After years of planning, local elected officials broke ground on an automated people mover that will link Los Angeles International Airport with new ground-transportation facilities - including a long-awaited connection to the Metro Rail system.

The monorail-like system will operate along a meandering 2.25-mile elevated guideway, with three stops at the LAX central terminal area in the west, two stops at intermodal transportation facilities, and an eastern terminus at the future consolidated rental car facility.

The APM will have nine trains, each of which will operate in four-car sets containing up to 200 passengers.  The trains will operate on two-minute headways, with a 10-minute end-to-end journey.

Construction of the $5.5-billion project will be largely complete by 2022, with an opening date to follow in 2023.

The latter of the two ITF facilities, located along Aviation Boulevard, will abut a $500-million light rail station planned to serve the Crenshaw/LAX Line, the Green Line, and various bus lines.  The station is scheduled to open concurrently with the people mover in 2023.