Angelenos continue to wait for LAX’s Skylink/automated people mover with bated breath, and while the project is nearly complete, the final touches are mired in a lawsuit and a recent credit-rating downgrade ahead of an important October 8 deadline.
LINXS (LAX Integrated Express Solutions), the contractor building the people mover, filed a lawsuit against the City of Los Angeles on July 9, 2026. The suit alleges that Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) breached its project contract in numerous construction-related disputes, in the culmination of a lot of finger-pointing between LINXS and LAWA.
Less than two weeks later on July 21, credit ratings agency Fitch downgraded the rating from BB+ to BB on approximately $1.2 billion in senior project bonds, and placed them on “Rating Watch Negative,” signaling potential further downgrades.
Why does the October 8 deadline matter?
October 8 is the first “longstop date” for lenders, or the deadline by which LINXS is expected to have the people mover ready for passenger service under its financing terms. If the train is not ready by then, it could be in breach of its loan agreements, resulting in a technical default, as described by the Los Angeles Business Journal.
Beyond that point, the automated people mover also faces a December 8 project deadline. If the system is still not ready by then, it could move the project toward termination, raising the possibility of LAWA finding another contractor or project team to finish and operate it.
Both LAWA and LINXS have asserted their full commitment to finishing the project, but missing either of these deadlines could result in further negotiations and legal claims.
The Fitch report says that the people mover is 99.6% complete. But the project must still complete rigorous testing, system demonstration, and utilities interconnection agreements. Even though it missed its debut before the World Cup, there’s still hope that it’ll be ready before the 2027 Super Bowl and the 2028 Olympics.
In a June 15 report to LAWA, LINXS projected that passenger service would not begin until at least early October.
What is Skylink?
Skylink is the name for the future automated people mover, which promises a fully electric, automated train system at LAX.
The system operates on an elevated 2.25-mile guideway with trains made from 98% recyclable materials and partial solar power.
When it eventually does begin passenger service, Skylink will operate 24/7, linking six stations: three in the terminal area, one at LAX Economy Parking, one at the LAX Consolidated Rent-A-Car Facility, and, of course, the new LAX/Metro Transit Center.
For travelers, this creates a less stressful way to get to the airport, beating the notorious traffic and connecting the system directly to Metro’s K and C Lines.
