Metro's long-awaited LAX/Metro Transit Center Station is scheduled to make its debut in November 2024, according to a staff report unearthed by @numble.

Located on a roughly 9.5-acre property at 96th Street and Aviation Boulevard, the project site sits between the K Line's vehicle maintenance and storage facility and the easternmost LAX Intermodal Transportation Facility. The at-grade stop, designed by Grimshaw Architects, will serve Metro's K and C Lines, as well as buses.

Mezzanine level, nightGrimshaw Architects

Altogether, plans call for:

  • a 16-bay bus plaza with capacity for charging infrastructure;
  • a multi-level active transportation and bike hub;
  • a vehicle drop-off zone;
  • a customer service center;
  • public toilet facilities beyond the fare paid zone;
  • commercial space; and
  • a sculpture by Los Angeles artist Glenn Kaino, which will be incorporated into the station's hub structure.

The station's key function will be as a transfer point between Metro rail and LAX's new automated people mover system, which would take passengers to the airport's central terminal area. That approximately 2.25-mile elevated train has undergone numerous delays, and is now on track for completion the tail end of 2026. After cost runs, its price tag is now estimated at more than $3.3 billion.

View of the planned light rail platformsGrimshaw Architects

The station is slated to begin serving passengers as Metro begins replacing the overhead wire which powers C Line trains. The rail line, which currently runs between Norwalk and Redondo Beach, opened roughly 30 years ago.

To operate the LAX/Metro Center Station, Metro is planning to hire more than 100 new employees, including new security, cleaning, and customer service staff, as well as new vehicle operators.

Bird's eye view of 96th Street station. Image courtesy of Grimshaw Architects.

In the more distant future, the station could serve as an endpoint for other regional transportation lines, such as the planned rail line along the Sepulveda corridor and a proposed bus rapid transit line along Lincoln Boulevard.

Note: This article has been updated to account for the revised completion date for the LAX automated people mover.

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