Wave Wire Services
LOS ANGELES — The final four train cars for LAX’s long-awaited Automated People Mover have arrived at the airport, bringing the total number on site to 44, officials announced Aug. 21.
The first train cars arrived in the summer of 2022, and the remaining cars have been arriving from the manufacturer in Pennsylvania, airport officials said.
“Receiving the final train cars for the [People Mover] signifies a major milestone for this project and our airport’s transformation,” John Ackerman, CEO of Los Angeles World Airports, said in a statement.
“The [People Mover] will enhance the travel experience at LAX and set a new standard for sustainable transportation. As we move this project forward, we remain dedicated to delivering a state-of-the-art solution that reflects our commitment to our passengers, community and environment.”
LAX will be the first U.S. airport to use the INNOVIA 300 People Mover cars, featuring recyclable state-of-the-art aluminum shells and a regenerative braking system.
LAX Integrated Express Solutions, known as LINXS, is the design-build team at the helm of the airport’s $3 billion project, and will soon begin testing the train cars on the Automated People Mover’s elevated guideway.
Officials aim to complete the project by December 8, 2025, with operation set for January 2026.
On Aug. 16, the Los Angeles City Council increased the total cost of LAX’s significantly delayed Automated People Mover from $2.9 billion to $3.34 billion to settle legal claims and set a date of operation for January 2026.
Council members voted 12-0 to allocate an additional $400 million forthe project — a recommendation forwarded by the council’s Trade, Travel and Tourism Committee and the Los Angeles Board of Airport Commission.
Council members Curren Price recused himself while Heather Hutt and Imelda Padilla were absent during the vote.
According to L.A. Board of Airport Commission, the funding is needed to address claims filed by the contractor, LAX Integrated Express Solutions, also known as LINXS, over issues related to compensation and production.
“These delays have been extremely frustrating,” Councilwoman Traci Park, who chairs the trade committee, said on Aug. 8.
“But today is a new day, and in spite of these challenges, I see this as an opportunity to learn how to draw lessons from our experiences to ensure that what delayed this project doesn’t happen again because the Automated People Mover isn’t the last project of LAX by any means — nor is it the only public works projects in Los Angeles,” Park added.
Park — who represents the 11th District, including LAX and other West L.A. and coastal neighborhoods — said she intends to introduce a motion to ensure problems encountered with the Automated People Mover won’t occur on other modernization projects at the airport or other capital projects the city has in the future.
The Los Angeles World Airways board in May already approved some $200 million in additional money for the project, to address similar claims submitted by the contractor — and that money is included as part of this $400 million-plus, increasing the total settlement to about $550 million.
An additional $50 million will be part of a contingency that may or may not be allocated fully, according to airport officials. The settlement agreement largely covers already completed extra work by LINXS dating back to August 2018, and a longer than anticipated construction timeline.
Ackerman said the delays to the project were caused by COVID-19, labor and production conflicts.
“This remains a very, very complicated project,” he said. “We’re entering a phase where we’re moving from the construction of the guideways and the tracks and the stations and the vertical circulation that connects this system to the airport,” Ackerman said. “We’re moving into the actual train testing phase.”
He noted that if the settlement is not approved, the city is likely at some point to be in a significant litigation with the developer.
Even with City Council’s approval, airport officials can still pull back if they aren’t “100% satisfied” and confident in the delivery of the project. Los Angeles taxpayers have “zero exposure” to the project, according to Ackerman.
The airport broke ground on the Automated People Mover in March 2019. It’s estimated that it will eventually carry some 30 million passengers a year, resulting in 117,000 fewer vehicle miles traveled per day, according to the airport’s website.
LAX’s train will operate 24/7, with trains arriving at stations every two minutes during peak hours from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. The elevated rail will connect to six stations: three inside the Central Terminal Area; one at LAX’s Economy Parking facility; one connecting to the LAX/Metro Transit Center station with transfers to the C (Green) and K lines; 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 47 miles per hour.
The project could be completed in time for world events taking stage in the Los Angeles region, including the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
