A presentation scheduled for the August 14 meeting of Metro's South Bay Service Council offers a look at updated plans for an automated people mover system connecting the Crenshaw/LAX Line with the new NFL stadium now rising in Inglewood.

The project, announced in 2018, calls for the construction of a monorail-like system connecting the Downtown Inglewood Metro station with the Forum, SoFi Stadium, and the proposed Clippers arena.  Plans call for roughly 1.6 miles of elevated guideway - running along Market Street, Manchester Boulevard, and Prairie Avenue - with three station and a maintenance and storage facility.

The approximately $1-billion project is already partially funded through a $95.2-million grant through the California State Transportation Agency's Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program. 

Additionally - as first reported by Unstatable - officials intend to finance construction through a combination of local tax revenue, corporate sponsorships, and fares paid by passengers.  Two of the proposed funding streams - an increased real estate transfer tax and a tourism impact fee - would require 2/3 approval through a citywide voter referendum.

The presentation to the Service Council also indicates that the people mover could be coupled with a new development on a station-adjacent site in Downtown Inglewood, consisting of 600,000 square feet of housing, commercial uses, and parking.

Environmental review for the people mover is scheduled for completion in March 2021.  Design and construction would begin in December 2021, with the start of passenger service expected to begin in May 2026.

Service on the people mover system is expected to accommodate passenger loads in excess of 12,000 per hour during large events, including concerts, NFL games, and NBA games.  Unstatable reports that Inglewood anticipates 19,000 daily passengers on the system in 2026 - a figure that eclipses pre-coronavirus ridership projects for the Crenshaw/LAX Line.