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

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Set us as preferred 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 continue...