LOS ANGELES — A long-discussed direct rail connection to Los Angeles International Airport is not quite here, but it’s getting closer.
LA Metro’s LAX Transit Center — which will eventually provide a connection to a people mover serving airport terminals — will open on June 6, the transit agency announced at an April 24 board meeting.
The Transit Center will service the light rail system’s K line (north-south, between Exposition and Crenshaw, near USC, and Redondo Beach) and the east-west C line to Norwalk. Its opening will complete the first phase of the K line, which has required a bus bridge around the airport section since 2022.
The facility will also feature a 16-bay bus terminal, bike hub, and customer service center. The 2.25-mile, six station automated people mover connecting the Transit Center and the airport is currently projected to open in 2026. In the interim, a shuttle bus will connect the Transit Center and the airport. Currently, those using Metro light rail to the airport must use a shuttle bus from the Aviation/LAX station on the C line, some 2.5 miles from the nearest terminal.
There are two types of people who could talk about ground-side access to an airport. (1) The people familiar (for better or for worse). As I am with ground transportation to airports at Seattle, Denver, Boston, Washington – Reagan, Detroit, Providence, Nashville, and Milwaukee. (2) The complete opposite, someone flying in who has never been to that airport and is trying to figure out connections from various websites.
Thus never having been to LAX (and only once, very long ago, to anywhere in SoCal), I surfed the ‘net a bit this morning, as if I were planning a trip there (I’m not). What a complicated mess! Hopefully the LAX People Mover will make a difference. We will see. Like other distressing airports (O’Hare, Midway, LaGuardia, JFK, Dulles, Detroit), the airport comes first, then many decades later the powers-that-be try to figure out how to get people there.
Never even been on a plane (well, a B-29 once but it stayed on the tarmac and flew away later) or a airport terminal, so where does that place me? 😀
BENJAMIN — It was on my 50th birthday, meaning a long time ago, two WWII bombers were on display at Waukesha County Crites Field (Wisconsin). Two among B-29, 24, 17, don’t recall which. Had to squeeze both planes, plus the walk from/ to the office, into a lunch hour, so regretfully didn’t see much of either. And yes, we were allowed inside, as you were.
My log shows 199 takeoffs (and, fortunately the same number of landings) all on scheduled air transport, none on private flights. There have been a lot of changes —- with much less food service on domestic flights (even in first class) the airports themselves have become food hubs — I have had some excellent meals at places like DTW (Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County) and BWI (Baltimore- Washington Thurgood Marshall). Give it a try, you might enjoy flying as much as I do.
I’ve been in a stationary B-29 once as well, down at the air museum near Perris, CA. I was 10 years old and don’t remember much, but there were a group of WWII veterans talking about their experiences flying B-29’s.
Back to the article–I’ve been to LAX exactly once, in 2023, which is probably enough times. I was flying home after some work in the area, dropped off the rental car and took a shuttle bus to the terminal. That wasn’t too bad, but the shuttles have designated dropoff/pickup points. Note that the new light rail station is also right next to a new consolidated rental car facility, one stop away on the people mover. As nice as a dedicated light rail station will be, I suspect shuttle buses will probably constrict its usefulness and capacity until the people mover is done.