LAX/Metro Transit Center station

LAX/Metro Transit Center station (called the East ITF by LAX and known as Aviation/96th Street station during planning) is an under construction light rail transport hub in the Los Angeles Metro Rail system, located near Aviation Boulevard and 96th Street in the Westchester district of Los Angeles. The station was designed as a station for the C and K lines. It will serve as the transfer point between Metro Rail and the LAX Automated People Mover (APM) serving the Los Angeles International Airport terminals and facilities. Additionally, the station will have connections to Metro Bus, other municipal bus lines, a customer service center, and a Metro Bike Share hub. Metro is scheduled to start serving the station in late 2024, although the APM connection is not scheduled to open until December 29, 2025.

History
Various proposals have been made to connect Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) by rail since the 1960s. Development of the Los Angeles Metro Rail C Line (formally the Green Line) in the late 1980s proposed extending the line north from the Aviation/LAX station towards LAX, either serving the terminals directly or nearby at Lot C, with the use of a people mover to connect to the terminal buildings. However, these plans were canceled in 1992 following disagreements with the Federal Aviation Administration and politicians who wanted the line to focus on local communities. Some advocates criticized Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) for wishing to preserve parking revenues. Following the opening of the C Line in 1995, the closest station to the airport is 2.4 mi away at Aviation/LAX station, where a free LAX Shuttle is provided.

In the 1990s and 2000s, the development of the Metro K Line once again considered connecting the Metro Rail system to LAX, as parts of the proposed line ran nearby on Aviation Boulevard. The project would also connect the C Line to the K Line tracks at a new wye near the Aviation/LAX station, allowing the C Line to serve the airport. Construction of the light rail line began in January 2014 without a station directly at LAX. The plan was to connect one of the line stations to the future LAX Automated People Mover, which would transport passengers directly to the airport terminals and facilities.

Initially, Metro thought the K Line's Aviation/Century station would connect with the people mover (APM) with the intention that the APM would run along Century Boulevard. However, the APM plan approved in June 2014 called for it to intersect with the K Line at 96th Street, about half a mile to the north. This required Metro to design an additional station while the overall line was still under construction. Later that year, Metro approved the planning and scoping of the new station, which was called Aviation/96th in planning documents but was ultimately designated LAX/Metro Transit Center station. Official approval was given in December 2016, and construction began in 2021. Designed by Grimshaw Architects, the LAX/Metro Transit Center station is slated to open in late 2024. Due to construction delays, the connection to the LAX Automated People Mover will open later in December 2025. , citing Metro’s June 2023 Schedule Update, the overall project is 71.1% complete and the primary station construction is at 58.3% completion. Upon opening, the station will serve both the C and K lines.

Plans show a parking facility would also be built adjacent to the station. However, construction of the structure may be delayed. Various planned road improvements are shown as "not triggered" in Appendix B of the LAMP 2021 Annual Progress Report.

Connections
The station will replace the LAX City Bus Center and is expected to be served by the following routes:

Station artwork
This station will feature a sculpture designed by Glenn Kaino, an conceptual artist based in Los Angeles. Called The Distance of the Sun, the sculpture is made up of vessels joined together, creating a spiral pathway suspended in the air. These ships symbolize the universal dreams of spaceflight and represent the importance of collaboration and imagination. The piece will connect to the station's ceiling, making the ships climb to the heavens, referencing the short story The Distance of the Moon.

Future Metro transit connections
Metro has proposed to make this station the southern terminus for Phase 2 of the Sepulveda Transit Corridor. Metro is in the route planning stage for Phase 1 of the corridor with completion planned for around 2040. Metro has also proposed the LAX/Metro Transit Center station as the southern terminus for the Lincoln Boulevard Transit Corridor bus rapid transit line with a completion date of 2047. Both projects are funded by Measure M.