A long-awaited Automated People Mover train at Los Angeles International Airport could finally have a set deadline for completion — with the final price tag expected to include around half a billion in legal costs.
Los Angeles World Airports staff will ask the board of commissioners on Thursday to approve $400 million more to settle claims over the delayed project at LAX, according to a board agenda released Monday. If approved, officials expect the project to finish construction on Dec. 8, 2025.
The 2.25-mile elevated train was initially supposed to be finished in 2024 ahead of the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics. The train will offer a direct Metro connection and easy access to a new rental car facility and parking lot structure.
The project is about 95% complete, but disagreements between the airport and contractor LAX Integrated Express Solutions, or LINXS, over timeline, compensation and production led to significant delays.
The board most recently approved an additional $200 million for the project in May to settle claims submitted by LINXS. If the board clears the way for staff to dip further into reserve funds for the airport's $30 billion overhaul, which includes a terminal and gate renumbering system, updated signage and terminal improvements, the total settlement amount would be $550 million. That increase would also require approval from the Los Angeles City Council.
"Resolution of claims now will provide LINXS the necessary cash flow and incentive to ensure schedule certainty," the board report states.
If the allocation is cleared, the People Mover budget would increase from $2.9 billion to $3.34 billion.
Once in use, the project is expected to eliminate roughly 117,000 vehicle miles per day and carry about 30 million passengers each year. The airport saw about 75 million passengers last year.
Transit experts believe the People Mover will ease traffic at the world's fifth-busiest airport by finally offering an alternative to the airport's trafficky horseshoe loop used by hundreds of thousands of passengers each week and many of LAX's more than 50,000 employees.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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