LAX people mover launch postponed again; city officials duck questions on the delay

Bureaucratic in-fighting has delayed the launch of Skylink people mover at Los Angeles International Airport yet again, according to a recent report, which estimates that the 2.25-mile train won't open until next February — if then. The contractor on the $3.

3-billion project, LAX Integrated Express Solutions, or LINXS, blamed the delay on unsigned agreements between the airport and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power as one cause for the delay, along with nagging technical issues. The train is now expected to carry passengers starting Feb. 5, or a month later than its last expected opening date of Jan.

6, the contractor said in its latest monthly progress report. But the report warned that the delay "will continue to increase on a day-for-day basis" until two city bureaucracies — the DWP and Los Angeles World Airports — reach agreements on the use of solar power for the train. City airport and DWP officials declined to comment on the agreements, citing pending litigation.

Skylink is a key element in plans to upgrade LAX ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympics here, but the train is currently $1.4 billion over budget and running nearly four years behind its originally scheduled opening of 2023. One of the many technical issues dogging the project is a solar energy system to help power the people mover.

Officials have touted it as part of the airport’s commitment to renewable energy and in keeping with the city’s climate goals, and multiple sustainability awards for the airport mention it. “A solar power system on the roof of the [Automated People Mover’s] Maintenance and Storage Facility (MSF) will provide 40% of the facility’s energy needs and 7% of the overall APM’s power requirements,” the airport wrote in past news releases. But in recent months, as the train’s opening continues to be delayed, the future of those plans have come into question.

Disagreements between the contractor and the airport over who would sign the agreement with DWP to establish solar power have surfaced in a lawsuit and monthly progress reports about the project. LINXS — a private-public partnership that includes Fluor, Balfour Beatty, ACS Infrastructure Development, Dragados USA, HNTB and others — said in a recent disclosure filing that it’s up to Los Angeles World Airports, or LAWA, as the land owner to sign the solar connectivity agreement with its sister department, but that LAWA has declined.

And a separate report for lenders said the airport moved to revise the scope of the project so that the solar panel system would not be a prerequisite to opening the train for service. The agreements were referenced in a lawsuit that LINXS filed against the city over the summer. The complaint also claims that the DWP was responsible for a 141-day power outage in 2025 but LAWA blamed LINXS “even though LAWA knew that it and LADWP were responsible.”

These types of agreements aren't uncommon, but this particular issue is unconventional, said Greg Pierce, a UCLA associate professor of urban planning. It's possible that whoever signs the agreement could face liability concerns about under- or over-delivering energy, he said, or integrating solar into the rest of the train. The future of the solar panel system is not the only issue slowing the project.

Four “arc blasts” occurred during testing last month that damaged the train’s power rail and guide beam, according to an Oct. 8 report to the project’s lenders from an outside advisor, which is separate from LINXS' monthly progress report. After repairs and safety checks, testing has resumed.

These types of blasts can occur during testing. But in order for the $3.3-billion train to open, it will take 30 consecutive days without substantial issues, approvals from the airport and an independent engineer as well as the signed agreements.

The airport recently published a fact-vs.-myth questionnaire and a social media video warning people about videos and photos of the train that have been manipulated by AI. In a video published to social media Friday, the airport said it is “holding LINXS accountable for delivering Skylink safely and reliably.”

“Building a train through one of the world’s busiest airports is complicated but this much is clear: LINXS will complete the train Angelenos and guests have waited so long for,” the video said. “Once LINXS finishes their last test, we will complete our process to get the train ready for passengers.” LAWA officials have stopped offering goalposts for an opening and have stressed that it has not signed off any date that LINXS has shared.

“No opening date can be confirmed until LINXS, the SkyLink contractor, completes their final testing,” LAWA shared in the recent online questionnaire. “As soon as LINXS completes their testing, we’ll begin the process of putting passengers on the train.” The contractor has sued the city, blaming the airport for the delays.

An independent grand jury report found that it was the contractor, not the airport, largely to blame, while also questioning outside consultants over the original project contract. Once the train opens, the airport said that passengers will be able to board it to and from terminals, rental car and parking lots, the LAX/Metro Transit Center and a new ride-hail area to get a taxi, Uber or Lyft. That “rideshare lot will be available when the SkyLink train begins operations,” LAWA said.

The current lot — dubbed “LAX-it” — will phase out over time, but it was not immediately clear how long that process will take. The train is expected to significantly affect traffic at LAX's notoriously gridlocked horseshoe by offering a car alternative to get to and from the airport. Local businesses already have anticipated the effect.

Parking management company LAZ Parking, for example, issued pre-layoff notices to employees when it expected the train to open in the fall. The notices were rescinded, and the company said it's now trying to move affected employees. Earlier this week, Mayor Karen Bass told radio station KNX News that she expects the train to run by January in spite of the contractor's report that the opening date will be postponed until at least February.

The mayor's office sidestepped a question from The Times on the opening date discrepancy, and didn't respond to questions on whether DWP and LAWA are expected to sign the power agreement before the train opens. "Our priority now is getting this system safely and reliably into passenger service," the mayor's office said in a statement.