Angelenos are now one step closer to having a direct rail connection between Los Angeles’ transit network and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
In 2014, city officials approved building the much-needed Automated People Mover to connect LAX to the city’s public transport system. This plan also included building the Metro Transit Center, which will open June 6 at 96th Street and Aviation Boulevard and provide direct access to the K and C metro lines, which will connect the airport to downtown Los Angeles and Long Beach, California, respectively.
This is part of a $30 billion revamp of LAX ahead of the 2028 Olympics, which officials hope to make a car-free event.
What can travelers expect now?
Though the Metro Transit Center’s opening is a huge step in the right direction, it will not benefit most travelers immediately, as the biggest missing piece, the APM, is not expected to open until 2026. The APM will provide a direct connection between the Metro Transit Center, LAX’s terminals and other airport facilities, including the rental car center and parking lots.
When the Metro Transit Center opens in June, travelers can use ride-hailing services to complete the final 1.7-mile trek to LAX’s terminals and vice versa until the APM opens.
At the Metro Transit Center, travelers can hop on the K or C lines, which provide access between the Expo/Crenshaw station to the north; the Redondo Beach, California, station to the south; and the Norwalk, California, station to the east. Passengers from downtown LA can take the E line to Expo/Crenshaw and transfer to the K line, or the A line to Willowbrook/Rosa Parks station and transfer to the C line.
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This could save travelers money on transportation, as LAX ride-hailing services can be costly, and a one-way metro trip is $1.75 for most riders. However, the most significant savings — time spent waiting in LA traffic — won’t come until the APM opens. The past few times I have taken a ride-hailing service to LAX, I spent more time sitting in traffic from the LAX entrance sign to the terminal than I did coming from downtown LA to the LAX entrance.
Once the APM opens, passengers can travel from the Metro Transit Center to LAX Terminals 24 hours a day. Trains will run every two minutes during peak hours between 9 a.m. and 11 p.m. To travel on the APM from end to end will take 10 minutes. It will be free for ticketed passengers, airport employees and anyone picking up and dropping off travelers.
According to Los Angeles World Airports and LAX Integrated Express Solutions, the APM is projected to have 30 million riders annually, relieve traffic within the terminal area by 27% and reduce 117,000 vehicle miles traveled daily.
Though the Metro Transit Center’s opening won’t affect most travelers for now, it will make getting to LAX much easier once the APM opens in 2026.
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