Decades of planning finally connect Los Angeles Metro Rail directly to the international airport
In short: After sixty years of debate and multiple failed proposals, the LAX/Metro Transit Center finally opened in June 2025. This massive $900 million intermodal hub serves as the primary rail connection for Los Angeles International Airport, linking regional transit lines to the airport via a dedicated bus shuttle and future automated people mover.
The journey to connect Los Angeles International Airport to the regional rail network began in the 1960s, following the dismantling of the Pacific Electric system. During the late 1980s, planners considered extending the Green Line—now the C Line—directly to the airport. Although concrete ramps were built to facilitate this, the project was canceled by 1994 due to disagreements with the Federal Aviation Administration and local officials, with some critics alleging that airport authorities preferred to protect parking revenue.
Interest in a rail link surged again in the 1990s and 2000s with the development of the K Line. In 2011, the Airport Metro Connector program was launched to evaluate new options. A 2012 analysis identified a connection to the airport's planned Automated People Mover, known as SkyLink, as the most cost-effective solution. Metro approved this design in 2014, selecting a site at Aviation Boulevard and 96th Street. Construction began in 2021, and the station officially opened on June 6, 2025.
The facility, designed by Grimshaw Architects, serves as a major multimodal hub for the C and K lines, eleven bus routes, and a bike hub. It also features a public art installation by Glenn Kaino titled The Distance of the Sun, which uses a spiral of vessels to symbolize spaceflight. Looking ahead, Metro plans to use the site as the southern terminus for the future Sepulveda Transit Corridor and the Lincoln Boulevard Transit Corridor, with completion dates projected for 2040 and 2047 respectively.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: LAX/Metro Transit Center
- Also: Wikidata — LAX/Metro Transit Center station · CC0
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