of Anaheim have revealed that officials are looking into a possible aerial gondola system to help with tourist transportation, including a potential stop near Disneyland Resort.
City of Anaheim Considering Gondola System
The new report comes courtesy of The Anaheim Investigator, which gained access to internal emails and presentations from the city through the public records act. These records reportedly reveal that city planners are “exploring the option of constructing an aerial gondola system to connect the Platinum Triangle with the Anaheim Resort.”
The Platinum Triangle is an area that includes Angel Stadium, the Honda Center, and The Grove of Anaheim. The Resort District includes several hotels within the near vicinity of Disneyland Resort.
The report specifically links the investigation into the potential gondola system as a reaction to the anticipated crowds for the 2028 Summer Olympics, which are set to be hosted in Los Angeles. The Honda Center in particular is going to be the venue for the indoor volleyball events.
The report included images of two potential concepts for where the gondolas could run and stop. One idea for the system would run east to west across Katella Avenue with a total of six stops. As seen in the above image, branches off of Harbour Boulevard would potentially have a stop at Disneyland, as well as the Anaheim Convention Center
A second potential route has two stops in the general area of Disneyland. One is simply labeled “Disney,” while the other is called “Disney East Parking.” The current estimated cost is roughly $125.7 million.
Disney and Swyft Cities
Notably, The Anaheim Investigator reports that key stakeholders at the Walt Disney Company have already been in contact with Jeral Poskey, CEO of company Swyft Cities. This is a transportation startup company, which, as an important note, has “never delivered a fully operational system” raising ” concerns about its ability to fulfill its promises.”
Mike Lyster, the city’s chief communications officer, stated directly to The Anaheim Investigator that the gondolas are not the only idea under consideration, “In the months ahead, we could issue a potential request for information from many different types of transit tech companies out there, including gondola, trackless, autonomous, trams and others.” He also specifically mentioned that “nothing has been decided, and nothing is scheduled at this point.”
DisneylandForward
Disneyland Resort is already going to be the location of some major changes in the next several years. As part of the ongoing DisneylandForward Project, a new parking structure and transportation hub have been announced for the east side of the resort. With DisneylandForward, Disney has committed to spending at least $1.9 billion on Disneyland Resort over the next 10 years, up to $2.5 billion.
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