The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced it selected three automated-people-mover system technology firms to advance to the next round of a multiphase procurement process to replace the existing AirTrain Newark system at Newark Liberty International Airport with a new 2.5-mile automated train system.
The three shortlisted firms are:
- Alstom Transport USA Inc.;
- DCCCA1 Inc. (Doppelmayr); and
- Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America Inc.
The shortlisted firms were selected as a result of a publicly advertised Request for Qualifications that was published Dec. 8, 2022.
Debuted in 1996, the existing AirTrain Newark system has become outmoded and unreliable. The current system carries an average of 26,000 passengers per day, or nearly 10 million passengers per year. It provides access to the co-located Newark Liberty International Airport station on New Jersey Transit and Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor lines, and provides customers and employees with the ability to transfer among airport terminals, parking lots and rental car facilities. The Federal Aviation Administration granted final environmental approval for a replacement of AirTrain Newark on Aug. 13, 2021.
The process to replace AirTrain Newark will include the design and construction of the new AirTrain’s APM system technology, and the operations and maintenance of the components necessary for a new fully functional, world-class AirTrain. Also included in this first phase are the procurement processes for the furnishing, delivery, installation, testing and commissioning of the system technology.
Additional procurement phases in the AirTrain Newark replacement program may include, but are not limited to, the following separate contract packages:
- Early works packages;
- Design package;
- 2.5-mile elevated guideway structure and three stations including back-of-house areas;
- Maintenance and control facility for the system technology equipment; and
- Pedestrian connections from stations to existing airport facilities.
“The Port Authority’s airports are the gateways to the world and play a significant role in the region’s economy,” Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole said. “As air travel demands continue to grow, this agency is committed to making necessary investments, including spending billions of dollars to modernize our airports and their transportation assets like the AirTrain.”
“The AirTrain is a critical part of Newark Liberty’s operations, and the existing system is nearing the end of its useful life,” Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton said. “It is imperative to build a new 21st century AirTrain to serve the new world-class terminals that we are building at Newark Liberty.”
Alstom provides operations and maintenance services for the current AirTrain, under a new contract that runs through 2030.
