$3.3B 'people mover' rail project delayed - again - at LAX

Originally scheduled to begin carrying passengers in 2023, the two-mile automated train system is designed to be on an elevated track. It's intended to connect LAX terminals directly to parking facilities, rental car hubs and the Metro public transit system system. Currently people ride shuttles to get to the terminals from parking lots that are a couple miles or so from the airport.

The latest postponement for the Skylink rail system stems in part from an ongoing legal battle between the main contractor and Los Angeles World Airports, the city department that owns and operates LAX. The contractor alleges that LAWA caused significant project delays.

The LAX project is currently about 99% complete, but it is awaiting a required final 30-day testing period before it can open to the public. LAWA maintains that safety remains the top priority and that the system will not be cleared for passenger service until all testing is finalized.

The delay comes as Los Angeles prepares to host major international and national events, including the Super Bowl at SoFi Stadium in 2027 and the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2028 at multiple venues.

Local leaders and political observers have voiced sharp criticism over a lack of clear accountability.

Los Angeles City Councilmember Monica Rodriguez has called for a formal investigation to determine who is responsible for the setbacks and to safeguard taxpayer dollars.

Roxanne Hoge, chair of the Los Angeles County Republican Party (LAGOP), likened the mutual finger-pointing among project stakeholders to the "Spider-Man pointing" meme. 

“It's embarrassing that Disneyland has a monorail that's been functional for decades, and Disney executives are all available by phone for a very short car ride to anyone who wants to fix things in Los Angeles,” Hoge told The Center Square. (Disneyland is in Anaheim, and Disney corporate headquarters are in Burbank.) “I suggest they do that.”

Steven Greenhut, director of the Free Cities Center at the Pasadena, Calif.-based Pacific Research Institute, said the idea behind the LAX project is solid, but the execution highlights recurring issues with large-scale public works.

“LAX is an absolute madhouse,” Greenhut told The Center Square. “There's one road there, that big circular road, so the idea having a people mover that connects with the metro stop, creating one stop for rental cars is a good idea, but it's been done poorly.”

Greenhut noted that while cost overruns can happen on major public works, the extent of the delays at LAX points to deeper systemic issues.

"It's 99% done right now, and they can't get it opened up," Greenhut said. "It's just another example of a project that's gone awry and is an embarrassment and is just an example of how the city just can't do anything efficiently".

Greenhut added that public infrastructure projects across the country often suffer from structural inefficiencies, though the LAX delay serves as a prominent case study.

"Public projects, the whole incentive system is out of whack," Greenhut said. "They're publicly funded, but this is just a good idea that's being poorly implemented."

While the people mover/Skylink project faces ongoing hurdles, Mayor Karen Bass' office highlighted other transit projects moving forward in Los Angeles.

On Wednesday, the mayor broke ground on the $414 million Vermont Bus Rapid Transit Corridor, a 12.4-mile dedicated bus lane project connecting South Los Angeles to Los Feliz, aimed at speeding up travel times for 38,000 daily riders.

Los Feliz is a neighborhood in Los Angeles.

Additionally, the city broke ground on the East San Fernando Valley Light Rail Transit Project along Van Nuys Boulevard.