The long-delayed train that is supposed to whisk travellers between LAX terminals, parking lots and the new Metro transit hub has hit yet another problem — and this one involved actual explosions. During September testing, four electrical arc blasts damaged the Automated People Mover's power rail and elevated guideway, and newly released video shows the dramatic moment: a test train passes, then a large flash erupts near the track, trailing sparks and smoke.
According to a report prepared for project lenders by advisory firm Infrata, three of the flashovers happened at separate spots on 23 September, with a fourth following two days later. The cause has not been publicly determined. Transportation expert Timothy Borchers, who has spent more than four decades in the industry, told reporters that four such incidents on one system were unprecedented in his experience, and warned that an arc blast under a passing train could potentially start a fire. He described the footage as showing one of the most severe flashovers he had seen.
The contractor, LINXS, tells a calmer story. The consortium says only a few feet of power rail were affected, the damage was unrelated to the power distribution system, no passenger vehicles were harmed, and the system responded as designed. Repairs are complete and testing has resumed, according to LAWA, the airport authority, which has also pointed to an informational site noting that arc flashes can happen during testing. Officials have referred the underlying cause to an ongoing investigation.
For anyone who has endured the LAX shuttle-and-crawl experience, the stakes are real. The People Mover, branded SkyLink, was meant to open in 2023 and will eventually link the terminals with parking facilities, the rental car centre and the LAX/Metro Transit Center — cutting out the bumper-to-bumper loops that define the airport today. Instead, the project has slipped repeatedly and its budget has ballooned to roughly $3.3 billion, well past the original figure, while the contractor and city squabble over who pays for the delays.
Testing exists precisely to catch problems before real passengers board, and to its defenders, that is exactly what happened here. But four blasts in two days is a hard pattern to wave off, and until investigators explain the cause, scepticism about the opening date — and the system's reliability once it does open — will keep growing.
Practical takeaway for travellers: don't plan trips around the People Mover just yet. If you're flying through LAX in the meantime, expect the familiar shuttle buses between terminals, the rental car centre and the Metro Green Line, and build in extra time for airport transfers. When SkyLink finally opens, it should make connections to the Los Angeles rail network far easier — but after this latest setback, it's worth waiting for confirmed opening announcements rather than betting an itinerary on it.
