Anaheim Considering Gondola to Connect Disneyland, Hotels, Sports Venues, Train Station

The city of Anaheim is currently in talks about a proposed aerial gondola system that would connect Anaheim's major tourist hubs, including the Anaheim Resort District, where Disneyland is located, and the Platinum Triangle, home to two major sports venues and the ARTIC train station.

Though this is one of many transportation options the city is considering, and potentially far off from becoming a reality, it is interesting to look at how this concept would connect the area and impact guests at the Disneyland Resort. Keep reading for a look at this proposed system and comments on this transportation concept from the City of Anaheim's Chief Communications Officer.

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Proposed Gondola System in Anaheim Around Disneyland

According to email communications and documents from city planning officials acquired by the Anaheim Investigator through the Public Records Act, the city of Anaheim is considering an aerial gondola system that would connect the Anaheim Resort District and the Platinum Triangle. This would begin at a station near the Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center, which is home to Amtrak and Metrolink train links. The Platinum Triangle is the area that generally includes Angel Stadium, the Honda Center, and The Grove of Anaheim. The Honda Center in Anaheim will be the venue for indoor volleyball at the 2028 Summer Olympics, and the city is considering how to prepare for the spike in visitors during this time.

The proposed gondola system would run east-west across Katella Avenue, with six stops, and divide into two branches at Harbour Boulevard to stop at Disneyland and the Anaheim Convention Center. It would be built by Swyft Cities, a transportation startup, and cost $125.7 million (based on recent estimates). The report by the Anaheim Investigator notably mentioned that Disney representatives have already been in talks about this transportation concept.

You can see how it would also serve hotels in the area near Disneyland to whisk guests from hotels near the Garden Walk or Convention Center to the main gate of the parks. Combine this with Disneyland's recent plans to build out a massive new entryway on this side of the resort.

Here is a look at another potential route that this gondola system could take.

However, given that Swyft Cities has not yet delivered an operational system since its founding a few years ago, there are some reservations about investing in this option. The Anaheim Investigator says, “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.”

To bring this transportation initiative to fruition, the city is exploring options beyond a gondola system (and beyond Swyft Cities). The City of Anaheim's Chief Communications Officer, Mike Lyster, told the Anaheim Investigator, “We continue to look at transportation technology from a half-dozen or more different providers. It would be incorrect to suggest we’re focused on a single one.” He went on to say, “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.”

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Lyster shared with KTLA that these talks are just the beginning of an extensive, years-long process. According to what Lyster shared through KTLA, “The city would likely need to hire a consultant, request information from potential partners, deal with environmental regulations and study traffic impacts before a plan is put in motion. ‘We are looking at potentially years of study,' Lyster said. ‘We don’t even know what type of transportation would be best for our city.'”

Right now, the primary transportation system connecting the Anaheim Resort District is the Anaheim Resort Transportation (ART) shuttle bus system that connects area attractions.

In regard to the mention of implementing a transportation solution before the 2028 Olympics, Lyster commented to KTLA, “There is a lot of talk in our city about getting ready for that.” KTLA mentions, however, that “implementing an entirely new transit system in under three years would be extremely optimistic.” We concur that the tight timeline for a project of that scale seems a little bit unrealistic.

In previous DisneylandForward plans shared, there were mentions of a different themed environment crossing that included the Walt Disney World Skyliner gondola as an example in the plan. Disney described how these crossings would be constructed over Disneyland Drive and serve as a “continuation of the themed environment across the roadway, similar to the existing Downtown Disney crossing,” and may be in the form of a “themed ride system.” This refers to a crossing over Disneyland Drive rather than the Katella Harbor crossing in the proposed gondola system under consideration by the city. Could there eventually be two new gondola-type systems at Disneyland? Compare the below map from Disneyland with the proposed route maps above.

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