New LAX People Mover is 2 Miles of Rail. Cost is Greater than 75 Miles of High Speed Rail in China, or the Apollo 11 Moon Mission

LOS ANGELES - Testing is underway on the long-delayed Automated People Mover (APM) at Los Angeles International Airport, but the project has become a symbol of infrastructure cost overruns in California. The 2.25-mile elevated, driverless train system, designed to shuttle passengers between terminals, parking, the consolidated rental car facility, and the new LAX/Metro Transit Center, was originally slated to open in 2023. As of early April 2026, it remains in testing with no firm opening date announced-potentially slipping into the second half of the year, missing the FIFA World Cup window.

The price tag has ballooned dramatically. The construction budget started near $1.9–1.95 billion but has climbed to approximately $3.34 billion after roughly $880 million to $1 billion in added costs from contractor disputes, legal settlements, and other changes. When including financing, operations, and a 30-year maintenance contract under the public-private partnership, the total lifecycle cost reaches about $4.9 billion. That equates to roughly $1.49 billion per mile for the short elevated guideway.

Critics have highlighted the stark comparisons. The project's construction cost alone exceeds the reported price for certain segments of China's high-speed rail network. For instance, the Beijing-Tianjin intercity high-speed line-approximately 75 miles (120 km) long and one of the early flagship HSR routes-came in at a fraction of the per-mile expense seen at LAX, reflecting China's lower unit costs for large-scale rail infrastructure (often cited in the range of $17–21 million per km for similar systems in analyses from years past). The full $3.34 billion LAX build cost has drawn parallels to historical feats like the Apollo 11 mission, whose direct costs in the late 1960s were far lower even before inflation adjustment (the broader Apollo program's total was around $25.8 billion nominal through 1973, or hundreds of billions today).

Videos circulating online show the sleek, automated trains running test runs along the elevated track, yet the system sits idle for passengers while LAX continues relying on buses amid chronic traffic congestion. The APM is part of a broader $30 billion modernization effort at one of the world's busiest airports, intended to reduce vehicle traffic in the central terminal area, improve reliability, and connect seamlessly with Metro rail. Proponents argue it will eventually carry thousands of passengers per hour and cut emissions.

However, the repeated delays and budget increases have fueled frustration. A Los Angeles County grand jury and media reports have pointed to contractor issues with the LINXS consortium (involving firms like Fluor, Balfour Beatty, and Alstom), design changes, and pandemic-era impacts. Settlements totaling hundreds of millions were approved to keep the project moving, pushing the budget higher even as completion hovered near 95–96% for extended periods.

Airport officials have not provided a confirmed opening timeline in recent statements, though testing of full-speed operations continues. The project is funded primarily through passenger facility charges and airport revenue rather than direct taxpayer dollars, but the overruns still represent significant opportunity costs for travelers and the region.The LAX APM joins a pattern of major U.S. transit projects facing delays and cost escalations, though its per-mile figure stands out even by domestic standards for airport people movers. As Los Angeles prepares for the 2028 Olympics and ongoing growth in air travel, questions linger about oversight, contracting models, and delivering infrastructure efficiently.For now, the trains are moving in tests-but for millions of annual LAX passengers stuck in ground traffic, the wait continues.