LAX’s people mover is finally on a timetable, with the long-delayed LAX people mover now targeting passenger service in October 2026 after years of setbacks, lawsuits and rising costs. The $3.34 billion airport train had been 97% complete in May 2024, but it still had not opened more than two years later, leaving Los Angeles travelers waiting for a system meant to reshape how people move through the airport.
The project’s latest schedule comes after a bitter legal clash between the contractor and the city. In July 2026, LINXS sued Los Angeles over unresolved contract and delay disputes. That standoff ended in an $880 million settlement that allowed construction to resume. Even with that deal in place, officials are still facing questions about whether the new deadline will hold.
The pressure around the LAX people mover intensified in part because of the unusual attention brought by a YouTuber who dug into the project’s history. Nick Andert, a freelance editor who also posts on YouTube, said he began examining the contract and argued that it let the builder stop work during engineering disagreements while using penalty provisions against the city. He told The Hollywood Reporter, “The sheer cynicism on display by LINXS is breathtaking. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this degree of shameless behavior from a contractor before.”
That investigation helped draw fresh scrutiny to a project that has become a case study in how large transit builds can go off track. What was once expected to be a roughly $1.9 billion construction effort has grown into a $3.3 billion megaproject after seven years under construction. Los Angeles World Airports is paying for it with its own proprietary revenues, and another $1.6 billion has been budgeted to operate and maintain the system for 30 years.
The timing matters because airport leaders are now trying to get the system open before a crowded run of major events. Officials want the train running ahead of Super Bowl LXI in 2027 and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, after the project missed the 2026 FIFA World Cup window. Industry experts and local transit advocates have warned that the opening could slip again, adding more uncertainty to a plan already battered by delay.
