The Los Angeles City Council has unanimously approved a people mover at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Will this project fundamentally transform LAX? Is it worth the nearly $5BN price tag?
At the outset, let me say that I’m a Los Angeles resident who uses LAX far more often than most. I deeply desire an airport that is easily accessible, modern, and efficient. We’re getting closer to that day.
The new project will connect:
- Three terminal stops (with bridges/elevators/escalators connecting either side of LAX’s horseshoe-shaped terminal structure)
- A Ground Transportation Hub (for ridesharing vehicles, public bus transport, and hotel shuttles)
- A new Metro Station (at 96th Street and Aviation Boulevard, connecting LAX to Metro’s Green Line)
Trains will run every two minutes, carrying up to 10,000 passenger per hour. A viewing platform of the LAX Theme Building will also be constructed. Construction is slated for completion in 2023.
How This Project Will Change LAX
Think of this: no rental car shuttles, no busses, no Uber or Lyft. Boom! Suddenly, the crawling airport starts to move again. Suddenly it no longer takes 30 minutes from the freeway exit to the terminal at 10pm…
And not to be the contrarian to conventional wisdom on Angelenos, but I believe many would LIKE to use public transportation if it was actually useful. I certainly would. My brother will soon move into a house in Pasadena near a Metro Line and leave his car at home, taking the train to his office downtown every day. This new project at LAX makes using public transport much more enticing, especially as the LA Metro system continues to expand.
Is It Worthwhile?
At $4.89BN, there is no question that this is a pricy project. Many believe the project simply cannot be defended when a more robust bus system presents a far-cheaper viable alternative.
But I do want to push back against one common criticism, namely that the trains will be landside (before security) instead of airside (after security). Of course it would be nice to have an airside train connecting terminal to terminal, but connecting between every LAX terminal once you are past security is coming. Already, the Tom Bradley International Terminal is connected with Terminals 4-8. As Terminals 1-3 are updated, these three will also be linked.
Per the LA Times:
Stiff penalties are built into the contract to discourage cost overruns and schedule delays, some of the most frequent issues with Southern California construction projects.
In other words, if LAX Integrated Express Solutions (LINXS – the company who won this contract) is late, taxpayers will not be left on the hook.
CONCLUSION
I’m excited about the new project. What do you think about the prospect of a new train/people mover system at LAX? Waste of time and money or much-needed upgrade to an overcrowded airport?
images: LAWA
There will be a 4th terminal stop on the APM… for Terminal 9.
Walla don’t waste your time flying. This is a complete waste of time and money. Spend your time doing important things.
What an absurd comment to leave on a travel blog.
Like you I’m in and out of LAX many times throughout the month. They desperately need to get the buses and ride sharing vehicles out of the horseshoe. When they switched the traffic pattern last January to force Uber/Lyft and buses upstairs to departures they really screwed up the flow (if there ever really is a traffic flow) at the airport. Its so much worse than it was before as buses try to work around ride share drivers and others who block their space.
I will be glad to see this complete even if its 5 years down the road.
Not every shuttle bus will be eliminated but should certainly see traffic caused by these diminish. I’m sure hotel shuttles and private parking lot shuttles, among other various busses will still be making the loop.
An easier way to do rental cars for sure. And offer alternatives to being picked up or dropped off at LAX. Cannot wait for this to be active.
LAWA issues permits to these shuttle buses and controls where they’re allowed to go, hence how they were able to reroute bus and ride share vehicles last year. If LAWA says no private shuttles, they won’t be allowed through the CTA and risk being fined if caught.
This is going to make LAX a nightmare for the next 5 years.
That contractor is going to get owned on this fixed deal vs. a reimbursable project.
It doesn’t look like it’s going to be viable as an inter-terminal transfer. The walks from the terminals to the center where the people mover stations are seem to be longer than the walks through the terminals themselves.
I hope they build moving sidewalks, because the walk from say gate 85 to the station looks like a half mile or more.
$5NM?
That’s what I’m asking too.
What’s an NM?
The price tag in the paper states $4.9 Billion.
(I bet you were reaching for the “b” and your finger slipped onto both the “n” and “m” keys right next door.)
I really hope it is built. Getting rid of all those damn rental car, parking and hotel busses–as well as taxis, Uber and Lyft cars would be a dream.
But what kind of 5 year nightmare are we in for while it’s under construction?
There needs to be something done ahead of the 2028 summer Olympics.
In my opinion, this is a way past due project. I always wondered how selfish and desperate LA politicians to not promote such project all this while? My understanding is, current setup brings in lot of tax money to the City. 105 Freeway was constructed in late 90s to ease traffic congestion to reach LAX. However, the trainline that’s on 105 never entered LAX! My understanding of the reason was, LA City did not want parking tax to other cities enroute 105 freeway. That did not make any sense to me all this while.
A similar welllaid north-south and east-west fast trains network, similar to New York or Japanese are needed between San Diego and Santa Barbara and east from the coast to at least 50 miles from the coast. In areas of passes, such as 10 freeway to Palm Springs and 14 freeway to Lancaster, they could even extend to 100+ miles. With modern transport methods or public transport, individual work places could be connected to the train stations or public bikes can be set for use. By doing so, trillions of dollars can be saved each year from the human and environmental waste that happens with traffic congessions everyday in terms of humans wasting lot of time, thousands of accidents resulting in deaths/delapitations/agony to familie, loss to vehicles, awasted fuel, and lot of vehicle/roads wear and tear. In fact, with this humans can walk or bike more, becoming more healthy and have less pollution. However, probably the car companies and oil companies, may hate this idea, as that cuts down a significant chunk of their business. My understanding is, they have close to 1/5th of the nations business in Southern California. This also allows realestate development more inland, making housing much affordable in Southern California.
The lo s area highway network was conceived for the sole purpose of creating urban sprawl. The early marketing was about living where you want and driving on fast roads to work. Railway lines were also bought and dismantled by those with interest in promoting car travel over public transit. Downtown L.A. was originally designed around trolley and rail.
My prediction it’ll be ignored by most and traffic will still clog the airport. It looks like LONG walk to the terminal from the stops. People and their 30,000 bags will not want to walk that distance to the check-in counters. They’ll want to be dropped off curbside. If you give people the option to use the people mover or drive up curbside, they’ll still use curbside for their demented egos
It is not absurd to not want Matthew to risk his life. He needs to stay home with his wife and son. Flying is risky and dangerous these days. Drive or take a ship if you have to. Much safer.
This thing looks horrible and like it will really screw people using hotel shuttles and ride sharing.
The stops are nowhere near the terminals – long walks are required to all the terminals.
The only reason I am not including transit users in the people screwed is because of how awful transit access is today, so it is not getting worse for them.
From a public policy point of view, they should be encouraging transit use and making that convenient, and pushing single occupant vehicles – personal cars – out of the loop. Those vehicles are least efficient use of space at the airport and also of the LA freeway system as they are making a round trip for a one way use.
Ride share and shuttles should continue to serve the terminals, and private vehicles should be forced to the Ground transportation hub. And the airtrain really needs to be a bidirectional loop that goes closer to the terminals.
It is not clear how convenient it will or will not be for people with luggage. Luggage is not mentioned here but elsewhere there is mention of it but the details are not clear. I think that things like luggage are a major influence on the use of public transportation. People with luggage cannot use most public transportation (city bus) choices. Any transportation into and from an airport must make it convenient for commuters to transport luggage.