Light-rail link to LAX: Plans unveiled

LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (KABC) -- It's been talked about for years. Now plans are finally underway for a light-rail link to Los Angeles International Airport.

A station will be built at 96th Street and Aviation Boulevard on the future Metro Crenshaw Line, just north of the Green Line.

Getting to the airport by rail has been a dead end. The rail line turns and ends at the Aviation station. People have to get off the train and take a shuttle about 2 miles.

"This dead end behind us is an embarrassment. But now because we're taking action, L.A. will have both the finest airport and the finest transit system in the nation," said L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti.

The MTA approved the first step to building a new station that would connect LAX with a light-rail system. It would be located along the Crenshaw Metro Line. From there, passengers go straight to the terminal.

The new station will also be a central location for car rentals.

The big question is how many people will take the train. Even by the MTA's own estimates, only about 1,800 people a day will take the train to the airport.

"The ones that are low and the ones that say these aren't used, I don't buy them for a second. I think it's a lack of imagination and it's a lack of understanding of the hunger and the appetite in Los Angeles for mass transit," said L.A. City Councilman Mike Bonin.

Officials say it will reduce congestion at the airport.

The MTA says the station will open in 2022.