September 3, 2025, 10:45 PM ·
The City of Anaheim is studying new mass transit options to the Disneyland Resort.According to media reports, city officials are studying a variety of new options to connect the resort to the city’s main transportation hub, the Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center [ARTIC].That’s the big train station next to Honda Center and across the 57 from Angel Stadium. ARTIC is Anaheim’s stop on Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner as well as the regional Metrolink rail system. However, it stands three miles from the Disneyland Resort’s Harbor Boulevard entrance, requiring a shuttle bus ride, taxi, Lyft, or hour-long walk to reach the theme parks.City and regional transportation officials would love to see more Disneyland fans use mass transit to reach the parks rather than driving in cars that further clog Interstate 5 and city surface streets. But to do that, Disneyland fans need a more convenient connection between ARTIC and the parks.For that, Anaheim officials are looking at several options, including a gondola system. While that might be a hit with older Disneyland fans who remember the park’s long-removed Skyway, or Walt Disney World fans of that resort’s new Skyliner, building that system would require clearing the right-of-way. That means the possible loss of many of the city’s iconic palm trees, not to mention the estimated $11 million a mile cost of construction. Other options reportedly under consideration are a trackless streetcar system or autonomous vehicles running in either a dedicated or median lane on Katella Avenue. The goal would be to complete some new system in time for the Summer Olympics in 2028, which will take place throughout Southern California. However, with the project now only in the early planning stages, that could be an aggressive timeline for development.Meanwhile, Disneyland will start construction next fall on its new parking structure in between I-5 and Harbor Boulevard. As part of that project, Disneyland will be building a new entryway to the resort on its east side, including a pedestrian bridge over Harbor. Once complete, that new garage will allow Disneyland to redevelop its current Toy Story surface parking lot for other uses, including retail, attractions, and hotels, as now permitted under the DisneylandForward project.
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