Metro's Source blog responds today to reader questions regarding how the Crenshaw light-rail line, recently fast-forwarded with half a billion in federal funds, will get people to the airport sans cabs or driving. Well, that's not quite figured out yet, writes Steve Hymon. The Crenshaw Line's stop at Aviation and Century (near the old XXX honky-tonk) gets the train a mile closer than the Green Line does, but that's still a mile from the terminals.
There's a proposed people mover at Aviation/Central that would get people to terminals and a future centralized rental car facility--but LAX has yet to start a formal environmental impact study on it. The LAX modernization plan has eight mentions of a people mover, but it's quite confusing as to how it will actually work (it says something about it being underground, something about moving walkways at the Green Line station--will the people mover connect LAX to the Green Line airport station and the Crenshaw airport station?). There was a recent $1.45 million grant from the feds for an "intermodal transit center" at Aviation/Central, which one would hope would be the first step in a people mover.
Hymon says the Crenshaw Line connecting directly to airport terminals (without a PM) isn't off the table, but then it seems putting it above-ground is probably not feasible (too many garages and buildings and tight turns) and putting it underground would likely cost more than what is budgeted for the line, so this seems unlikely.
There's also a mention of the intermodal center, and how it will have buses that will go to the terminals. Eek, that probably won't placate too many people. The most likely scenario seems to be the people mover eventually coming into fruition, but anything, of course, is possible.
JFK people mover by Joe Shlabotnik via Flickr
· Connecting the Crenshaw Line to LAX [The Source]
· Work on Crenshaw Line Starting Next Year [Curbed LA]
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