Los Angeles International Airport’s long-awaited train system is reaching a major construction milestone: train cars will soon roll over the tracks at Sepulveda and Century boulevards for the first time as part of a new phase of testing.
Train cars will roll into LAX’s central terminal area in the coming weeks, the first in a series of tests to ensure they can travel safely along the elevated tracks and to three train stations at the airport. After more than five years of construction, the long-awaited transportation project has cost more than $2 billion to build since its inception in the summer of 2019.
The train system, called the Automated People Mover, is expected to be operational in January 2026.
It will offer free rides to airline passengers 24 hours a day, seven days a week, which many hope will solve the long-running traffic problem at LAX – finally getting passengers in and out of terminals as quickly as comparable airport train systems in other major US cities. The most recent attempt to ease LAX traffic was a shuttle service for rideshare services like Uber and Lyft, a less-than-perfect solution that has only reduced the number of cars on the roads around the airport.
Los Angeles World Airports
During peak hours, the train system stopped every two minutes, and journeys along the entire route took 10 minutes from one end to the other. According to LAX, it is expected to eliminate more than 3,200 commutes per day and reduce peak-hour traffic by approximately 27%.
LAX is the eighth busiest airport in the world with more than 75 million passengers traveling through it in 2023, according to a report released earlier this year by Los Angeles World Airports.
LAX’s parent company released a statement Tuesday detailing the latest construction development, saying the new testing phase will continue next year and the speed of the train cars will be gradually increased through the end of 2025.
“This testing milestone brings us one step closer to delivering a more efficient travel experience for our employees and guests at LAX,” John Ackerman, CEO of Los Angeles World Airports, said in the statement. “The train is the missing link from the airport to our great city and will ensure LAX welcomes Angelenos and visitors from around the world in a truly world-class way.”
Los Angeles World Airports
The airport announced this in August all 44 train cars for the Automated People Mover had been delivered, allowing some short first test runs to be carried out before the official test phase began.
Although the transit system was initially expected to be fully operational by 2023, the construction process has been delayed due to a number of issues, including the settlement of legal claims.
These financial settlements have also increased overall costs, with the LA City Council deciding in August to inject an additional $400 million into the project to settle claims, after approving another $200 million in May to settle similar claims from a contractor to arrange.
