Your friend from out of town is flying into LAX. “No problem,” you say, trying to be a good friend. “I’ll pick you up.”

Regret sinks in while sitting in traffic in the congested “horseshoe,” the U-shaped road that connects to each of LAX’s terminals. But what else could you do, tell your friend to take the train?

With the Friday opening of the LAX Metro Transit Center, getting to the airport entirely via train is almost possible, offering travelers an alternative to using their cars or ride shares.

“[This is] a major step forward in how people move into, out of and through our city,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said Friday at a ribbon cutting event for the nearly billion-dollar station.

The station opens to the public at 5 p.m.

L.A. County Supervisor and Metro Board chair Janice Hahn

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