For Immediate Release
May 4, 2023
Contact:
LAX Public Relations
(424) 646-5260
Left to right: Dr. Sherman Gay, Events Chairman, Los Angeles Sustainability Coalition; Justin Erbacci, Chief Executive Officer, Los Angeles World Airports; two representatives from Los Angeles Sustainability Coalition. Courtesy Los Angeles World Airports.
(Los Angeles) Opening in 2024, Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA)’s Automated People Mover (APM) has garnered another significant sustainability honor. At the Los Angeles Sustainability Coalition (LASC)’s annual Trailblazer Awards Dinner, the APM was named LASC’s 2023 Trailblazer Project of the Year. Regarded by many as the centerpiece of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)’s multi-billion-dollar transformation, the electric train features six stations – three inside the airport’s Central Terminal Area (CTA) and three outside – along a 2.25-mile elevated guideway. Once operational, passengers will have time-guaranteed access to the CTA in 10 minutes or less, creating a streamlined airport arrival and departure experience.
"The positive impacts of LAX's Automated People Mover will be felt for generations to come. Sustainably built to reduce airport guests' reliance on personal automobiles and better connect them to greater Los Angeles, the project is key to our larger environmentally minded transformation," said Justin Erbacci, Chief Executive Officer, LAWA. "We are thankful to LASC for honoring the Automated People Mover with the 2023 Trailblazer Project of The Year Award and share this recognition with the project's developer, LINXS, the local workforce building the APM and the entire LAWA team helping to realize the transformation of our airport."
The APM is a zero-emissions, electric train that creates its own power through a regenerative braking system that captures energy that is otherwise lost during vehicle braking. A solar power system on the roof of the APM’s Maintenance and Storage Facility (MSF) will provide 40% of the facility’s energy needs and 7% of the overall APM’s power requirements. Additionally, the APM’s train cars are made from fully recyclable aluminum shells. Prior to being named LASC’s 2023 Trailblazer Project of the Year, the APM’s sustainability track record was acknowledged with an Envision Gold Certification for its MSF by the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure.
"We are proud to help bring this new, sustainable transportation option to LAX, one of the world's busiest airports," said Sam Choy, Project Director at LINXS Constructors. "Travelers will soon be able to catch a glimpse of what’s to come when train car testing begins this summer."
Known for its work in providing a sustainable and better environmental future for the Los Angeles region, LASC helps to address the construction and operations needs of the transportation industry. It provides a forum for public and private practitioners, product developers and the general public to exchange and leverage ideas and resources for the goal of attaining an economically, environmentally and socially sustainable region.
MEDIA ASSETS
A PDF of this press release and high-resolution images are available for download here: bit.ly/APM-LASC-Award. Credit all assets as “Courtesy Los Angeles World Airports.”
Rendering of LAX’s Automated People Mover. Courtesy Los Angeles World Airports.
LAX, the fifth-busiest airport in the world in 2021 with 48 million passengers, is in the midst of a $15-billion
capital improvement program that will touch on all nine passenger terminals and build new facilities, including an
Automated People Mover (APM) train, Consolidated Rent-A-Car (ConRAC) facility and the West Gates at Tom Bradley
International Terminal.
In 2019, LAX served nearly 88.1 million passengers and offered an average of 700 daily nonstop flights to 113
destinations in the U.S. and 1,200 weekly nonstop flights to 91 markets in 46 countries on 72 commercial airlines.
LAX generated 620,600 jobs in Southern California, with labor income of $37.3 billion and economic output (business
revenues) of more than $126.6 billion, according to an economic study based on 2014 operations. This activity added
$6.2 billion to local and state revenues and $8.7 billion in federal tax revenues. The study also reported that
LAX’s ongoing capital improvement program creates an additional 121,640 annual jobs with labor income of $7.6
billion and economic output of $20.3 billion; $966 million in state and local taxes; and $1.6 billion in federal tax
revenues.
LAX is part of a system of two Southern California airports – along with Van Nuys general aviation – that are owned
and operated by Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), a proprietary department of the City of Los Angeles that receives
no funding from the City's general fund.
LAWA is leading the aviation industry in sustainability practices, with initiatives related to water management,
energy (electricity) management, air quality, recycling and natural resources management. In 2019, LAX received
Level III ACI Airport Carbon Accreditation from Airports Council International-Europe.
LAWA is also a leader in inclusivity, operating eight programs that provide opportunities for business enterprises
including local, small, minority-owned, veteran-owned and disadvantaged firms, and working together with community
partners to offer the HireLAX Apprenticeship Readiness Program, which targets local workers to make them ready for
rewarding careers in the construction trades, and the Build LAX Academy, designed to prepare small contracting
businesses for success when working on projects at LAX.
LAX was named a top-10 U.S. airport by SKYTRAX in 2018, and was honored as the "Most Innovative Airport for
Passenger Experience" in 2019 by the American Association of Airport Executives. LAX is the second-most popular
airport in the world to appear on Instagram, according to wego.com. Other recent honors have included selection as
the No. 9 Best Airport (Wall Street Journal); No. 7 Best On-Time Performance for a Mega-Hub Airport (OAG); one of
"The World's Best Airports for Business Travelers" (GlobeHunters); Public-Private Partnership of the Year (P3
Bulletin); Urth Caffe, Best Airport Coffee Concession of the Year (Global FAB Awards); Innovation of the Year,
Consolidated Rent-A-Car Facility (ARTBA); Best Project, United Airlines Terminal 7 and 8 Redevelopment Program
(Engineering News Record California); North American Public-Private Partnership Deal of the Year (IJ Global); and
Innovative Transportation Solution of the Year, Automated People Mover (WTS LA).
For more information about LAX, please visit
www.flyLAX.com or
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@flyLAXAirport, on Facebook at
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www.YouTube.com/laxairport1
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