Assembly Transportation Committee Passes Lieu Bill to Bring Rail Service to LAX on Bipartisan Vote

Sacramento, CA – The Assembly Transportation Committee today approved AB 889, a bill by Assemblymember Ted Lieu (D-Torrance) and Senator Jenny Oropeza (D-Carson) that would create a single-purpose entity charged with connecting the Green Line to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).  The vote was 13-0, with one abstention.

Currently, the Green Line stops in El Segundo, just 1 mile short of the airport, turns South, and comes to a final end in Redondo Beach.  Since it was built, South Bay residents have not-so-lovingly referred to it as the “Train to Nowhere.”

“It’s the residents of the South Bay who are paying the price for this failure,” Lieu said.  “The noise, pollution, and traffic around the airport are horrendous and getting worse every day.  Moving even some of these passengers onto rail would bring quality of life benefits to the whole region.”

LAX is one of the busiest airports in the world, serving over 60 million air passengers annually, creating over 100 million car trips in and out of the airport.  In addition, it is one of the nation’s busiest cargo airports, adding heavy truck traffic.

Lieu and Oropeza are partnering on this bill with LA City Councilmember Bill Rosendahl, who represents the airport and the surrounding areas.  The three, along with Congresswoman Jane Harman, LA County Supervisor Don Knabe, and other elected officials from the South Bay, have formed the “Green Line Coalition,” an organization to promote the completion of the Line.

“For too long, the Westside has suffered from severe traffic gridlock and insufficient public transportation,” Los Angeles City Councilmember Bill Rosendahl said. “Extending the Green Line to LAX would be a huge step toward building a much-needed rail network on the Westside and freeing our streets and highways from traffic congestion."

For more information on AB 889, please visit www.assembly.ca.gov/lieu or www.greenlinecoalition.com.