New Vertical Core at LAX will help connect passengers with planned people mover
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Los Angeles International Airport held a ribbon-cutting on Tuesday to celebrate a major aspect of its ongoing massive renovation project.
The new vertical core at the Tom Bradley International Terminal will help passengers with connections to the planned people mover train system.
Los Angeles World Airports has invested over $335 million on three vertical cores - one at the Bradley terminal, one between terminals 4 and 5, and updgrading one at terminal 7.
"This project alone has created over 3,600 jobs," Mayor Karen Bass said. "Many of them for local workers. And it includes graduates of the Hire LAX apprenticeship readiness program. This project also puts over $167 million into our local businesses."
The walkways will be built by American, Delta, and Southwest Airlines between multiple terminals. These walkways can be reached by elevator or escalator and will eventually connect to the automatic people mover.
Sources tell Eyewitness News that trains will be put on the track in a few months for testing. Delays have put back the opening of the people mover to possibly fall 2025.
"When this facility, the automated people mover opens it's going to connect us to a train station a couple miles away from here," said John Ackerman, CEO of LAWA. "We're actually extending our airport by over 2 1/2 miles to the east and we're creating more access for our customers and more importantly for employees and we're connecting to the LA metro system."
The plan is to have the system done before a massive influx of visitors arrives in Los Angeles for the World Cup in 2026 - and of course the Olympics in 2028.
