Opening in 2024, the Automated People Mover (APM) from Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) has earned another major sustainability honor.
At the Los Angeles Sustainability Coalition’s (LASC) Annual Pioneer Awards Dinner, APM was named LASC’s 2023 Pioneer Project of the Year. Considered by many to be the centerpiece of LAX’s $14 billion transformation, the electric train has six stations, three inside the airport’s Central Terminal Area (CTA) and three outside, along an elevated guide of 3.6 km (2.25 miles). Once operational, passengers will have guaranteed on-time access to the CTA in 10 minutes or less, creating a streamlined airport arrival and departure experience.
“The positive impacts of the LAX APM will be felt for generations to come. Sustainably built to reduce airport guests’ reliance on personal automobiles and better connect them to greater Los Angeles, the project is key to our largest environmentally-minded transformation,” says Justin Erbacci, CEO from LAWA. “We are grateful to LASC for honoring the APM with the Pioneer Project of the Year 2023 and share this recognition with the project developer, LINXS, the local workforce building the APM and the entire team of LAWA that helps carry out the transformation of our airport. “
The APM is a zero-emissions electric powertrain that creates its own power through a regenerative braking system that captures energy that is otherwise lost during vehicle braking. A rooftop solar power system at APM’s Maintenance and Storage Facility (MSF) will provide 40 percent of the facility’s energy needs and seven percent of the overall energy requirements of the APM. In addition, the APM train carriages are made with fully recyclable aluminum casing. Prior to being named LASC’s 2023 Pioneer Project of the Year, APM’s sustainability record was recognized with an Envision Gold certification for its MSF by the Sustainable Infrastructure Institute (ISI).
“We are proud to help bring this new sustainable transportation option to LAX, one of the busiest airports in the world,” says Sam Choy, Project Manager at LINXS Constructors. “Travellers will soon be able to see what’s to come when railcar testing begins this summer.”
Known for its work to provide a better and more sustainable environmental future for the Los Angeles region, LASC helps address the construction and operations needs of the transportation industry. It provides a forum for public and private practitioners, product developers and the public to exchange and leverage ideas and resources towards the goal of achieving an economically, environmentally and socially sustainable region.
LAX’s multibillion-dollar capital improvement program that will touch all nine passenger terminals and build new facilities, along with the APM train, other features are the Consolidated Rent-A-Car (ConRAC) facility and the west gates of Tom Bradley. International Terminal.
