The automated people mover (APM) at Los Angeles Airport (LAX) in California has been named the 2023 Trailblazer Project of the Year by the Los Angeles Sustainability Coalition (LASC) at its annual Trailblazer Awards Dinner.
The APM is a zero-emission, electric train that creates its own power through a regenerative braking system that captures energy that is otherwise lost during vehicle braking. A solar power system on the roof of the APM’s maintenance and storage facility (MSF) will provide 40% of the facility’s energy needs and 7% of the overall APM’s power requirements. The APM’s train cars are made from fully recyclable aluminum shells. The train features six stations – three inside the airport’s Central Terminal Area (CTA) and three outside – along a 2.25-mile elevated guideway. Once operational, passengers will have time-guaranteed access to the CTA in 10 minutes or less.
Prior to being named LASC’s 2023 Trailblazer Project of the Year, the APM’s sustainability track record had also been acknowledged with an Envision Gold Certification for its MSF by the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure.
Justin Erbacci, CEO of the airport’s operating company Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), said, “The positive impacts of LAX’s APM will be felt for generations to come. Sustainably built to reduce airport guests’ reliance on personal automobiles and better connect them to greater Los Angeles, the project is key to our larger environmentally minded transformation. We are thankful to LASC for honoring the Automated People Mover with the 2023 Trailblazer Project of The Year Award and share this recognition with the project’s developer, LINXS, the local workforce building the APM and the entire LAWA team helping to realize the transformation of our airport.”
“We are proud to help bring this new, sustainable transportation option to LAX, one of the world’s busiest airports,” said Sam Choy, project director at LINXS Constructors. “Travelers will soon be able to catch a glimpse of what’s to come when train car testing begins this summer.”
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