Los Angeles is known for Hollywood, celebrities, and entertainment, but also for its horrible traffic. It is the second city in the United States with the worst traffic congestion and driving from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to another destination in the city is no exception.
But here’s the good news: New Automated People Mover (APM) train cars will be deployed to help travelers move from terminals to parking lots, to car rental areas, to the subway station. This service is part of a $2 billion project expected to be finished by 2023.
As reported by the Los Angeles Times, a few of the brand new electric cars for this system have already arrived. The people movers will serve —for free— the 200,000 people this busy airport receives every day.
Los Angeles Mayor, Eric Garcetti, said: “After decades of saying no, of airport directors who said I don’t want to give up my parking revenues… of people rolling their bags down Century Boulevard asking friends to pick them up or drop them off, the hell that we knew LAX as is going to be a thing of the past.”
Travelers visiting Los Angeles to explore all landmarks, stay at one of the top hotels in the city, or just enjoy all the entertainment and landscapes of the west coast, will soon be able to have a smoother arrival.
What Travelers Should Know
This new electric train service will be the first of its kind in the United States. According to local authorities, this unique model with driverless cars will transform mobility with zero emissions and highly efficient service.
Justin Erbacci, chief executive of the Los Angeles World Airports, said: “We’re completely transforming how the traveling public gets to and from LAX. The centerpiece of that modernization is our automated people mover.”
And added: “When open, guests and employees will be able to soar above traffic, never again having to come into the central terminal area with their car. Unless, of course, they really want to.”
This is what travelers should know about the APM:
- A group of train cars—fitting 200 passengers— will pass every two minutes at every stop.
- The loop will have 6 stations that can be traveled within 10 minutes.
- The last station will be the airport Metro connector and will link to the Crenshaw/LAX line. The first phase of this new subway line is expected to open by the end of this year.
There’s not an exact day for the opening yet. The guideway is almost ready, but the station stops still need more work. Testing will start early next year. City officials assured that the complete project will be up and running before the World Cup in 2026 and the Olympics in 2028.
LAX Is Transforming
Travelers arriving or departing from LAX right now might not be lucky enough to avoid traffic congestion, but will be able to appreciate the construction development. The new APM is not the only major change travelers will get to experience at this international airport.
Delta terminal reopened a few weeks ago, offering travelers a new modern space called “Sky Way” on terminals 2 and 7, serving 27 airplane gates. So travelers can get a taste of the airport modernization since they can already use the new appliances, the new self-service kiosks, and security lanes that are speeding up the traveling process.
A new concourse 0, Terminal 9, and an economy parking building are also under construction. And the deployment of 1,300 EV fast charging stations —the largest charging hubs in the US— will also be ready by the end of the year.
Even though travelers might think that it is still going to take time to enjoy the futuristic people mover, the LAX modernization project is already at its final stage. It began in 2009 and during the pandemic parts of the construction work were actually finished ahead of time.
