LAX’s long-promised fix for its traffic nightmare is finally in sight — but don’t grab your boarding pass just yet. Los Angeles International Airport’s flashy Automated People Mover (APM) — a driverless, all-electric train designed to glide passengers above the gridlock — has been spotted zipping through test runs, even as officials admit the project is still running seriously behind schedule.
The sleek train was seen in motion Friday night, offering a glimpse of what could one day ease the chaos at one of the nation’s busiest airports NBC4 reported.
The $3.34 billion system is built to shuttle travelers across a 2.25-mile elevated track linking terminals, parking lots, a rental car hub and the Metro in a quick trip across LAX. The trains will travel with top speeds of 47 miles per hour.
Despite construction kicking off in 2019, the long-delayed project may not open until the second half of 2026 — more than two years late and likely missing the FIFA World Cup this summer. Behind the scenes, the holdup has reportedly been tied to disputes between Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) and contractor consortium LINXS, even though the project is said to be about 95% complete.
When it finally arrives, the train will run 24/7, stopping at six stations — three inside the Central Terminal Area and three outside — and operate a fleet of 44 cars arranged into nine four-car sets carrying up to 200 passengers each.
“Trains will arrive at stations every two minutes during peak hours with a total travel time of 10 minutes,” according to the LAWA website. The service will be free for ticketed passengers, airport workers and those picking up or dropping off travelers. Still, fed-up locals aren’t buying the delays. “Is it sheer incompetence or a will to get it done,” one Redditor asked. For now, travelers remain stuck navigating the same congestion the train was meant to fix.
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