LAX Automated People Mover | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Overview | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Status | Under construction | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Owner | Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Locale | Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 30, 2025 [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Technical | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Line length | 2.25 mi (3.62 km) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Number of tracks | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Character | Fully elevated | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Operating speed |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The LAX Automated People Mover is an under construction automated people mover (APM) system that will serve the area around Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The system will be owned by Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) and operated by LAX Integrated Express Solutions (LINXS). The line will run for 2.25 miles (3.62 km) and have six stations that connect the LAX Consolidated Rent-A-Car Facility (ConRAC), the Los Angeles Metro Rail system, and the LAX West Intermodal Transportation Facility (West ITF) with the airport's central terminal area (CTA). The line was initially planned to open in 2023, but is now planned to open on October 30, 2025.
The LAX Automated People Mover (APM) will run 2.25 miles (3.62 km) along a line of six stations, [6] with parallel tracks forming a pinched loop.
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 serve terminals 3, 4, and B (the Tom Bradley International Terminal), the center station will serve terminals 1, 2, 5 and 6, and the east station will serve terminals 7 and 8 with a future connection to terminal 1. Continuing to the east, the line will travel over Sepulveda Boulevard and skirt along the airfield where Terminal 9 is planned. [7]
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 as it arrives at the East ITF station atop the LAX/Metro Transit Center station.
Trains then 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. [8]
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. [9]
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. [10] [11] 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).
Each 4-car train carries up to 200 passengers. With a headway of 2 minutes during peak hours, up to 30 trains per hour enter LAX through CTA East, carrying up to 6,000 passengers per hour (p/h/d). With 14 peak hours per day, up to 84,000 passengers could enter daily during peak hours. If off-peak trains also carry up to 200 passengers and run 16 trains per hour instead of 30, up to 3,200 off-peak passengers per hour could enter. With 10 off-peak hours per day that is up to 32,000 daily off-peak passengers. Combining peak and off-peak passengers gives up to 116,000 daily entering passengers, or 42.34 million entering passengers per year. The opposite direction capacity is the same, giving a capacity to move 85 million passengers per year. [12]
The following is the complete list of stations, from west to east.
Station Name | Connections and notes [13] | |
---|---|---|
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 Terminal 1 [14] |
D | Terminal 9 | Future infill station |
E | West ITF | Economy parking, LAX City Bus Center, hotel shuttles, access to Airport Blvd |
F | East ITF | LAX/Metro Transit Center , access to Aviation Blvd |
G | ConRAC | Consolidated rental car facility |
The ConRAC facility is projected to eliminate over 3,200 daily car-rental shuttle trips. [15] The East and West ITFs are projected to reduce parking and hotel shuttle trips and car trips into the CTA. The LAX/Metro Transit Center is projected to displace car trips by increasing transit ridership. Riders will include many of the over 57,000 airport and airline badge holders, in addition to airline passengers.
The upcoming Airfield & Terminal Modernization Project (ATMP), scheduled for 2028, includes roadway improvements in the vicinity of the West ITF, with an elevated roadway system to separate airport traffic from local traffic. [16] [17] Upon completion of these planned improvements, access from the north on Sepulveda Boulevard will be convenient to West ITF; access from Interstate 405 will be convenient to East ITF; and access from the south on Interstate 105 and the Sepulveda tunnel will be convenient to the planned APM station at Terminal 9.
The six APM stations each feature a line of 20-foot diameter circular skylights, with an additional one in the mezzanine of the LAX/Metro Transit Center. The new pedestrian walkways employ a Vierendeel truss, featuring rectangular rather than triangular bracing. [18] The old-style pedestrian walkways with triangular bracing still service parking lots P1, P4, P5, and P7. The APM concrete guideway features "gentle sweeping curves and clean uniform look". [19] [20] Each station features a single island platform, which serves trains in both directions. The proposed Terminal 9 infill station is the exception, with a pair of separate side platforms serving both directions. [21]
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. [11]
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. [22] 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. [11] 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. [23] [24] LINXS is a joint venture, public–private partnership of ACS, Alstom, Balfour Beatty, Fluor and Hochtief, with assistance from HDR and Flatiron West. [25] The Los Angeles City Council approved the US$4.9 billion project on April 11, 2018. [24]
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 the APM stations and to existing airport parking structures. 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. [26]
The APM will also connect to the LAX West Intermodal Transportation Facility (West ITF), 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, the new 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, and to the LAX/Metro Transit Center station (East ITF), connecting passengers to the Los Angeles Metro Rail C and K Lines and other transit services. [27]
Altogether, these projects are called the Landside Access Modernization Program and are expected to cost a total of US$5.5 billion. [28]
In 2018, 2,100 parking spaces in lot C were removed to reconfigure the area for the West ITF. [28] Utility relocation started in the second quarter of 2018. [9] Construction on the West ITF officially began in the summer of 2019 [29] and ConRAC broke ground in September 2019. [30] The first large concrete pour for the APM occurred in September 2020 at the West ITF station. [31]
Construction on the 2.25 miles (3.62 km) of two-track elevated guideway began in the spring of 2019 with the first underground support columns being placed. The first concrete for the columns was poured in January 2020. The pouring of the concrete for the guideway began in September 2020 and it was completed in May 2022. A total of 69,700 cubic yards (53,300 m3) of concrete was poured and one million work hours were completed to complete this project. [32] [33] [9]
Connecting Los Angeles's Metro Rail system to the airport, which was studied by transit planners since the 1980s, [34] started when Metro commenced construction on the LAX/Metro Transit Center station on June 21, 2021. It is a new station that will connect Metro and other transit services to the East ITF station. The new station will link the LAX Automated People Mover to the C and K rail lines, Metro Bus, and other municipal bus operators, including Santa Monica Big Blue Bus. Additionally, a customer service center and Metro Bike Hub will be constructed. [27]
After two years of construction, West ITF's economy parking structure opened on October 19, 2021. Until the APM opens, temporary shuttle buses transport passengers between the airport and the facility. [35]
The line was initially planned to open in 2023, but it is now slated to open no sooner than April 2025. [36] Schedule delays have coincided with top management changes. John Ackerman became the new LAWA CEO in February 2024. [37] In March 2024 Terri Mestas, Chief Development Officer, accepted a new position, [38] and three new appointments were made to the executive leadership team: Marla Bleavins as Chief Airport Administrative Officer, Robert Lowe as Chief People and Culture Officer, and Becca Doten as Chief of Staff. [39]
As of December 2023 [update] , station construction progress is 93% complete and guideway construction/installation finishes are 94% complete. [40] The corresponding completion percentages are omitted from the January 2024 monthly report. [41]
Los Angeles International Airport is the primary international airport serving Los Angeles and its surrounding metropolitan area in California, United States. LAX is located in the Westchester neighborhood of the city of Los Angeles, 18 miles southwest of Downtown Los Angeles, with the commercial and residential areas of Westchester to the north, the city of El Segundo to the south and the city of Inglewood to the east. LAX is the closest airport to the Westside and the South Bay.
A people mover or automated people mover (APM) is a type of small scale automated guideway transit system. The term is generally used only to describe systems serving relatively small areas such as airports, downtown districts or theme parks.
An automated guideway transit (AGT) or automated fixed-guideway transit or automatic guideway transit system is a type of fixed guideway transit infrastructure with a riding or suspension track that supports and physically guides one or more driverless vehicles along its length. The vehicles are often rubber tired or steel wheeled, but other traction systems including air cushion, suspended monorail and maglev have been implemented. The guideway provides both physical support, like a road, as well as the guidance.
The Terminal Link is an automated people mover (APM) at Toronto Pearson International Airport in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. The wheelchair-accessible train runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week and is completely free-of-charge to ride. In 2012, it transported 17,000 passengers daily, 60 to 70% of whom were airport staff.
The Innovia APM 100 is an automated people mover (APM) rolling stock first developed by Westinghouse, intended mainly for airport connections and light rail in towns. They are operated by Automatic Train Control (ATC), making it fully automatic and driverless.
Skylink is an automated people mover (APM) system operating at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW). It is an application of the Innovia APM 200 system and is maintained and operated by Alstom. When it opened in 2005, it was the world's longest airside airport train system.
The Airport Transit System (ATS) is an automated people mover system at Chicago O'Hare International Airport. It opened on May 6, 1993. The ATS moves passengers between the airport terminals and parking facilities, and was designed to operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The system was closed for refurbishment and modernization between January 2019 and November 2021.
The SEA Underground, formerly called the Satellite Transit System (STS), is an automated people mover (APM) system operating in the Seattle–Tacoma International Airport in SeaTac, Washington, United States. Originally opening in 1973, the SEA Underground is one of the oldest airport people mover systems in the world. The APM was designed to quickly transport passengers to and from the North and South Satellites, and around the airport's Main Terminal.
The K Line is a 5.9-mile (9.5 km) light rail line running north–south between the Jefferson Park and Westchester neighborhoods of Los Angeles, California, passing through various South Los Angeles neighborhoods and the city of Inglewood. It is one of six lines in the Los Angeles Metro Rail system operated by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA). It opened on October 7, 2022, making it the system's newest line.
The Cable Liner is a range of automated people mover products designed by Doppelmayr Cable Car for use at airports, in city centers, intermodal passenger transport connections, park and ride facilities, campuses, resorts and amusement parks.
The MIA Mover is an automated people mover (APM) system which opened at the Miami International Airport (MIA) in metropolitan Miami, Florida, United States on September 9, 2011. The MIA Mover is designed to quickly transport landside passengers between Miami International Airport's Main Terminal and the Miami Intermodal Center (MIC). The MIA Mover is one of three separate automated people movers operating at the airport. The others are the Skytrain, which operates within Concourse D, and the MIA e Train people mover connecting Concourse E's satellite building.
Innovia APM is a rubber-tired automated people mover system (APM) currently manufactured and marketed by Alstom as part of its Innovia series of fully automated transportation systems. The technology was introduced in 1963 by Westinghouse and has been improved over three generations: the Innovia APM 100, Innovia APM 200, and the latest model, the Innovia APM 300. The license to use the technology has also passed hands several times, from Westinghouse to AEG in 1988, to Adtranz in 1996, to Bombardier Transportation in 2001, and most recently to Alstom in 2021.
Los Angeles International Airport has more than 150 gates in nine passenger terminals arranged in the shape of the letter U or a horseshoe. On the landside of the airport, LAX Shuttle route A buses allow passengers to move between all terminals. On the airside, various pedestrian corridors allow passengers to move between all terminals on foot without having to exit and reenter airport security. Additionally, by early 2025, the airport will be served by the LAX Automated People Mover, which will connect terminals to one another on the landside, along with providing connections to the LAX Consolidated Rent-A-Car Facility, parking facilities, and the LAX/Metro Transit Center station, which will be served by the Los Angeles Metro Rail system and public bus routes. In addition to these terminals, there are 2 million square feet (190,000 m2) of cargo facilities.
LAX/Metro Transit Center station is an under construction light rail transport hub in the Los Angeles Metro Rail system, located near Aviation Boulevard and 96th Street in the Westchester district of Los Angeles. The station was designed as a station for the C and K lines. It will serve as the transfer point between Metro Rail and the LAX Automated People Mover (APM) serving the Los Angeles International Airport terminals and facilities. Additionally, the station will have connections to Metro Bus, other municipal bus lines, a customer service center, and a Metro Bike Share hub. Metro is scheduled to start serving the station in late 2024 before the APM connection opens on October 30, 2025.
The Orlando International Airport People Movers are a set of automated people mover (APM) systems operating within Orlando International Airport. The four original people mover systems connect the airport's main terminal to four satellite airside concourses. A fifth AGT people mover system was installed in 2017 to connect the main terminal with the airport's new Intermodal Terminal.
The Tampa International Airport People Movers are a set of automated people mover systems operating within Tampa International Airport. The primary set of people movers are automated guideway transit (AGT) systems that connect the airport's main terminal to four satellite airside concourses. Opened in 1971, the landside/airside shuttles were the first people movers used to transport passengers within an airport terminal and it is today Bombardier Transportation's longest running people mover system. A fifth people mover line known as SkyConnect, which began operating in 2018, connects the main terminal with the airport's economy parking garage and rental car center. In addition, a monorail once connected the main terminal and the long-term parking garage from 1991 until its closure in 2020.
Shanghai Pudong Airport APM is an automated people mover in the Pudong International Airport. In the initial phase, there are two lines, each connecting a terminal building and a satellite hall. The two lines are planned to be connected after the completion of Terminal 3 in the future. The system uses Class A stocks, currently in a 4-car configuration, with conditions reserved for a 5-car configuration across the fleet.
The LAX City Bus Center is the main bus station serving the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in Los Angeles, California. The LAX City Bus Center, is located about a one-half mile (0.80 km) from the Central Terminal Area on 96th Street, east of Sepulveda Boulevard.
The LAX Consolidated Rent-A-Car Facility is an under-construction consolidated rental car facility for the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). When it is operational in 2025, it will consolidate rental car operations currently spread across the surrounding area of LAX into one location adjacent to the 405 freeway. The new facility is expected to store up to 21,000 rental vehicles.
The LAX West Intermodal Transportation Facility is a large parking structure with a park and ride area and access to the LAX City Bus Center and nearby hotels.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link)