At today's Metro board meeting, the new board chairman, County Supervisor Michael Antonovich, proposed a Regional Airport Connectivity Plan to finally get Metro rail and Metrolink commuter rail connected to the region's airports, The Source reports. Ideally, Antonovich wants the Gold Line and the Orange Line busway extended to Burbank's Bob Hope Airport; Metrolink, Amtrak, and Gold Line stations at Ontario Airport; Metrolink connections to Palmdale airport; and quicker existing Metrolink service from Palmdale to Union Station. Finally, he wants an expedited timeline on the rail connector for the planned LAX-adjacent Green and Crenshaw Line stations, and he also wants the Green Line extended to the Norwalk Metrolink, so people from the OC can hop a train to LAX. When discussing the rail connector to LAX, which many envision as a people mover into the terminals (see its potential routes above), Antonovich included this ominous update: "Development of the LAX Airport Connector has been stymied by Los Angeles WorId Airports, despite voters approving $200 million for that connector through Measure R." LAWA is the group that operates the airport. Thanks, guys.
Here's how Antonovich lays out his connectivity plan:
(1) An implementation plan (for Board review) including but not limited to timelines, estimated costs, and potential funding sources, to implement rail connections from our Metrolink and MTA rail system to the following airports: Bob Hope Airport, Long Beach Airport, Ontario Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, Palmdale Airport
(2) A review of current transit options to the aforementioned airports, with analysis on service gaps, transfers and general inefficiencies, with a comprehensive proposal to improve these transit connections in the near term.
(3) Input from the Federal Aviation Administration and Southern California Association of Governments on potential for funding and support to meet the goals of providing stronger transit connectivity to our region's airports.
(4) A report from LAWA on how to expedite the construction of the LAX airport connector to open concurrent with the Crenshaw/LAX project.
(5) An overview of what level of coordination and funding is required from our partner agencies-including but not limited to SANBAG, Metrolink, Amtrak and LAWA-to assist MTA with the development of this plan. The chairman wants a report on all this in November.
· Review of today’s Metro Board meeting [The Source]
· Possible Stops For the LAX People Mover Most Everyone Wants [Curbed LA]
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