Los Angeles’s long-promised Automated People Mover at Los Angeles International Airport is still off-limits to travelers, as airport officials and the contractor keep grinding through testing, inspections, and contract disputes. The latest holdup is raising fresh doubts about whether the train will be ready for passengers before the 2026 FIFA World Cup arrives on U.S. soil.
According to FOX 11 Los Angeles, the sleek white driverless cars and new stations are already circling the terminal loop in plain sight, but the system is still closed while Los Angeles World Airports runs final safety checks. In a package posted March 3, 2026, FOX 11 notes that the Automated People Mover remains off-limits to the public years after its original target date.
Timeline and money
Los Angeles World Airports had previously circled Dec. 8, 2025, as the construction completion date and expected to start operations in January 2026, according to a LAWA press release. On top of that, the agency and the City Council have signed off on large settlement payments to the design-build team, including roughly $400 million approved last year, as reported by CBS Los Angeles. Those settlements and shifting schedules have pushed the project well past its original 2023 opening window.
Disputes and testing have held it up.
The pace of work has been dragged down by disputes with the LINXS design-build consortium and a lengthy testing and commissioning phase, and the system is still in technical integration mode, The Los Angeles Times reports. LAWA officials say they meet regularly with the contractor to clear remaining issues while safety and systems testing continue. That mix of legal, contractual, and technical hurdles is the main reason the trains are not carrying passengers yet.
Shuttles fill the gap for now.
Metro opened the LAX/Metro Transit Center in June 2025 to link the K and C lines to the airport, but for now, riders still depend on free shuttle buses between the station and the terminals until the Automated People Mover is approved for passengers, per Metro. The transit center serves as the regional rail connection while the Automated People Mover inches through its final steps. For many travelers, that promised one-seat rail ride straight into the heart of LAX is still more aspiration than reality.
What to watch next
Officials say future timelines will depend on how remaining tests go, the outcome of any arbitration rulings, and the final safety sign-offs, and they have contingency plans in place for major events, The Los Angeles Times reports. Travelers are advised to keep an eye on updates from LAWA and Metro for firm service dates and to budget extra time for transfers while shuttles remain the main link to the terminals. We will continue to watch for an official passenger-service launch date and any changes to shuttle operations as the summer sports calendar approaches.
