EDITOR'S NOTE: With the nearly $900 million LAX/Metro Transit Center officially opened, multimedia journalist Anna Albaryan spoke to people traveling to LAX on Friday and a local comedian about the new public transportation now available. Click the arrow above to watch the full video.

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles-area transit system achieved a major milestone Friday with the long-awaited opening of the LAX/Metro Transit Center station, bringing rail service the closest it has ever been to Los Angeles International Airport and giving travelers a new car-free option for reaching the airfield.

The new station, located just east of LAX, will eventually provide a direct connection to the still-under-construction LAX People Mover system, which will take travelers into the airport terminal area. The People Mover is expected to open later this year or in early 2026. Until then, travelers will be able to connect with free airport shuttle buses at the new transit station to reach the terminals. Those shuttles run every 10 minutes.

"We finally have a beautiful, modern, reliable rail connection to LAX," county Supervisor and Metro Board Chair Janice Hahn said during a ribbon- cutting ceremony Friday afternoon.

Hahn joked that having a rail station so close to the airport will help prevent residents from hearing some notoriously "terrifying words."

"Here in LA, we know those terrifying words have always been, 'Hey, can you give me a ride to LAX?"

Hahn was among the local dignitaries who attended the ribbon-cutting event, along with fellow county Supervisors Holly Mitchell and Lindsey Horvath, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts. Former Mayors Eric Garcetti and Antonio Villaraigosa were also among those in attendance.

The station officially opened to the public at 5 p.m. Friday.

To celebrate the station's opening, Metro will offer free fares across its rail and bus systems Friday through Sunday.

Metro billed the new station as a multi-modal transportation hub along the Metro K Line that will provide greater access between Redondo Beach and the Metro E (Expo) at Crenshaw Boulevard.

The K Line currently runs between the Redondo Beach Station and the Aviation/Century Station. With the LAX Station still under construction, northbound K Line passengers had to board a shuttle bus to reach the K Line's Westchester station, where they could again board the train and travel through Inglewood and ultimately to the E Line.

With Friday's opening of the LAX Station, the K Line will run seamlessly from Redondo Beach to the E Line, including a stop at the LAX Station.

The Metro C (Green) Line, which previously ran between Norwalk and Redondo Beach, now has its western terminus at the Aviation/Century Station, where passengers can transfer to the K Line to continue south to Redondo Beach. As of Friday evening, the C Line now runs between Norwalk and the new LAX Station.

The new LAX station also includes a multilevel bicycle hub with secured parking, a pedestrian plaza, as well as an area for passenger vehicle pick-up and drop-off, according to Metro. The facility also has a 16-bay bus plaza.