LAX AirTrain Circulator

[Dan Wentzel]

Wouldn't an LAX AirTrain, similar to the circulators/people-movers at JFK and Newark, be possible to construct now without waiting for a Green Line extension?

It could go from the Aviaition Green Line Station, key parking lots, the Public Transit center, and directly to the terminals.

This could be done totally within the LAX area could it not, so we don't have to worry about any turfwars?

For some people, getting the Green Line to LAX means going all the way to the terminals. For others, a stop at the Public Transit center and one a Sepulveda/Lincoln (where it could someday branch off onto one or both of those roads), but with a circulator at the Public Transit stop, is the way to go.

This is a movement of people, and I think it is a public transit issue, even if its from the bus depot to the rail line to the terminal to the parking lot.

By the way, public transit signage is terrible at the airport. Several stops for shuttles, but not clear directions as to which one is yours until you are near the particular stop.

Anyone have any ideas? Should a circulator be constructed now or should it wait for a Green Line expansion several years from now?

[kenalpern]

Your idea, while not without merits, was part of the Hahn plan and was rejected by the greater community.

Right now, the plan is to have a potential Green Line extension to Century/Aviation and Parking Lot C (near Sepulveda/Lincoln), with a connecting People Mover from the central terminals to Century/Aviation.

Century/Aviation will also someday have stops for both a Crenshaw light rail line and a potential Metrolink/DMU line utilizing the Harbor Subdivision ROW, and will likely be a huge transit hub for the Westside and South Bay.

[Dan Wentzel]

Thanks. That all sounds great.

[joequality]

The Mayor's new vision involves a people mover. No mention of a Green Line connection in the article, although I assume it would be integrated.

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LA Times - Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa unveils modernization plan for LAX

The plan, which could cost $5 billion to $6 billion, focuses on rebuilding the Tom Bradley International Terminal.

By Dan Weikel - November 18, 2008

For the third time in less than a decade, a Los Angeles mayor and airport leaders on Monday unveiled a grand architectural plan for the expansion and modernization of Los Angeles International Airport, which has not been significantly remodeled since 1984.

City officials say the projects, which include a major face-lift for the Tom Bradley International Terminal, are needed to enhance the travel experience for passengers and preserve one of the region's main economic engines.

"Today marks a milestone in our effort to modernize the hub of the region's air transportation system and restore it to the premier international gateway the airlines need and the City of Angels deserves," Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said.

The plan's architectural models and renderings were unveiled during a ceremony at the airport's Flight Path Learning Center attended by airline executives, elected officials and business leaders.

The conceptual plans were designed by Fentress Associates, a Denver-based architectural firm perhaps best known in this country for its work on the national museum of the U.S. Marine Corps in Quantico, Va., and Denver International Airport, which has a peaked roof that evokes the image of the Rocky Mountains.

Using the region's natural landscape as inspiration, Curt Fentress said, the concepts for LAX capture the city's sense of place. The sloping roof lines of the glass-and-steel terminals, for example, are evocative of breaking waves at the beach.

"We want to change LAX into L.A. wow," Fentress said.

Highlighted on Monday were conceptual plans for the Bradley terminal, a cross-field taxiway, a midfield concourse for domestic and international flights and a passenger processing facility immediately across from the Bradley.

According to the dramatic renderings, the Bradley and midfield concourse will be linked by a soaring sky bridge over the cross-field taxiway, giving passengers panoramic views of the ocean, mountains and city skyline.

Airport officials say they expect to finish the projects by 2013 at a cost of $5 billion to $6 billion, though that could go substantially higher.

The centerpiece of the modernization and its priority is the overhaul of the Bradley, including the reconstruction of two concourses, new gates on the west to accommodate large commercial aircraft (such as the Airbus A-380) and a central hall offering shopping, restaurants and lounges.

Gina Marie Lindsey, director of Los Angeles World Airports, estimated that the taxiway and Bradley improvements will cost roughly $2 billion, though she acknowledged they could go higher depending on the final design. Some estimates have been as high as $4 billion.

Lindsey said the gates on the north side of the Bradley terminal should be finished by January 2012, while those on the south side should be completed by September of that year.

"We are one step closer to making L.A. the home of a world-class international airport," said Los Angeles Councilwoman Janice Hahn. "We haven't done anything at this airport since 1984."

The modernization plan does face substantial hurdles, including declining passenger volumes. Airlines, which have been dramatically cutting service, are increasingly concerned about airports' raising their fees to help finance improvements. The nation's credit crisis also has made it difficult for major airports to pay for new terminals and runways.

In the most recent example, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport has been unable to sell $600 million in municipal bonds for a new terminal. At LAX, the number of passengers is projected to fall below 55 million next year, down at least 13 million since 2000.

Lindsey said the airport will finance the modernization with higher landing fees, bonds, revenue from airport concessions and seed money from a portion of $850 million in bonds sold by LAWA earlier this year. She said she was confident LAWA can afford the projects.

But Frank Clark, executive director of LAXTEC, an organization that represents international airlines at LAX, said the projects need to be cost-effective and that LAWA must settle its protracted dispute with the airlines over rental rates.

"It's a good vision. You just can't have a substandard experience as a passenger," Clark said of the conceptual plans. "But we remain concerned about costs."

Assuming the Bradley improvements run $2 billion, the cost for each of the 12 new gates is about $167 million, high for gate construction today, according to consultants.

The last major remodeling of LAX occurred just before L.A. hosted the 1984 Summer Olympics. The Bradley terminal was built along with an elevated roadway to serve departing passengers. Over the years, passengers have given low ratings to the facility in consumer surveys.

The first major renovation and modernization plan was proposed during Mayor Richard Riordan's administration. Plans revealed in 2000 called for accommodating up to 100 million passengers a year.

Four years later, Mayor James K. Hahn unveiled an $11-billion plan that included a ground transportation center outside the airport boundaries and a tram system to get travelers to and from the airport. Lawsuits and opposition from elected officials and community activists stalled both plans.

Weikel is a Times staff writer.

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[James Fujita]

I'm quite impressed with the plans that I've seen for the proposed Bradley expansion, even though I know that they were driven by the necessity of acommidating super jumbos such as the Dreamliner.

Obviously, for something like this skybridge to be built, you'd almost have to have some sort of people mover, and having a people mover within the airport is a good first step towards having that all-important Green Line extension - not to mention better transit just within the LAX area itself.

I was just at LAX recently and it struck me how obvious it was that the shuttle buses weren't working, that there needed to be something better to circulate around the loop and connect the terminal area with the Century Blvd. hotels. and of course, once you get out to Century Boulevard, then you get the Green Line connection in place...

today skybridge, tomorrow the world the Green Line?

[kenalpern]

Someday, we'll see a Green/Crenshaw Line that links to a People Mover at Century/Aviation. This People Mover will circulate around LAX in ways that will make folks feel silly using those circulator buses.

[jejozwik]

Nov 18, 2008 22:23:15 GMT -8 kenalpern said:

Someday, we'll see a Green/Crenshaw Line that links to a People Mover at Century/Aviation. This People Mover will circulate around LAX in ways that will make folks feel silly using those circulator buses.

from the rendering that curbed la posted a few days ago it seems that the people mover heads north to lot C. so im thinking that rules out century/aviation as the connection station

[Jason Saunders]

I wish there was some place where I could see more of this model, renderings, additional details and maps of the proposed renovation. Google is not giving me anything at this time, except links to articles that say there is a new plan and a history of trying to renovate LAX over the last twenty years. Got it, media, we've tried and failed. Now, what are some of the details of the latest plan?

[kenalpern]

Nope--it's gonna link up at Century/Aviation, unless LAWA wants to pay more for a link to Parking Lot C. Possibly it's going to the Consolidated Rental Car Facility, and then back to the vicinity of Century/Aviation, where the Green Line is slated to go.

[James Fujita]

some up-to-date LAX people mover maps would be nice.

that said, it makes sense that the people mover would head for the north side of Century Boulevard. the south side is all cargo and jet repair facilities, not exactly your prime transit customers. you could make a strong argument for going straight down the middle of Century. it would be fast, but you would miss out on potential stations and customers along the way.

there's a lot of little side streets and service roads on the north side behind Century Boulevard, and on those roads are a lot of hotels, parking lots, car rental lots, etc. that's probably one reason why the architect's illustrations show the people mover heading north from the terminal loop instead of straight out.

what we have to do is make sure that the Green Line doesn't get left out, that the people mover does in fact link up with light rail.

[Dan Wentzel]

I am thinking that perhaps THIS is the thread to consolidate discussion about connecting Metrorail to LAX.

[usmc1401]

LAX people mover will now not open till at least November of 2025. Per KNX radio contractor delays.