The structure located at 9520 Belford Avenue.

The M&SF, spanning 111,000 square feet, will provide storage, a train wash and maintenance shops for the APM train cars. It is also the control center for the entire APM system, where the trains are controlled via 24-hour surveillance. This facility is the only section of the project where the train cars are at-grade; elsewhere, the trains run 50 to 75 feet in the air along a 2.25-mile guideway beginning at the Consolidated Rent-A-Car (ConRAC) Facility and ending at the West Station of the Central Terminal Area.

Up next for the area is the grading of the site, which involves excavating the soil and evening it into a flat surface. Utility work will be underway throughout the summer, and by late fall construction of the foundations will commence. Once the foundations are laid, the team will focus on laying the train tracks and the start of building construction in 2020.

The tracks within the M&SF allow trains to move around to the different areas of the yard for various maintenance tasks like cleaning the interior and exterior of the trains, testing trains, vehicle storage and service. Within the footprint of the M&SF yard are three storage tracks and one test track, while the M&SF building interior includes a track where trains will enter for maintenance work.

The project also features a new two-lane roadway called Maintenance Drive, which will connect 96^th Street to Arbor Vitae Street and provide direct access for employees to the facility.

Aerial view of LAX Automated People Mover train Maintenance & Storage Facility.

The M&SF will boast various sustainability elements, which will help the facility achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification. The M&SF will install grey concrete for all site and parking lot paving, as well as high-Solar Reflectance Index (SRI) roofing to mitigate the urban heat island effect, keeping the building cool in the hot summer months. The facility will employ high-efficiency mechanical and electrical systems, and the solar photovoltaic panels will reduce the building’s annual energy cost. The solar panels also will be in place over parking areas.

Additionally, the facility will have capacity for eight covered bike racks for employees who bike to work, and preferred parking will be offered for employees working in the facility that utilize carpool and vanpool options.

The overall APM system is also striving for an Envision rating, which measures the sustainability on infrastructure projects through construction and operations and maintenance. Created by the American Society of Civil Engineers, the intent of the Envision rating is to acknowledge when sustainability goals are achieved by ensuring smart investments are made regarding scarce resources.

“With projects like the Maintenance and Storage Facility, LAWA is leading the way in creating sustainable facilities,” said Samantha Bricker, Deputy Executive Director, Environmental Programs Group. “We are minimizing energy use and incorporating sustainable infrastructure elements that will lead us, and our partner LINXS, toward achieving LEED Gold certification for this building and delivering the first Envision project at LAX.” 

The APM, scheduled for completion in 2023, features six stations, which will connect the terminals to new off-site parking facilities, new drop-off/pick-up locations, a Consolidated Rent-A-Car Facility and will provide the long-awaited connection to the regional light rail system. End-to-end, the ride is 10 minutes, with a new train pulling into a station every two minutes.

For all construction impacts, renderings of the projects and more information on LAX’s modernization, visit FlyLAX.com/ConnectingLAX. Individuals can also subscribe to receive email updates online.

About Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) 

LAX, the fourth-busiest airport in the world and second busiest in the United States, was named a top-10 U.S. airport by SKYTRAX. LAX served more than 87.5 million passengers in 2018 and offers an average of 700 daily nonstop flights to 109 cities in the U.S. and 1,281 weekly nonstop flights to 93 markets in 47 countries on 69 commercial airlines. LAX ranks 10th in the world in air cargo tonnage processed, with more than 2.4 million tons of air cargo. LAX handled 707,883 operations (landings and takeoffs) in 2018.  

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 was honored as having the “Best Overall Customer Service Program” by Airports Council International-North America; named the “Best Airport for Breastfeeding Moms” by Mamava; selected for the Top 10 “Best of the U.S.’s Big Airports” (Wall Street Journal) and “Most Pet-Friendly Airports in the U.S. (Mental Floss); named the second-most improved airport in the U.S. by JD Power; received an “Innovation Award” from the L.A. Better Business Challenge for its Central Utility Plant; and named  a “Business Leader in Air Quality” by the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

LAX is also the second-most popular airport in the world to appear on Instagram, according to wego.com. 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, a proprietary department of the City of Los Angeles that receives no funding from the City’s general fund.  

For more information about LAX, please visit   www.flyLAX.com or follow on Twitter   @flyLAXAirport, on Facebook at   www.facebook.com/LAInternationalAirport, and on YouTube at   www.YouTube.com/laxairport1.  

As a covered entity under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of Los Angeles does not discriminate on the basis of disability and, upon request, will provide reasonable accommodation to ensure equal access to its programs, services, and activities.  Alternative formats in large print, braille, audio, and other forms (if possible) will be provided upon request.

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