LOS ANGELES – LAX built a 2.25-mile airport train for about $3.34 billion, but passengers still cannot use it.
Years after officials pitched the LAX Automated People Mover as a major answer to airport traffic, the system remains in testing as of March 2026, after missing its original opening target and blowing past a later January 2026 operations date LAWA announced in 2024. LAWA says the driverless train will run on a 2.25-mile elevated guideway with six stations connecting terminals to Metro, parking, pickup and drop-off areas and the consolidated rental car facility.
By now, the question is not just why the project is late. It is why a short airport train became so much more expensive than peer systems while still missing deadline after deadline…