The new Los Angeles hub connecting the metro to the airport is a highly ambitious project

Opened in July 2025, the new LAX/Metro Transit Center covers more than four hectares and introduces a direct connection between Los Angeles International Airport and the county’s light rail system. It is the first direct rail connection to the city’s airport hub, which until now has only been accessible by car, and is a strategic node for reducing vehicular congestion in the terminal area.

Opened in July 2025, the new LAX/Metro Transit Center covers more than four hectares and introduces a direct connection between Los Angeles International Airport and the county’s light rail system. It is the first direct rail connection to the city’s airport hub, which until now has only been accessible by car, and is a strategic node for reducing vehicular congestion in the terminal area.

The project is part of the broader Landside Access Modernisation Program (LAMP), a multi-year plan that also includes the Automated People Mover, an automated shuttle system that will come into operation in the coming months and will directly connect the station to the terminals. The new infrastructure was developed by a team led by Grimshaw Architects, with Gruen Associates as associate architect and Arup for engineering. It consists of a two-level system housing the railway platform – the largest in the entire Metro network –, an intermodal bus hub, a public plaza, a service centre and a cycle and pedestrian hub.

The landscape, in continuity with the ecological approach of the project, includes a system of low-maintenance, native vegetation, with green islands defining the waiting areas and accompanying the flows towards the station.

An estimated 5,000 passengers per day are expected by 2035. The opening is strategically aligned with the deadlines of major international events planned in the city: from the 2026 FIFA World Cup to the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. In this scenario, the station is proposed as a reference node to welcome incoming tourist flows and as an opportunity to reorganise urban accessibility according to more sustainable and inclusive criteria.