LAX Automated People Mover
The LAX Automated People Mover is an automated people mover (APM) system around the Los Angeles International Airport area, currently under construction for Los Angeles World Airports. To be operated by LAX Integrated Express Solutions, the LAX APM will run 2.25 miles (3.62 km) and will have six stations that connect the Los Angeles Metro Rail, a consolidated rental car center (CONRAC) and two intermodal transportation facilities (ITF) with the airport's central terminal area (CTA).
| LAX Automated People Mover | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 LAX Automated People Mover vehicle in 2022 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Overview | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Status | Under construction | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Owner | Los Angeles World Airports | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Locale | Los Angeles International Airport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stations | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | lalinxs | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Service | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type | Automated people mover | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operator(s) | LAX Integrated Express Solutions (LINXS) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rolling stock | Alstom Innovia APM 300 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Planned opening | October 17, 2024[1][2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Technical | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Line length | 2.25 mi (3.62 km) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number of tracks | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Character | Fully elevated | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operating speed |
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Service description
Route description
The LAX APM will run 2.25 miles (3.62 km) and will have six stations.[3]
The APM will serve three stations in the central terminal area (CTA) each with footbridges with moving walkways to nearby terminals. The west station will connect to terminals 3, 4, and B (the Tom Bradley International Terminal), the center station will connect to terminals 1, 2, 5 and 6, and the east station will connect to terminals 7 and 8 with a future connection to terminals 0 and 1 planned.
Continuing to the east, the line will travel over Sepulveda Boulevard and skirt along the airfield where provisions have been made for a station to be added if a terminal 9 is built in the future.
At that point, the line turns to the north, crossing Century Boulevard to reach the LAX West Intermodal Transportation Facility (ITF), a large parking structure with a kiss and ride area and access to the LAX City Bus Center and nearby hotels.
From there, the route continues east along 96th Street, passing the line's maintenance yard and crossing over the Metro Rail tracks before arriving at the East ITF station which will offer access to the LAX/Metro Transit Center station when it opens in 2024 along with parking.
From there, trains travel a short distance to the east and enter the LAX Consolidated Rent-A-Car Facility (ConRAC), a massive parking structure that will house all of the major rental car companies that operate at LAX.[4]
Hours and frequency
The APM is expected to operate 24 hours a day. During peak hours (9 a.m. to 11 p.m.) trains will arrive every two minutes. The line will have a ten-minute end-to-end travel time.[5]
Rolling stock
The system's fleet will consist of 44 Innovia APM 300 vehicles built by Alstom (initially Bombardier Transportation). Each vehicle can accommodate up to 50 passengers and their luggage, with 12 seated and the rest standing.[6][7] During peak periods, vehicles will operate in four-car trains, with nine trains on the line. Trains will operate with a top speed of 47 miles per hour (75 km/h) and an average speed (including stops) of 13.5 miles per hour (21.7 km/h).
Station listing
The following is the complete list of stations, from west to east.
| Station Name | Connections and notes[8] | |
|---|---|---|
| A | West CTA | Terminals: 3, 4, 5, B, Parking Garages: P3, P4 |
| B | Center CTA | Terminals: 1, 2, 5, 6, Parking Garages: P2a, P2b, P5, P6 |
| C | East CTA | Terminals: 7, 8, Parking Garages: P1, P7, Theme Building, Bob Hope USO, Future connection to Terminals 0 & 1[9] |
| D | Terminal 9 | Future infill station |
| E | West ITF | Economy parking, LAX City Bus Center, hotel shuttles, access to Airport Bl |
| F | East ITF | Parking Lot: E, access to Aviation Bl., future connection to    (2024) |
| G | CONRAC | Consolidated rental car center |
History
The Los Angeles International Airport has long struggled with gridlocked traffic on World Way, the main road that circles through the airport's central terminal area, that can often back up onto Century Boulevard or the Airport Tunnel, which connects the airport to Interstate 405 and Interstate 105 respectively.[7]
Ahead of the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, a second level was added to World Way, sending vehicles dropping off departing passengers to the upper level and those picking up arriving passengers to the lower.[10]
The relief was short-lived, and by the 2000s, the airport had ranked as one of the nation's most congested and hardest to navigate.[7] That led airport managers to spend over US$15 billion to modernize the airport, with an automated people mover (APM) being one of the major improvements. The project was given added urgency in 2017 when Los Angeles was awarded its bid to host the 2028 Summer Olympics.
After receiving three bids, Los Angeles World Airports announced it had chosen LAX Integrated Express Solutions (LINXS) to design, build, finance, operate and maintain the APM for a period of 25 years.[11][12] LINXS is a joint venture, public–private partnership of ACS, Alstom, Balfour Beatty, Fluor and Hochtief, with assistance from HDR and Flatiron West.[13] The Los Angeles City Council approved the US$4.9 billion project on April 11, 2018.[12]
Beyond the construction of the APM guideway and stations, LAX has also planned several projects that will enable or connect to the APM.
New vertical cores will be built near each terminal, enabling vertical movement of passengers with elevators and escalators, as well as pedestrian bridges over World Way with moving walkways to connect terminals to stations. LAX is building cores between terminals 5 and 6, at terminals 7 and at terminal B (the Tom Bradley International Terminal) at the cost of $490 million. New cores were also included in larger renovation projects at terminals 1, 2, 3 and 4.
The APM will also connect to the LAX West Intermodal Transportation Facility, a US$294.1 million, 4,300 space parking structure with a lot to pick up and drop off passengers and areas for shuttle buses, and the LAX Consolidated Rent-A-Car Facility (ConRAC), a massive parking structure that will house all of the major rental car companies that operate at LAX in one location located adjacent to Interstate 405.
Altogether, these projects are called the Landside Access Modernization Program and are expected to cost a total of US$5.5 billion.[14]
In 2018, 2,100 parking spaces in lot C were removed to reconfigure the area for the West ITF.[14] Utility relocation started in the second quarter of 2018.[5] The guideway started construction in the spring of 2019.[5][15]
Construction on the West ITF began in the summer of 2019.[16] The CONRAC broke ground in September 2019.[17] The first large concrete pour for the APM occurred in September 2020 at the West ITF station.[18]
The West ITF opened to the public on October 19, 2021, and will temporarily use buses to transport customers between the airport and the facility.[19]
Construction on the 2.25 miles (3.62 km) of two-track elevated guideway began in November 2019 with the first underground support columns being placed, the first concrete for the columns was poured in January 2020, the first concrete for the guideway was poured in September 2020. The entire guideway was completed in May 2022 after a total of 69,700 cubic yards (53,300 m3) of concrete poured and one million work hours were completed.[20]
As of August 2023, station construction progress is at 89% and guideway construction/installation finishes are at 88%.[21]
Gallery
Rendering of the Center CTA station
Rendering of the East CTA station and its viewing platform for the Theme Building
Rendering of West CTA station as seen from the Tom Bradley International Terminal
References
- "LAX Selects Artists for Video Art Installations at Future Automated People Mover Stations". Los Angeles World Airports (Press release). January 26, 2023. Archived from the original on March 22, 2023. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
- Fine, Howard. "LAX People Mover Delayed". Los Angeles Business Journal. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
- Cain, Josh (March 14, 2019). "Officials touted 2.25-mile LAX Automated People Mover at groundbreaking". Daily Breeze. Archived from the original on March 9, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
- "LAX is bringing all rental car companies to one location near 405 with People Mover train to airport". Daily Breeze. September 12, 2019. Archived from the original on March 9, 2023. Retrieved September 12, 2019 – via City News Service.
- Sharp, Steven (February 16, 2018). "Renderings Galore for the LAX Automated People Mover". Urbanize LA. Archived from the original on February 23, 2018. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
- "Automated People Mover (APM) Train System". Los Angeles World Airports. Archived from the original on August 29, 2022. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
- Uranga, Rachel (August 3, 2022). "LAX's traffic nightmare could end with new people mover, but you'll have to wait". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on August 4, 2022. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
- LAX Unveils Automated People Mover Train (Video). Los Angeles World Airports. August 2, 2022. Event occurs at 0:38. Archived from the original on August 5, 2022. Retrieved August 5, 2022 – via YouTube.
- "East CTA Station Fact Sheet" (PDF). LAX Integrated Express Solutions. 2020. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
- Levin, Jay (April 22, 1984). "LAX being molded into an easy airport". Daily Breeze. Copley News Service. p. A1 – via NewsBank.
- "Three Firms Have Submitted Bids to Build a People Mover at LAX". KNBC. November 10, 2017. Archived from the original on March 17, 2018. Retrieved March 16, 2018 – via City News Service.
- Nelson, Laura J. (April 11, 2018). "City Council approves long-awaited people mover to LAX". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 12, 2018. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
- "Meet the Team". LAX Integrated Express Solutions (LINXS). Archived from the original on August 5, 2022. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
- Sharp, Steven (December 8, 2017). "LAX Takes First Step Toward Construction of $5.5-Billion Landside Access Modernization Project". Urbanize LA. Archived from the original on February 9, 2018. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
- "Officials Break Ground On $5.5 Billion People Mover At LAX". CBS Los Angeles. March 14, 2019. Archived from the original on March 1, 2020. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
- "LAX Breaks Ground on Intermodal Transportation Facility – West, A Key Component of the Landside Access Modernization Program". Los Angeles World Airports (Press release). Archived from the original on July 21, 2019. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
- "Mayor Garcetti and Los Angeles World Airports Break Ground on Historic Consolidated Rental Car Facility". Los Angeles World Airports (Press release). September 12, 2019. Archived from the original on September 24, 2022. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
- Sharp, Steven (September 15, 2020). "Construction Continues for LAX Automated People Mover". Urbanize LA. Archived from the original on September 16, 2020. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
- "New LAX parking structure opens Tuesday with 4,300 new spots, pre-booking discounts". KTLA. October 15, 2021. Archived from the original on August 5, 2022. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
- "Fluor Joint Venture completes LAX's APM train guideway structure". Mass Transit (magazine). May 5, 2022. Archived from the original on May 6, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
- "Monthly Performance Report – August 2023" (PDF).
External links
