The Los Angeles authority responsible for the governance and policy of the city’s LAX airport has agreed on an extended construction timetable and increased budget for its Automated People Mover rail system.
The Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners (BOAC), which is appointed from civil society by the Mayor of Los Angeles, has agreed the project with the construction joint venture LINXS a completion date of 8 December 2025.
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The 3.6km line will serve six stations: three inside the Central Terminal Area, one at LAX’s parking facility, one connecting to Metro’s LAX/Metro Transit Center station and one at LAX’s consolidated Rent-A-Car facility. Total end-to-end travel time will be 10 minutes with a top speed of 75km/h.
It is set to open in January 2026, providing free inter-terminal transport for passengers and staff. Expected to carry 30 million people a year, the airport management is aiming for the train to significantly cut road vehicle use connected with the airport.
LINXS will be paid an additional $550 million “largely to cover already completed extra work dating back to August 2018 and a longer than anticipated construction timeline,” the BOAC said.
Mayor of LA, Karen Bass, said the line would provide the first direct connection from all parts of the airport to the city’s metro rail network and wider developing rail services.
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By GlobalData“This project is going to reduce traffic on our freeways and our local streets while bringing good-paying union jobs to Los Angeles. This train will make a direct connection to the Metro system to ensure LAX welcomes Angelenos and visitors from across the globe in a truly world-class way,” she said.
Board of Airport Commissioners President Karim Webb described it as a “game changer” for the local community.
“This will be a game changer for LAX’s millions of travellers and for the residents and businesses in our surrounding neighbourhoods. We have been working hard to ensure Angelenos benefit during the construction of this project… 85 local businesses have been working to build this train,” he explained.
“Completing this program with certainty is a top priority of LAX leadership, and this agreement does just that. The train will also make it easier for Angelenos to work at LAX, easing commutes and stress,” added John Ackerman, CEO of Los Angeles World Airports.
LAX is owned and operated by Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), a proprietary, revenue-generating department of the City of Los Angeles.
