Recent travelers through LAX will be familiar with the new LAX/Metro Transit Center that opened to great fanfare in June 2025. But its accompanying Automated People Mover, a 24/7 automated train system linking the transit center to airport terminals, is facing yet another delay.
According to the Los Angeles Times, contractors are now aiming to open the Automated People Mover in early January 2027, “though they won’t commit to that.” The new date would get the system up and running just ahead of the 2027 Super Bowl.
The People Mover was originally supposed to open in 2023, but its launch date has been repeatedly pushed back due to an ongoing dispute over system maintenance between the city of Los Angeles and LINXS, which is the group of companies contracted to build and operate the train.
In order to operate, the system must complete 30 consecutive days of successful testing, and according to a report by credit ratings agency Fitch, the Automated People Mover is already 99.6% complete. The L.A. Times confirmed that the project’s first longstop deadline has now been consolidated into the December 8th project deadline.
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.
Putting an end to airport traffic
Until the project ultimately opens, LAX will continue to run shuttle buses every ten minutes between the LAX/Metro Transit Center and the lower level of each airport terminal. But the Automated People Mover will eventually help travelers to bypass LAX’s notorious traffic entirely via a 2.25-mile elevated guideway.
The system’s fully electric cars are made with 98% recyclable materials, operating with partial solar power. Trains will run on 2-minute intervals across 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 LAX/Metro Transit Center station.
For travelers, this creates a less stressful way to get to the airport, beating the traffic and connecting the system directly to Metro’s K and C Lines.
