La La Land train reopens to public after iconic cameo

Train was seen ferrying Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone

The newly reopened Angels Flight railroad in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2017. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

A whimsical Los Angeles railroad that was featured in the film La La Land has reopened to the public after a years-long hiatus.

Shuttered since a 2013 derailment, Angels’ Flight began running again with a ceremony that drew about 100 people, according to the Associated Press.

The train has a long history, having opened in 1901 to help riders surmount a steep incline in downtown Los Angeles. An agreement to reopen the train commits the organizations behind the project to a 30-year run.

Over the years it would ferry millions of riders from steep Bunker Hill's Victorian mansions to shopping districts below.

It was closed in 1969 as the neighborhood underwent redevelopment, with the mansions replaced by offices and hotels.

After reopening in 1996, Angels Flight was beset by periodic mechanical problems, including one that caused a fatal 2001 crash. The latest re-opening follows a number of extensive safety improvements.

In a statement, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti called the orange-and-black train “a cultural gem that tells an unforgettable story about the history of Los Angeles”.

That iconic status helped win the train a cameo in La La Land, a film that also served as a love letter to Los Angeles. Stars Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling rode the funicular.

But shooting that scene appears to have been not quite legal. After the movie’s release, a California Public Utilities Commission representative told Los Angeles Downtown News that filming on the shuttered site was not allowed.

“No more use of any kind is allowed except for the work to bring the system back in service,” the regulator told the news outlet.