The Heavy Cost Of Light Rail

[editor]

I was reading an article in the New York Times today and it mentioned that the AirTrain cost $1.9 billion to build. For those who don't know, it's an eight-mile-long elevated light rail system that links Newark Airport's parking garages to its terminal and to the New Jersey Transit passenger rail corridor not far away.

I don't remember what Houston paid for its light rail system, but New Jersey paid $237,500,000.00 per mile.

Ouch.

[RedScare]

Houston's light rail was about $300 million for 7.5 miles, or $40 mil per mile.

Does anyone notice that every time you read a story about a monorail, it has some obscene price tag attached to it? Seattle's multi billion dollar boondoggle was a monorail, as well. Las Vegas' monorail is bad also. It cost over $650 million for less than 4 miles.

Given how tough it is to get ANY rail dollars for Houston, monorail supporters are beyond dreaming...they are delusional.

And look at this picture. They are not futuristic. They are not even attractive.

[ssullivan]

Well, technically the EWR AirTrain is not a light rail system. It's an elevated people mover system but does not use light rail techology. It runs on rubber tires on a fixed guideway, not actual rails like a light rail system. Some of the probable reasons it cost so much -- it's fully automated, with no operators on board the trains. The trains cars are small, custom-built cars that each hold only a few people, not stock light rail vehicles that are more mass-produced. And not only is it all elevated, but much of it is elevated about five stories off the ground. It's much higher than the average elevated train system.

Having taken it several times, I have two big complaints about it. First, it's terribly slow, especially on the stretch between the terminal complex and parking garage, and then from the parking garage to the NJ Transit/Amtrak station. And it was built completely outside security. While this helps with connections to the remote parking garage and the commuter rail station, it makes connections between terminals for passengers a pain. For some reason EWR has no option for changing terminals once you've cleared security, which means passengers transiting Continental's hub there traveling to/from Dallas, Atlanta, Chicago, Boston, and DC are forced to change terminals by leaving the secured area, taking the AirTrain, and then reclearing security in the other terminal. This is a major pain, and inexcusable for such a major hub airport.

[RedScare]

Actually, it appears the 8 mile, $1.9 Billion route goes to JFK. The Newark AirTrain is 1.9 miles and opened in 2001 at a cost of $417 million....only $219.5 million per mile!

[cwrm4]

The EWR AirTrain is pretty pathetic...I was actually stuck 5 stories up on it for an over an hour in the freezing cold (with no explanation) on this very weekend two years ago.

Our MetroRail high costs per mile can somewhat legitimately be chalked up to RoW issues, a mess of underground utilities, and a learning curve, but I suspect the EWR and JFK rail costs are more due to kickbacks and organized crime..err, New Jersey based construction companies...

[editor]

The EWR AirTrain is pretty pathetic...I was actually stuck 5 stories up on it for an over an hour in the freezing cold (with no explanation) on this very weekend two years ago.

Our MetroRail high costs per mile can somewhat legitimately be chalked up to RoW issues, a mess of underground utilities, and a learning curve, but I suspect the EWR and JFK rail costs are more due to kickbacks and organized crime..err, New Jersey based construction companies...

Very interesting, because I got stuck up there for over an hour once, too. Except that it was an exceptionally sunny February afternoon and it got real hot real quick in that little solar oven.

I think another reason for EWR being so expensive is that much of it is over a swamp.

[cwrm4]

Very interesting, because I got stuck up there for over an hour once, too.

Looks like we may have finally found an airport inter-terminal people mover that actually makes the Playskool train in the basement of IAH look efficient

[VicMan]

The playskool train is only used to ferry people between the hotel and the terminals anyway.

The TerminaLink is what truly connects the terminals.

[The Voice of University Oaks]

The IAH Playskool train is also useful when you have to park at Terminal A or B because there's no parking available at C, D or E.

Capital costs for the Main Street light rail line were $324 million, or $43.2 million per mile. The cost includes rolling stock and the rail operations center.

[ssullivan]

Having ridden both many times, the train in the IAH basement is faster than the one at EWR. Even on the straight sections of track going to the EWR commuter rail station the thing barely chugs along. What's crazy is that it's basically the same technology as TerminaLink at IAH, and there are similar systems at DEN, PIT, and ATL. Yet none of them are nearly as slow or as prone to mechnical problems as the one at EWR.

Fortunately I've never been stuck in the EWR Air Train, although I've been there before when it was broken. Hopefully it will be up and running in a couple of weeks when I'm headed to NYC for New Year's and I need it to get from the airport to the rail station.

[editor]

The one I remember from ATL was really in a different league than the EWR or IAH trains. The ATL train (if memory serves) is more like an extra-wide full subway train, like at CVG, ORD, and LHR.

[ConstructionManagerMAS]

The IAH Terminalink (basement) train is something like the third incarnation of the original train that ran between Terminals A&B when they opened in 1969. It uses a linear motor that is based on magnets in the railway pulling on steel plates mounted in the bottom of the cars. Its certainly an old technology with a lot of maintenance issues, but it's the only way for non-passengers and airport employees to get around the airport, which someone mentioned earlier. The new APM is much faster with more up-to-date technology, but since it is behind the security checkpoints, only passengers can really use it. This has become a real problem for various airports after 9-11. You almost have to have two separate systems, one secure and one non-secure.

By the way, the original IAH train (the 1969 version) was designed by the Disney Company, I guess because of their experience with similar technology at Disneyland.

[zaphod]

I can see why the airtrain JFK was so expensive. It seems to be totally elevated rapid transit.Like a MTA Extension only well not a MTA Extension.

Nothing close to one of those puny little people movers they have at other major airports

Piccy's:

Not surprised the EWR one sucks. Its in New Jersey, what do you honestly expect it to be like?

Edited December 14, 2005 by zaphod

[ssullivan]

The IAH Terminalink (basement) train is something like the third incarnation of the original train that ran between Terminals A&B when they opened in 1969.

Actually, "TerminaLink" is not the train in the basement. It it the above ground people mover opened in 1999 between B and C and extended to D and E early this year.

The one I remember from ATL was really in a different league than the EWR or IAH trains. The ATL train (if memory serves) is more like an extra-wide full subway train, like at CVG, ORD, and LHR.

Yes but it's the same type of technology. It still runs on rubber tires on a fixed path, as opposed to steel train wheels on a steel track. But it is nice because it's long and fairly fast. It definitely moves a lot of people very quickly and I've never been there when it was out of order.

[ConstructionManagerMAS]

Actually, "TerminaLink" is not the train in the basement. It it the above ground people mover opened in 1999 between B and C and extended to D and E early this year.

My mistake. You have to be careful not to get whiplash on that underground train too.

[VicMan]

Is the IAH above ground train closer to Atlanta's? I liked Atlanta's train.

[ssullivan]

Is the IAH above ground train closer to Atlanta's? I liked Atlanta's train.

Yes, only above ground and with somewhat shorter cars.

[Houston1stWordOnTheMoon]

I hate the dungeon basement train at IAH. Good news is that it isnt in the plans for the future. The above ground train will eventually connect all terminals and will be inside of security. There will no longer be a need to exit and reenter security in order to travel between the terminal buildings.

[Houston19514]

Actually, the long term (20-25 years) master plan calls for an entirely new underground train system, replacing both the current tunnel train and at least part of the current TerminaLink above-ground train.

[ssullivan]

I hate the dungeon basement train at IAH. Good news is that it isnt in the plans for the future. The above ground train will eventually connect all terminals and will be inside of security. There will no longer be a need to exit and reenter security in order to travel between the terminal buildings.

There's really a need for both. In the airport's current configuration, it makes a lot of sense to have systems for transporting people between terminals both inside and outside of the security checkpoints.

The reality is that the overwhelming majority of connecting passengers at IAH are making connections between Terminals B, C, D, and E. Only A is not served by the above-ground TerminaLink people mover. For those who do need to make connections between Terminal A and the other terminals, a shuttle bus service is available behind security, and it works pretty well. It is more of a problem if you have a very tight connection. And, there is almost never much of a wait at the security checkpoints in Terminal A. If you need to get from C to A and don't want to take the bus, you can take TerminaLink to B, go out of security, down to the train, take it to A, and re-clear security there. Total time from walking off the TerminaLink train in B to clearing security in A can easily be less than 20 minutes unless you're just a very slow walker. I've done this before myself in 15 minutes. Granted that's not as fast as a two-minute ride from B to A on the TerminaLink train if it's evere extended, but it's not an extremely long trip either.