LAX Automated People Mover train project delayed again

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Travelers will have to continue to put up with traffic around the loop at Los Angeles International Airport a little longer.

A new projection estimates the ongoing construction to build the LAX Automated People Mover will not be complete until Oct. 30, 2025.

Fitch Ratings lowered the bond rating for the project, citing the “increasing delays in completion.”

While the credit agency did not expect any funding issues, the report also blamed “various disagreements and disputes between the parties” for the downgraded rating.

The 2.25-mile Automated People Mover, which broke ground more than 5 years ago, was supposed to be done this year.

And this isn’t the first time the project completion was postponed. The driverless train had been scheduled to be ready in 2023, but the completion date was pushed back to this year.

The project is said to be more than 96% done.

In 2018, the LA City Council approved a $4.9 billion contract with LAX Integrated Express Solutions for the design and construction of the Automated People Mover system that will carry passengers among terminals and connect with nearby rail lines.

According to Los Angeles World Airports, the city agency that operates the airport, the People Mover will feature trains traveling among six stations — three inside the airport terminal loop and three outside the airport.

The system is expected to connect with the Metro Green and Crenshaw/LAX light rail lines, and also with a planned Consolidated Rent-A-Car Center that aims to bring together more than 20 car rental offices in one location. The facility will eliminate the need for rental car courtesy vehicles to enter the central terminal area and reduce the number of autos driving in and out of the airport by an estimated 3,200 each day, officials said.

Electric-powered trains are expected to operate every two minutes, with each train carrying up to 200 people. LAWA officials anticipate the system will be used by 85.1 million passengers per year.