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New light rail station for Los Angeles airport approved
Does the word ‘politics’ ring any bells? Cab and shuttle bus companies likely shot it down
Wonder why the Green Line never went to LAX in the first place? Not very smart on L.A.'s part.
What a waste, 200million? geez!!! I thought Cali was Broke!
Typical politics. Follow the money, find the stupidity.
Isn’t it funny how in the USA there exist no trains at airports, whereas in Europe the norm is opposite. For example, from CDG you can catch the train to almost anywhere in France and much of Europe. Surely the USA is #1, just count the ways.
What really bothers me is is that apparently no provision exists for express trains. This means airport bound travelers will face a stop-and-go situation some 18 miles to the airport. Such a contrast to the current nonstop bus service from Union Station.
This contrasts sharply with New York/JFK where you have a choice of a Long Island Railroad train nonstop to Penn Station, the “E” subway that operates express to Midtown Manhattan and then all stops to Lower Manhattan, and the “A” subway, a local via Brooklyn.
The monorail may not be all that inconvenient because light rail users have to get to the various terminals anyway. There are nine of them (including the international one)!
Passenger traveling from downtown to beyond LAX should not be asked to make all those terminal stops.
Not only does the Green Line not access LAX, its technology does not allow it to use Blue Line tracks to and from downtown.
Thus no through trains can operate on the two lines that currently connect LAX with downtown. You and your bags have to connect.
@ Donald Nadeau. The A train is an express in Brooklyn. The best way to get to JFK would have been to restore the Rockaway Beach Branch of the Long Island RailRoad. It would have run non stop from Penn. Station, NYC. to JFK in 20 minutes. Instead, we have this convoluted way to get to JFK is the Air Train. This is a 2 seat ride with schlepping luggage and maybe family. As for getting to La Guardia, It’s either a taxi or a bus. There is talk of extending the Astoria Subway Line to La Guardia, but I don’t know if I’ll see it in my life time. So, here in NYC there is no direct rail service from the airports into NYC.
I have heard there are problems getting a light rail line directly into LAX, such as space constraints and land underneath being relatively unstable. That said, many airports with multiple terminals spread out over inconvenient walking distances are well served by people-movers. As long as the people mover is also connected to a nearby transportation option, that seems to work well. Better yet, a fast link from the people mover or a one-terminal airport to a major regional transportation hub is the ideal to be strived for. There’s nothing like trying to get to an airport when it’s on the other side of a major congested city, unless, of course, you can get there without either having to have a friend drop you off (which saves 2 car trips (two more when you return from your trip) or driving there yourself and paying exorbitant parking fees. And the more options you have to get to the airport from regional distances, the more opportunities there will be for more people to avoid driving or being dropped off.
With this in mind, it’s too bad Newark International’s people mover doesn’t serve Newark Penn Station, meaning most of northern New Jersey potential users have to make at least 2 transfers to use transit to get there.
This is rediculous! For all the money they’re spending why can’t they put the light rail IN the terminal! What a waste of money and it won’t eliminate congestion at LAX at all! Rediculous!
You are right on the money, Michael Wyatt; That’s EXACTLY what happened.
BART to SFO is easy. Seattle has light rail connection. Oakland is getting a cable car. Denver rail connection opens next year. But LAX, Ontario, Santa Ana, all could use rail connections in So. Cal. At least Burbank in So. Cal just opened.
Phoenix has light rail connection now. Dallas no, Love Field no, Kansas no, Chicago (O’Hare and Midway) yes, Salt Lake city yes.
But yes, while it is getting better, it certainly has taken US a long time to figure it out.
@ JIM KERNER Thank you for the correction on the “A” train. "
Normally, when a train connects a city to an airport with more than a couple of terminal buildings, the train does not stop at each terminal. For example, that’s the case with Heathrow, O’Hare, and San Francisco International. Most passengers then have to transfer to their departure locations on some sort of intra-airport system.
That’s why I believe that you can count JFK as having a rail connection. It’s typical of many large airports. As with you, I wish it wasn’t.