WTF Is Going on With L.A.’s LAX Metro Connector?
No one loves LAX. There’s a reason it’s consistently named one of the worst airports in the world, after all. Sure, it might look cool, with its space age, Googie-style Theme Building, which has welcomed visitors to the airport since the 1960s, but actually navigating the U-shaped structure can be a massive headache.
That’s why, with over 75 million visitors already traversing the airport’s nine terminals each year plus the impending arrival of the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Summer Olympics in the city, LAX decided to shape up back in 2018, announcing the construction of an automated people mover. Meant to shuttle about half the airport’s customers to parking, rental car facilities, rideshare lots, and the city’s Metro system, the APM was meant to open back in 2023 but construction delays, the COVID pandemic, and labor issues have stalled its construction. It’s now slated to open in January 2026, with cars moving into the testing phase on the tracks late last year.
Here’s everything you need to know about the LAX Automated People Mover and the airport’s adjoining Metro Connector.
What Is the LAX Automated People Mover and Why Does LAX Need it?
Running in a 2.25-mile loop along a line of six stations, the APM will connect LAX’s nine terminals to the LAX Consolidated Rent-A-Car Facility, the LAX West Intermodal Transportation Facility, and the Los Angeles Metro Rail system. That means less getting stuck in that hour-long line that can creep along LAX’s current U-formation, with all those shuttle buses and pick-ups and drop-offs now ideally happening off-site.
Courtesy of Los Angeles World Airports and LAX Integrated Express Solutions
It also means less headache, since LAX is currently a mess of color-coded signs directing newly arrived passengers to all manner of various lots and transit methods, none of which are ever that easy to actually locate. (There’s a reason this well-traveled couple says LAX is their absolute least favorite airport.) Right now, if you want to get to off-site parking or the Hertz Rental Car lot, for instance, you have to stand around indefinitely waiting for a bus specifically to that structure. The APM—which aims to have trains arriving about every two minutes at peak times—will ease not only all that confusion but also (hopefully) some of that frustration.
How Will the APM Connect to L.A.’s Metro Service?
Thankfully, the APM will provide a long-needed connection to the city’s Metro System, meaning you’ll finally be able to take a train to LAX. While there were ways to get to the airport on public transit in the past, they typically involved a trip to Union Station and a slow-moving FlyAway bus, neither of which seemed all that convenient depending on the time of day and where you were staying.
The APM will stop at Metro’s LAX/Metro Transit Center Station, also known as the Aviation/96th Street Station. There, riders can transfer to the train’s C and K lines, connect to Metro Bus, or even grab a shared Metro Bike. The C train runs east-west along the 105 freeway, stopping in places like Crenshaw and Norwalk, while the K train runs north-south, from Exposition Park to Redondo Beach. You can transfer from the C line to the A or J, and the K butts up against the E line, meaning you’ll be able to get pretty much anywhere from LAX by rail if you’re patient enough. It also means you’ll be able to tell your friends “Pick me up from this Metro station,” rather than pleading with them to come get you at LAX—something no true Angeleno ever wants to do.
The LAX/Metro Transit Center station is slated to open in Spring 2025, though the APM connection won’t be active until January 2026.
Why Has This Project Taken so Long?
If you’ve been to LAX at any point in the past five or so years, it’s seemed like the APM’s arrival was imminent. The construction has made the traffic even more of a nightmare than normal, but with large poured concrete tracks and pillars rising overhead, it seemed like a means to an end.
And yet, there were delays. Some were to be expected (this is a major public works project, after all) but others were preventable. For instance, Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) somehow failed to integrate the APM into its communications network, while Metro ran into snags in the construction of its LAX Transit Center. The APM’s builders also withheld work for a bit over some unpaid change orders, though that appears to have been thankfully rectified.
What Stops Will the APM Make?
Though the APM will run in what’s called a “pinched loop,” there are defined stops along the way. The trains will have three stations in the airport’s central terminal area, with footbridges and moving walkways to all the nearby terminals. The west station will serve terminals 3, 4, and B (the Tom Bradley International Terminal), while the center station will serve terminals 1, 2, 5, and 6. The east terminal will serve terminals 7 and 8, and—ideally—will eventually also connect back to terminal 1, completing the loop.
When the APM leaves the east station, it will travel over Sepulveda Boulevard and toward the area where LAX’s new terminal is currently being constructed. It’ll then turn north toward what’s called the Intermodal Transportation Facility, or a large parking garage complete with a kiss-and-cry area that should alleviate some of the current stress you might feel while having traffic cops yell at you while shoving your mother-in-law into the back of your car at LAX. That’s also where you’ll find access to the LAX City Bus Center, as well as some airport hotels.
From there, you’ll cross the train’s maintenance yard and then hit the LAX/Metro Transit Center Station. Pass that and you’ll end up at the ConRAC, or centralized rental car facility. Fun fact: Every day, 3200 car-rental shuttles cycle through LAX, meaning the establishment of this centralized facility is one giant step toward alleviating some of the airport’s congestion.
How Many People Will the Automated People Mover Carry?
The APM’s fleet consists of 44 cars, each meant to hold 50 passengers plus their luggage. At peak times, nine four-car trains will operate on the APM’s loop, reaching a top speed of 47 miles per hour. With trains leaving each station about every two minutes between 9 a.m. and 11 p.m., that means the APM can carry up to 6,000 passengers per hour or about 85 million passengers annually in each direction. That includes the 57,000 people who work at the airport, from baggage handlers to flight attendants to the people who brew up your Starbucks before any ill-advised 5 a.m. flights.
Speaking of early mornings: The train will run 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
How Much Will It Cost to Ride the APM?
Riding the APM is free. If you use the APM to connect to L.A.’s Metro system, it’ll cost you about $1.75 to get to your final destination, with discounts for students, senior citizens, or customers with disabilities.
Editor’s Note: Metro did not respond to requests for comment for this story.
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