LAX
The final four of 44 APM (automated people mover) cars from Alstom have arrived at LAX, the airport reported Aug. 21. The first cars arrived in summer 2022 and the remaining cars had been steadily making the cross-country journey from the manufacturer’s plant in Pittsburgh, Pa. The new cars will join the rest of the fleet in testing on the APM’s elevated guideway.
LAX, the eighth-busiest airport in the world serving more 75 million customers in 2023, is owned and operated by Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), a proprietary, revenue-generating department of the City of Los Angeles that also governs Van Nuys Airport. The airport is undergoing a multi-billion-dollar capital improvement program to modernize its entire campus. Work includes the approximately $2 billion APM system, as well as a consolidated rental car facility.
LAX is said to be the first U.S. airport to use the INNOVIA 300 APM cars, which feature aluminum shells and a regenerative braking system.
“The APM project is committed to environmental consciousness, with the train system already earning an Envision Gold Award for Sustainable Infrastructure from the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI),” LAX reported. “Additionally, the APM Maintenance and Storage Facility is designed to meet the LEED Gold Standard set by the U.S. Green Building Council, with almost half of the facility’s power being produced from a photovoltaic generation system.”
Earlier this month, following approval by the Board of Airport Commissioners, the Los Angeles City Council approved an agreement that sets the construction completion date at Dec. 8, 2025, and provides the design-build team, LAX Integrated Express Solutions (LINXS), with an additional $550 million, according to LAX, which reported that the funds will primarily cover “added work previously completed and a longer than anticipated construction timeline.”
The APM system is expected to begin 24/7 service in January 2026, with trains arriving at stations every two minutes during peak hours (9 a.m. to 11 p.m.). “City officials have been trying to get the project completed in time for the 2028 Summer Olympics in LA,” according to CBS News in Los Angeles.
“Receiving the final train cars for the APM signifies a major milestone for this project and our airport’s transformation,” said John Ackerman, CEO of LAWA. “The APM will enhance the travel experience at LAX and set a new standard for sustainable transportation. As we move this project forward, we remain dedicated to delivering a state-of-the-art solution that reflects our commitment to our passengers, community and environment.”
MTA Metro-North Railroad
MTA Metro-North Railroad President Catherine Rinaldi on Aug. 22 joined Connecticut Transportation Commissioner Garrett T. Eucalitto to tour the Waterbury Branch (watch, above), which suffered storm damage in two main locations, totaling 200 feet of track. Following torrential rainfall throughout the metropolitan region late Aug. 18, with certain areas reaching “1,000-year level” highs in Connecticut, Metro-North’s Waterbury Branch experienced severe washouts midway between Seymour and Ansonia and near Beacon Falls, that have resulted in commuter rail service being replaced with buses along the entire branch, according to Metro-North. While Danbury Branch service was also suspended Aug. 18, full service was restored there by 5 p.m. on Aug. 19.
“Metro-North crews continue to restore slopes and ballast that were washed out by floodwaters and transport heavy stone to refill and stabilize areas surrounding tracks for safe operation,” Metro-North reported Aug. 22. The commuter railroad estimated that approximately 1,500 cubic yards of heavy stone and 3,600 cubic yards of fill materials will be required.
“We currently estimate that restoration may take a few weeks and we are working closely with CTDOT to complete repairs and provide substitute bus service in the meantime to get customers where they need to go,” Rinaldi said.
Separately, Metro-North in July unveiled its fifth heritage locomotive. Also, read “Third of A Series: New York MTA OK—For Now,” by Railway Age Contributing Editor David Peter Alan, covering transit’s “fiscal cliff.”
San Diego MTS
During FY 2024 (July 2023-June 2024), San Diego MTS logged 75,663,343 passenger trips, up 10.4% over FY 2023 (68,511,363), according to the transit agency, which operates 92 bus routes and three Trolley light rail lines plus MTS Access (paratransit) service in 10 cities and unincorporated areas of San Diego (see chart, above). All forms of transit experienced ridership increases.
Other FY 2024 ridership milestones for San Diego MTS included:
- Youth ridership up 22.7% over the previous fiscal year, logging 6,839,876 passenger trips from its more than 113,000 youth riders who use a Youth Opportunity Pass.
- Thirteen bus routes with ridership up 20% or higher (Routes 14, 25, 83, 833, 851, 854, 872, 891, 906, 907, 946, 964, 985), and eight bus routes surpassing the million-trip mark (Routes 7, 13, 215, 929, 201, 202, 30 and 235).
According to the transit agency, the highest ridership month in FY 2024 was October 2023, with 6,929,191 passenger trips. The agency also shared that in May it experienced a week with an average of 271,000 riders per day, the highest week on record since the onset of the pandemic.
Due to the loss in ridership caused by the pandemic, and because approximately 25% of the agency’s system operation is supported by fare revenue, San Diego MTS said it is experiencing a “multi-million-dollar structural budget deficit.”
However, ridership is now on an upswing, the agency said, “consistently reaching 85% to 90% of pre-pandemic ridership, thanks to agency-wide efforts to attract more riders.” These efforts include an increase in security presence system-wide and a new Bus Rapid Network route connecting Imperial Beach and Otay Mesa. Other factors that contribute to growing ridership, it said, are workers returning to the office, students returning to school, housing density, and special events.
San Diego MTS said it also plans to continue implementing improvements in the coming years to make transit more reliable and accessible. They include an overnight express bus service between the border and downtown San Diego, increased bus and Trolley frequencies, infrastructure rehabilitation on the Orange Line Trolley, and charging infrastructure for the zero-emissions transition. According to the agency, these improvements will be funded in part by state funding secured by Senate Bill 125 and implemented once the funds are delivered.
In related news, San Diego MTS in July contracted Chen Ryan Associates (CRA) to replace five traction power substations for the Trolley. CRA subcontractor STV Inc. is the overall task lead. Also last month, the Board of Directors unanimously approved plans to move forward with implementing a new Trolley Line segment called the Copper Line in East County.
