With construction expected to begin this year, Los Angeles World Airports has unveiled new renderings and an animated video that preview the LAX Automated People Mover.

The APM, a monorail-like system, will operate along a 2.25-mile elevated guideway with six stops between the LAX Consolidated Rental Car Facility and the Central Terminal Area.

Utility relocation and surveying for the APM are expected to begin in the second quarter of 2018, with construction of the guideway set to start as early as 2019.  By the end of 2019, construction will begin on the APM stations, and delivery of the first vehicles will follow by the end of 2020.  Construction will mostly be complete by mid-2022, allowing for system testing prior to an expected opening date in early 2023.

The APM will have nine total trains, each operating in four-car sets capable of containing up to 200 passengers.  Trains will operate every two minutes, with a ten-minute end-to-end travel time.

Total project costs for the landside access modernization program are estimated at $5.5 billion.

When completed, the new APM will provide the long-sought link between Metro Rail and LAX, with construction set to begin in the coming years on a $600-million light rail station at 96th Street and Aviation Boulevard that will connect to the new Crenshaw/LAX Line, the Green Line and various local and regional buses.