New LAX/Metro Transit Center boosts K Line light rail

Ridership on the Los Angeles Country Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) light-rail K Line rose dramatically with the opening of the new LAX/Metro Transit Center on June 6.

Metro K Line ridership in June was up 139.5% on weekdays, 198.9% on Saturdays and 214.9% on Sundays, LA Metro officials said in a press release. They attributed the increase to the opening of the LAX/Metro Transit Center, which connects the Los Angeles International Airport with regional transit. With the opening of the station, the K Line now runs in a loop from the Expo/Crenshaw Station to Redonjdo Beach.

However, that ridership boost wasn't enough to counter a decrease in ridership across the entire LA Metro system in June. Ridership fell 6% to 23,751,589 boardings in June compared to the June 2024 level for the first time in 30 consecutive months, agency officials said.

They attributed the decrease in overall ridership across the transit system to the surge in Trump administration immigration enforcement activity and the large protests that followed.